Avadhoot Dandekar

Today is the day of the “Guru”. Guru Nanak Dev was the founder of the Sikh faith. There is a legend behind his becoming a great Guru. He was once working for a merchant. And while counting numbers he made a small mistake. I strongly feel that such mistake should happen in everybody’s life. He was counting numbers. He was supposed to count up to twelve (12) and by mistake he counted up to thirteen (13). The moment he counted this number thirteen there was a sudden flash of a thunder in his whole being. It was a miraculous moment of his life. In fact divinity descended in him in that very moment. And at the same time, in that very moment, he ascended to divinity. In that very moment everything in his life has changed forever.

In the Eastern tradition the word “Tera” means the “Supreme”. It simply means “Yours” and not “Mine”. The word “Tera” means everything is yours (that of God) and nothing is mine. Now, the world of me and mine has come to an end for the first time. Unless ‘my’ world does not come to an end, ‘His’ world can not start. Unless ‘my’ territory does not come to an end, ‘His’ territory can not begin. And unless ‘I am’ not absent, ‘He’ can not be present. And this moment was such a mystery to him that he almost lost himself in the very being of the whole universe. In that very moment he became one with the cosmic being. In that very moment he became one with the whole and all the division and discrimination has disappeared forever. In that very moment he found his own being completely in sync with the cosmic being. And in that very moment he also experienced that oneness with the divine. It is just like how our digital devices are in sync with the web in the presence of an internet. When the WiFi is on, the digital devices get in sync with the web. And in the same way when the divine WiFi is on, our individual beings get connected with the cosmic being. And in the presence of a divine WiFi the individual beings get connected and be in sync with the cosmic being.

In fact all our divisions are only up to twelve. Twelve hours, twelve months, twelve zodiac signs, etc. Just look at the time piece that we use for all our daily reminders. Every moment and every second the time clock is actually reminding us about this division. The time clock is actually a great reminder. What happens at 12 O’Clock? How do we know that it clocked 12? In fact we come to know this in the moment when all the three hands of the clock come to become one. They all accurately come one upon the other to become one. They merge into each other and become one. The angle between them for the first time becomes zero degrees and all divisions of time and space disappear. The time clock is also a metaphor for the mind. The three divisions of the mind, that is, the past, present, and the future come to an end. And for the first time it is a zero hour (00:00). And zero in the Eastern tradition means “Shunnya”. It literally means a state of deep tranquility and stillness. It is a state of infinite silence. It is a state of being one with the One. And this state is possible through mindfulness and meditation. It is a state of being one with the divine. And for the first time all the divisions of the past, present, and future come to an end. What the hands of the clock are doing? They are dividing the space of our life into time. They are dividing the time of our life into distance. They are dividing the space of our mind in twelve (12) equal zones. And after this twelve (12), comes the number thirteen (13). And for Guru Nanak Dev this number thirteen (13) is not just a numeral, but a mental state in which all the divisions of space and time have disappeared. It is a state in which all the divisions have dissolved into the eternal. It is a transcendence of the space-time object. It is a state of no-time and no-space. It is a state of No-Mind. All our divisions are of the space and time. All our divisions are of the mind. And beyond time and beyond space there are no divisions. So, beyond the mind there are no divisions. The scientists are also talking about an unbounded cosmos. Our earlier thinking was that the universe is finite and bounded. We are slowly moving into a new understanding that the universe is open-ended and boundless. In fact the moving time is space. In fact the moving mind is space. The moving thoughts in the mind give rise to a subjective space-time object. The mind is a subjective world. And in the process of counting the numbers up to thirteen, Guru Nanak Dev transcended this world of the mind. And to indicate this state of our being, Guru Nanak Dev used the word, “a-man-gati”, a state of the mind where the thoughts have dissolved into silence. It is a silent state of the mind. He said that in a silent state of the mind we can experience the glimpse of the divine. In a silent state of the mind we come upon the eternal.


