WHO IS A TRUE GURU and WHO IS A TRUE SEEKER?--1

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HARI OM.On the occasion of Guru Poornima let us see as to who qualifies to be called a real Guru in these days of proliferation of self-styled Gurus. Our Sastras ordain that a true seeker of the Self( Atma vastunah jigjasoh)

should learn to enquire and meditate after duly approaching a Guru, who is himself established in the experience of the Self (Brahma vidhuttamam) and who is a ocean of kindness(Dayasindhum). It is not that every man of Realization can efficiently take up the work of directing others on the path towards the Goal. A Guru should not only be a man of Self-experience, but he should also have a large heart full of kindness and sympathy for all types of seekers. This is an indispensable requisite without which the Guru will not be able to go down to the level of the disciples and sympathetically appreciate their difficulties in understanding the Sastras and in living up to the high discipline that is expected of them by the Srutis. Thus a learned seeker who is striving to gain liberation from Bondage and who has renounced all his desires for pleasures in the

sense-objects, should duly approach a good and Guru and must live attuned to the true significances of the words of the Guru, who has to be one who is a sant ie., firmly established in the consciouness of Pure Existance (Sat). A Guru must not only be a man of full Realization and experience of Truth(Atma) but should also be a large-hearted ,sympathetic, kind person. Without these qualifications of the heart, he will not be able to come down from the level of his experience and mingle with the imperfect seekers who come to him and understand fully their difficulties on the path. One can be True Guru only if one has the required magnanimity,intimate personal experience of the Divine and in depth and thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. Without a thorough study of the Scriptures the Guru can not get the necessary language of expression and also the required intellectual arguments to resolve a student`s doubts into abiding convictions.

 

(to be continued)G.Balasubramanian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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