What if I Told You That Guru Needs a Disciple More Than Vice-Versa (EP-40)

'What you seek is seeking you'

This is what I wrote in my college years when I was quite high on spirituality.

A Guru needs a Disciple. I think the reverse is less true.

What I meant was two things:

1. As soon as the disciple is ready in the real sense and has purified himself totally the Guru will automatically appear.

2. The real Guru, the awakened one, will be so full of compassion (what we call ‘Karuna’) that he will not be able to resist but open his heart and just give, give, and give.

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When the disciple is ready

There is no denying the fact that the guru is always on the lookout for a deserving, prepared, qualified disciple.

I used to lament when I used to be spiritually depressed. I said only if I had a guru to guide me through this dark phase.

But then I slowly realized that these circumstances had come only to prepare & purify me. You can say that these circumstances themselves were my guru.

As Rumi said:

What you seek is seeking you.

You just get ready in your best dress and the guru will come to your doorstep to pick you up.

"Shrotriyasya chaakamahatah"

This Sanskrit phrase is found in the Chandogya Upanishad (6.14.2), and it translates to

"To the one who is a sincere seeker (disciple), the teacher (guru) appears of his own accord."

But please remember one thing, Ansh. Guru often comes in disguised forms. Don’t mistake him for the beggar with a ‘kamandal’ (water pot) in his hand.

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Guru full of ‘Karuna’ (compassion)

An awakened one is a compassionate being. He (or she) will be full of compassion. He can not survive without guiding disciples.

Tell me, why did Buddha taught Dhamma after getting enlightenend?

Tell me, why did Krishna taught Gita to Arjuna?

Tell me, why did J. Krishnamurti went from place to place to give lectures?

Just like it is human nature to seek, it is awakened nature to teach, to guide, and to spread the message.

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What Indian sages had said about who a real Guru is

• Nisargdatta Maharaj:

  Your own self is your ultimate teacher. The outer teacher (Guru) is merely a milestone. It is only your inner teacher that will walk with you to the goal, for he is the goal. Since he is in you and with you, the difficulty cannot be serious. Look within and you will find him.

• Swami Vivekananda:

  "You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul."

• Adi Shankaracharya:

  "Salutation to the Guru who is Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the bestower of Supreme Bliss, the embodiment of pure consciousness."

• Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:

  "God Himself is the Guru. The guru is only a means of realizing Him. He is the channel through which the spiritual current flows from the higher source to the individual soul."

• Sri Aurobindo:

  "The Guru is not a physical person. He is the presence, the pure presence in which all the blocks are burnt away."

• Rabindranath Tagore:

  "The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind."

• Sri Ramana Maharshi:

  "The guru is none other than the Self. Worship your guru as the Self; that is worship in its truest form."

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So explorers, don’t worry when you will find your Guru who will take your finger in his palm and walk with you.

You just focus on self-inquiry. Keep on asking questions. Keep on observing the contents of your mind.

And one day you will realize you are the Guru you have been looking for!