Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court criticized self-proclaimed rationalists for mocking devotees who revere gurus as divine, stating that those who label believers as “scoundrels, fools, or barbarians” deserve those descriptions themselves.
CHENNAI: Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court drew sharp attention again when he criticized rationalists who mock believers in gurus, calling them “scoundrels, fools, or barbarians,” and asserted that those labels belong to the critics themselves.
Addressing critics who identify as rationalists, the judge, speaking in Tamil, stated:
“In Tamil Nadu, some people call themselves ‘rationalists.’ Because we see a Guru as an embodiment of God, they might call us ‘scoundrels,’ ‘fools,’ or ‘barbarians.’ I say that those who call us that are the real scoundrels, fools and barbarians.”
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The remarks came during the Guru Vandana Utsava organized by the Hosur Sathsangh at a private school in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, where the judge highlighted the spiritual importance of the guru. The event was attended by several spiritual leaders, including Sri Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamy of the Pejawara Mutt.
He observed,
“God is an abstract concept we haven’t seen, but a Guru is the living presence of God…It’s difficult to hold onto God’s feet, but it’s very easy to hold onto the feet of a Gurunatha.”
Swaminathan recounted a personal ordeal from his travels, describing a nighttime trip from Chandigarh to Delhi after his daughter’s law convocation in Patiala. Despite warnings about dense fog and treacherous roads, he and his wife chose to drive back that very night.
Recounting the moment around 1:00 AM on a busy highway, he recalled,
“Visibility was not even five feet. Suddenly, the car’s right rear wheel punctured,”
As his wife and driver tried to change the tire in the heavy mist, he said he felt “very scared and helpless.”
He added.
“In that helpless situation, the only word that came out of my mouth for those 30 minutes was ‘Gurunatha, Gurunatha, Gurunatha. That incident changed my life. When we feel helpless, the grace of Gurunatha is the only thing that can give us strength and a helping hand,”
The judge also spoke about the concept of spiritual “aura,” noting:
“I have close ties with many spiritual movements. Recently, I’ve been in close contact with a Yogi near Tenkasi. He told me about the ‘aura.’ We only see the physical body, but there is always an aura around us. For Guru Maharajas, this aura is very strong. When we are near them, their aura embraces us and washes away our weaknesses.”
To conclude, he congratulated those honoured at the event for dedicating their lives to service and said:
“I have four-and-a half years of service left as a judge. Looking at those who were honoured, I feel inspired to work even more courageously.”
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