|| Shri Hari ||
The Real Guru
Swami Ramsukhdas
|| Shri Hari ||
The Real Guru
The real Guru is the one who is only concerned about the welfare (salvation) of His disciple. How can a person be our Guru if He does not have our welfare in His heart ? So, the real Guru is one who wishes our upliftment – whether we accept Him as a Guru or not, and if he agrees to become our Guru or not. He does not have the desire that He should become a Guru or the others accept Him as a Guru or they become His disciples.
The Guru who wants to acquire wealth is the slave of wealth, becomes the slave of the disciple. If a person wishes to become a Guru, He can never lead others to salvation. The Guru who wants money from the disciple, is not a Guru, but is the slave of the disciple and, in actuality, He becomes the disciple of the disciple. The reason is that the disciple possesses money and so money is the disciple of that disciple, and the disciple of the money is the Guru, so the Guru is the disciple of the disciple. Think about it – Can anyone be your Guru if He desires anything from you ? No, He cannot be. Whoever wants money, respect, praise from you, is indeed your disciple, not your Guru. A true Saint does not crave for the world, but the world has a dire need for Him. And the one who does not wish to have anything is the real Guru.
Kabeer jogi jagat guru, tajai jagat kea as |
Jo jag ki aasaa karai, to jagat guru wah daas ||
The true Saints and Sages do not have any interest in becoming a Guru, but they are keen for the salvation of the world. They have a natural and genuine desire for the spiritual progress of the world. I have also been looking for good Saints and Sages and have been able to find some, but, they never said that if I became their disciple, I would be blessed. Only the person who desires to become a Guru publicises that it is essential to have a Guru, that there is no liberation without a Guru etc.
There is no such provision that only a living person can become a Guru. Shri Sukhadevji Maharaj was there thousands of years ago, but He gave initiation to Charandasji Maharaj. The Guru himself invites a true disciple, because if the disciple is sincere, he doesn’t need to search for a Guru, he gets the Guru on its own. A person with real devotion gets a realised Saint.
Jehi ka jehi per satya sanehu |
So tehi milayi na kuch sandehu ||
(Manas, Baal. 259/3)
People seek a Guru, but the real Guru tries to find a disciple. The real Gurus have a strong compassion inside them. For example - in this world the mother is held in the highest regard. She is the child’s first preceptor, she gives birth to a child, feeds it, the child plays on her lap and she raises it. Without the mother’s presence, all this is not possible. The mother has lived without the children for many years, and it was in no way a hindrance for her to live. But still her fondness for her child is so intense that the child doesn’t stay hungry. She can face hardships to raise her child. Such is the nature of a real Guru as well. Whenever He accepts someone as His disciple, He takes him towards salvation. The Guru has the capability to lead the disciple to salvation. I myself have witnessed such instances.
I will tell you a story. There was a Saint. He didn’t accept anyone as His disciple, but treated one as a friend. Once, a friend of His was suffering from a very serious illness, and he got scared. He was not even cured by the best of medicines and treatment. The Saint asked His friend to pass on his illness to Him, but the friend thought – how can I do this ? The Saint said that when He asks him again, he should not refuse and not put any hindrance; rather He asked him to pass on half of his illness to Him. The friend agreed, and the Saint shared half of his illness. Surprisingly, thereafter, he was cured of the whole of his illness. Such competent souls can only become Gurus. Despite this capability, that Saint didn’t accept anyone as a disciple during His lifetime.
After ‘making’ a Guru, a disciple is made to feel that the Guru’s status is higher than even God’s. As a result, the disciple starts worshipping the Guru, singing his prayers and ignores God. Actually speaking, this is a grave mistake, and leads one to hell. When a true Saint realises that His disciples are giving him more importance than God, He decides not to make any more disciples for His lifetime, because the disciples get attached to the Guru and fail to become one with God. If with a true Guru’s company, people feel more devoted towards God, then it is desirable; but if they develop bondage with the Guru, it would be disastrous. The so-called Gurus who want to attract disciples are frauds and thugs and not sincere Gurus. The real Guru is one who bonds the disciple with God. For our well being, there is no other well-wisher than God, be it our Guru, or father or mother or any other relation.
Uma ram sam hit jag maahin |
Guru pitu maatu bandhu prabhu naahin ||
(Manas, Kishkindha. 12/1)
Only an imposter’s work is to get people to worship him and not God, the people who are keen to make disciples, the ones who have greed for money, property, praise, respect etc., and those who want to spread their fame – for such people it is a farfetched affair to lead others to salvation, when they can’t attain salvation even themselves !
Shish shaakhaa sut vit ko tarase, Param tattva ko kaise parase ?
These people bring misery to all beings, in the same way as the fraud hermit brought to the King Pratapabhanu. (Vide Manasa, Baal. 153-175)
Company of these Saints, who have strong feelings at all times for the welfare (salvation) of others and who do not have any other selfish interest in their hearts, leads people to salvation. The ones who are selfless and without any desires can only help others become free from desires. People who are interested in fulfilling their own desires can only cheat others, they can’t lead others to salvation.
It is a principle that those who make other people weak are themselves weak inside, and those who make other people capable are also capable themselves. The real Gurus can help others become Gurus and those who wish to make disciples are incapable themselves.
God is always the greatest of all; therefore, He does not consider or make anyone smaller to Him. Those who totally surrender to Him become great as well. He makes them equal to Himself, makes them His friend and not disciples. For instance - Nisardaraja was a true (perfect) devotee, Vibhishan was an aspirant and Sugreev was a pleasure seeker, but for Lord Ram all were equal, and He considered all of them His friends. Arjun accepted himself as the disciple of the Lord -
Shishyastehum shaadhi maam tvaam prapannam (Gita 2/7)
But the Lord treats Himself as a friend. He does not consider Himself a Guru.
‘Ishthosi’ (Gita 18/64) ‘Bhaktosi me sakhaa cheti’ (Gita 4/3)
In the Vedas too, it is said that God is a friend to all beings -
Dva supanaa sayujaa sakhaayaa samaanam vruksham parishsva jaate* (Manduk 3/1/1, Shvtaashvtar. 4/6)
‘The individual soul and the Supreme Soul, like the two birds in a tree, always stay together, share a mutual friendship and take shelter in the body.’
The one who is great regards other as great too, and similarly one who thinks others are lowly and small, oneself becomes so. And the one who is great in reality doesn’t even feel shy or ashamed of being small.
In the epic Mahabharat, amidst the group of Kshatriyas and warriors, Lord Krishna opted to become a charioteer; and when Arjun asked Him to place his chariot in the middle of the two armies, He accepted Arjun’s commands as a disciple. When the Pandavas organised a Yagya (Sacrificial fire ceremony), first and foremost, they worshipped Lord Krishna. However, in that ceremony the Lord Himself picked up the used plates of the Brahmans after the meals. Lord Krishna never felt embarrassed in doing such menial tasks. The people who are actually small are only scared and ashamed of being so, and are worried that others may not know about their being lowly and degrade them.
Narayan ! Narayan !! Narayan !!!
From book in English ‘ Is Salvation Not Possible Without a Guru? ‘ by Swami Ramsukhdasji
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