There are two states of an ocean. One state is that the ocean is noisy and turbulent. This is because the waves in the ocean are colliding with each other and making a lot of noise. The waves of the ocean are fighting with each other. The waves of the ocean are dividing the space of the ocean into “mine” and “yours”. And this gives rise to a conflict and chaos. And this results into a disturbance. And the second state is that the waves have dissolved into the ocean and the ocean has become a silent ocean. All the turbulence in the ocean has gone. And in a silent ocean the boat can sail through smoothly. The same is the case with our mind. The mind is like a factory of producing thoughts. An average man produces some 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. These thoughts are like the waves in the ocean. These thoughts in the mind can divide the space of the mind into “mine” and “yours”. And this can give rise to a conflict and chaos. Just imagine what will happen if all the thoughts in the mind are negative? And also imagine what will happen if all the thoughts in the mind are positive and creative? The whole territory of the mind can either become “mine” or “yours”. And it is a great benediction if the mind becomes “Tera (13)” or “Yours”. So please remember in all your dealings that the number thirteen (13), “Tera” is a lucky, magical, and mysterious number.

All numbers were also divine to the great mathematician Pythagoras. To him, the whole universe was like a divine number. And it is a very surprising thing that in some parts of the Western world, number thirteen (13) is considered to be a superstitious and unlucky number. They have many reasons for such a belief. And just like Pythagoras, all numbers are also divine to the Eastern tradition. The largest number that is being used in the digital world of information today is “Tera”, (10^12, that is, 10 to the power 12). For example, “Tera Byte”. The root of this number “Terabyte” is also from the Eastern tradition. The root word is “Tera” or thirteen (13). This number means all is “yours” and nothing is “mine”. When this number thirteen (13) could enlighten Guru Nanak Dev, why can’t it enlighten us all? I do not know why some people associate superstition with this number? In the West in some buildings there is no 13th floor. After the 12th floor comes the 14th floor. This appears really very strange. There is also a superstition attached with “Friday 13” in the West. And this day is looked down upon and unlucky.

Let us try a small trick of numerology here and see the miracle. Let us associate all alphabets in “Friday 13” with the corresponding numbers. The word Friday gives us a number sixty three (63). Now add this number to thirteen. This gives us 76 (63+13). Again add the two digits 7 and 6. Wow!! This again gives the same magical and lucky number thirteen (13).

You will be surprised to know that even the word “Guru” stands for number “Tera”, thirteen (13). Let us again try the trick of numerology here also and see. Let us associate all the alphabets in the word “Guru” with their corresponding numbers. This gives us number sixty seven (67). And just add these two digits. Voila!! Even this word “Guru” gives us the same magical, mysterious, and lucky number.


Our being and the cosmic being are not two different things. Our physical being is numeric and our spiritual being is Nirvanic. The quantum science says that the particle of matter has a dual or quantum behaviour. It behaves both as a particle and a wave. The same is the story of the human being. Our physical being has a particle nature. Which means our body is here and there. And our spiritual being has a wave nature. Which means our Nirvanic Body is everywhere. Spirituality is a path to know that our mind is numeric and our soul is Nirvanic. Spirituality is a way to know that our physical being is numeric and our spiritual being is Nirvanic.


Guru Nanak Dev says, “God is One, but he has innumerable forms. He is the creator of all and He himself takes the human form.”

I think it is very clear now that number thirteen (13), “Tera” is a universal and divine number. It is a number of the “Guru”. Let the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and the magic of his number “Tera” enlighten us all. I dedicate my this day, the day of the Guru Nanak Gurpurab to “Satnam Shri Waheguru”. Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti!!

Our being and the cosmic being are not two different things. Our physical being is numeric and our cosmic being is Nirvanic. The quantum science says that the particle of matter has a dual or quantum behaviour. It behaves both as a particle and a wave. The same is the story of the human being. Our physical being has a particle nature. Which means our physical body is here and there. And our spiritual body (Nirvanic Body) has a wave nature. Which means our Nirvanic Body is everywhere. Spirituality is a path to know that our mind is numeric and our soul is nirvanic. Spirituality is a way to know that our physical being is numeric and our spiritual being is Nirvanic.