One who wants his welfare should first search for a spiritual guru. First, everyone should make Lord Krishna their spiritual guru. Then, pray to Lord Krishna, “O lord, please help me meet my guru.” I myself can’t find or recognize him. Then, God Himself will come to you as a Guru. Lord himself will incarnate and appear in front of you as your guru.
Qualifications Of A Guru
The Guru should be a scholar of the Vedas and should be self-realised. If someone has memorized the Vedas and Puranas but is not self-realized, then it will not work. And if one is self-realized but cannot talk about Vedas and Puranas, then it will take time for you to understand his teachings. But he can still care for your welfare through his resolve and blessings. However, a Guru should have both things to convey his experience to you through words. But how do you find such great men? It is very rare to meet such great men. Then what should we do? Initially, seek refuge only from those who know such great men. But who knows them? God knows everyone, so He knows your Gurudev also. Take refuge in God; then, God will unite you with your Gurudev.
Are You Worthy Of Becoming A Disciple?
Guru is a potter, and disciple is a pot of clay. Just as a potter puts his hands inside a clay pot and beats it from outside (so that its crookedness gets corrected), in the same way, Gurudev, while handling the disciple, gives adverse behaviour (insult, condemnation, punishment) from outside. If the Guru does not see the faults of his disciple and keeps taking only gifts and money from him, then both the Guru and his disciple will go to hell. The disciple will go to hell because he does not obey his teacher’s orders. And the Guru will go to hell because he cannot fully fulfil his responsibility of freeing the disciple from the material world. The job of the Guru is to make the disciple attain God. One who does not see such capability in himself should never make disciples.
How Should Our Relationship With Our Guru Be?
When faced with adversity from the Guru, the disciple should be happy. You should be happy that Gurudev remembers you when Guru speaks bitter words to you. When the disciple gets respect from the Guru, he should be careful whether he is committing any crime. You should become fearless when the Guru casts a negative gaze upon you because Maya (illusion) will not enter your life if you are under the vision of your Guru. The one whom the Guru loves very much keeps a watchful eye on him so that no defect can touch him.
An ignorant soul cannot understand the love of a Guru! He feels that I serve day and night, yet Gurudev keeps a strict eye on me, scolding me and insulting me. I don’t know what is happening. Only that which is going to make you happy is happening. The disciple should never get distracted.
Importance Of Guru’s Instructions
If you are away from your Guru (say, you are a householder and live away from the Guru), then keep thinking about the Guru while following the Guru’s orders. With this, all the spiritual things from the Guru’s heart will come inside you. Guru’s orders should be followed immediately. Kabirdas ji says that the disciple who follows the orders of the Guru becomes fearless in all three worlds.
A disciple should make his mind and senses follow the orders of the Guru. Keep behaving so that your love for your Guru keeps increasing. No one ever benefited without the love of a Guru. The welfare of the one who does not love the feet of the Guru is not possible because welfare comes only by the grace of the Guru. Never violate the dignity of the Guru. If one violates the dignity or disrespects the Guru’s feet, he can never be blessed.
Guru’s Responsibility
The one who makes a disciple but does not care about his welfare has to bear all his disciple’s sins. Therefore, if a disciple does not follow the Guru’s orders, then the Guru should abandon him. It is the Guru’s responsibility to destroy the disciple’s faults through his penance and devotion and make him attain God.
Dedication Of Disciple
For the Guru to fulfil his responsibility, the disciple must surrender himself at the feet of his Guru. Worshiping the feet of the Guru is the basic worship. Just as by pouring water at the root, the entire tree, stem, leaves, etc., get water; similarly, everyone in the universe is worshipped by worshipping the Guru.
The mantra given to you by your Gurudev is the form of Guru. If you keep chanting the holy name or mantra given by the Guru all the time, then it is the same as being near your Guru all the time. The disciple who surrenders his heart to his Gurudev, considering him to be God, the Gurudev remains in his heart until he makes him experience the supreme position.
Avoid Committing Offenses And Disloyalty Towards The Guru
When you commit any offence, you will feel hatred towards your teacher. You will start ignoring him. If any crime is being committed, immediately go to the feet of the Guru and ask for forgiveness and guidance. If you commit an offence, you will lose faith in your Guru and start seeing faults in him, and the Guru will appear to you like a normal human being. The one who wants to save himself by offending his Guru and taking help from someone else will have to be beaten; Maya (nescience/illusion) will beat him. Even if you offend your Gurudev and take refuge in any deity or God, then even He will not save you. Lord himself says, “I am under the will of my devotees”.
Never disobey your Guru. Once you find a Guru, you get everything; nothing remains to be achieved. One who disobeys the Guru will have wrong thoughts, lust, anger, greed, attachment, etc. This will ultimately lead to his downfall.
God Himself Took Refuge In His Guru
Lord Ram used to worship the feet of Vishwamitra ji and listen to teachings by sitting at the feet of Vashishtha ji. Lord Krishna used to sit at the feet of sage Sandipani and listen. God Himself appeared and showed that life is not meaningful without a Guru. Take shelter at the feet of Guru. Sitting at the feet of God, Uddhav ji did not have even a drop of love. But he was filled with love when he took shelter at the feet of Gopis of Vrindavan (his gurus). Divine love cannot be attained without a Guru.
The Glory Of Seeing Guru and Saints Every Day
If you cannot visit your Guru several times every day, then visit him at least twice. Those who visit saints twice a day, time never betrays them, that is, they do not die untimely death. No major calamity comes into their life. For them, even the punishment of crucifixion reduces to the pain of a small thorn. One who defies his loved ones and goes in the company of a Guru attains salvation certainly. He becomes entitled to God’s love.
Those angry after seeing the saints attain a low birth in the next life. Seeing the saints, our hearts should rejoice that today, we have the opportunity to serve the saints. For those who keep seeing and obeying the saints, their karma or any planet cannot harm them. If you see a devotee, bow your head; this way, no planet (horoscope) will trouble you. Spend your life visiting Gurudev and saints, following their orders, chanting the holy name of the lord continuously with each breath. This is the worship of Gurudev and this is the ultimate benefit of life.
Guidance by: Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Ji Maharaj
