Q. Why do we need a Guru to know about God or religion? What is the role of the Guru in one’s life?

A. I will give you the answer that Kinkar Bhumananda gave. He has simplified the answer to this difficult question through three basic checks. If you wish to know if the person is a satguru just check if any of these three things happen. 1. While in his presence, if one forgets oneself even for a moment 2. If the longing for his darshan naturally gets intense 3. His mere darshan draws ashru-dhara, streams of tears, from one’s eyes. sbr

Q. Why this dependence on a Guru?

A. Why not? You need Guru to learn A, B, C, D…. In order to learn electrical work, training by an expert electrician is needed. A teacher is needed to learn any small/ sundry subject. Then how is it possible to learn the most complex subject like Brahma-vidya (God Realization) without having a Guru?

Q.. How will I get my Guru?

A. Where there is demand, there is supply. When jigyasa (keenness) of God realization rises in a seeker’s heart, he starts the search for his Guru to attain fulfilment. And eventually he finds that his Guru is very near to him.

Q. Why doesn’t Guru shower his kripa (grace) and give the ekatmataa (oneness) with him?

A. Why should He? Kyon denge? If Guru brings down his kripa just like that, everything is over. Sab khatam ho jaayega! Ye khel hain! It’s a game. You can’t tell the referee, ‘Anyway, everything is in your hands, why don’t you give a goal or two.’ You have to play.

Q. “But Gurudeva, all this is relevant because he follows the Guru. Is there any change that comes over him in the very moment of diksha? What’s the internal transformation in terms of energy or consciousness, how is he different from how he was before initiation?

A. “With diksha, Guru helps the disciple take a giant leap. He takes over the great sins (paap) of the disciple onto himself so that he may swiftly make progress through japa


Q. It’s not easy to attain to the ultimate in life. How can one enjoy the meditative bliss that’s talked often of?

A. You gain it by becoming one with the Guru.

Q. How does one become one with Guru?

A. It doesn’t work like a cola vending machine. No sooner do you begin little bit of japa, you want samadhi. That’s not possible. The lady doctor who came in yesterday had the same edginess. Anyway, it’s a good question. How does one attain perfection? The question appears in the Guru Gita. This text begins with the words Kailash shikhare ramye bhakti sadhan tatparaa etc. Lord Shiva is sitting on the beautiful Kailash Mountain with Ma Parvati. She is the one who asks the question, “Kena maargena bho swamin dehi brahmamayo bhavet?” (Oh Lord! How can an embodied being attain to the state of Brahma?) The answer is: Guru kripa! You get it with Guru’s grace.

So, the question is ken maargen bho swamin dehi brahmamayo bhavet? And the answer is, “Guru dhyaanaat tathaa devi dehi brahma mayo bhavet” (by constantly contemplating on the Guru, you will attain to the state of Brahma). This is the 72nd verse of the Guru Gita. That’s how it is in scriptures. A question appears in one place; and the answer pops up in another. Ramayana mein prashna, uttar Bhagawad mein. Shastra sagar hain, dubaki idhar lagaya, ratna udhar milega. (A question may be raised in the Mahabharata and you may find its answer in Srimad Bhagawad Purana. The expanse of scriptures is like a vast ocean, you dive in one place, you may find the pearl in another.)
Q.How to identify Guru?

A. For that, be a disciple first. An earnest disciple will always get his Guru. A mahatma once said: ‘गुरु मिले लाखो लाख चेला मिले ना एक’ (There are millions of Gurus, what is lacking is a genuine disciple).

Here are some signs of a worthy disciple. He is always happy, always in bhagawad sang (spiritual company), he doesn’t talk ill of anyone, he is always found to be going inwards, he doesn’t waste time in mundane things. By mere sight, you feel that he is my friend for so many years, so many lives.

Q.How does one find a real Guru? There are so many ‘fakes’ out there!

A. A genuine student will find a genuine Guru. An effort towards sincere search for Guru could be helpful but it is ultimately the Grace of Bhagawan which sends the Guru. Only a true disciple can recognize a true Guru. There are some distinctive traits however. A Guru is a person upon seeing whom one always becomes happy. He is always happy. At true Guru does not criticize anyone. He does not hurt anyone, he does not retaliate even if he is deliberately hurt. He is ever rapt in activities that are beneficial to the world, he has no idle moment. And there are many more characteristics which a true disciple can discern in a genuine Guru.

Q. There’s much dishonesty in the Guru-shishya relationship. Newspapers regularly bring out accounts of charlatans who pose as Gurus. Even the disciples are equally bad. There’s no sincerity, no true following of instructions. What do you say about this?

A. It’s not the satguru but your intense faith that will lead you to the light. Everything depends on your faith. If you have intense faith, no matter who you place your belief in, it will yield, and you will have enlightenment and peace. Conversely, no matter how powerful your Guru is, no matter what level of siddha he is, if you have no faith, he won’t be able to work out anything for you. ‘Yadrishi bhaavanaa yasya siddhir bhavati tadrishi’ - Your realization will be in direct proportion to your feeling and belief. You get it in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras (Chapter 1, verse 21) too. Tivra samvegaanaam aasanna: There’s just one concept here - intensity! Intensity of faith, the depth of your feeling, or the force of your belief. When this develops, the realization is imminent.

Q. And what about the fall of religious standards? Why don’t we have genuine saints?

A. Why do you lament the paucity of genuine saints? Saints and Gurus don’t fall from the skies. They are a growth of the same samaja, the same society of which you all are a part. The holy men you get are the holy men you deserve. They spring out of your homes. The grade of your society will determine the grade of your saints. Spirituality is not mutually exclusive. But remember one thing, no matter how bad the standards are, a true seeker will find his faith. He will never run out on purity and wisdom.

Q. But what happens if the Guru that you adopt turns out to be a conman? People are scared these days.

A. . It is not your discrimination but your past deeds, not your knowledge but your life, not your wisdom but your fate that leads you to your Guru and God. If your deeds are bad, you will end up with a bad Guru, though it might be incidental to blame it upon your lack of discrimination. The greater determinant is, of course, how you live. The way you live is the greatest choice. It’s made. Choices thereafter are minor things. When people come to me and say: ‘Look! Such and such saints were caught in the wrong act; such and such holy man is behind bars, what’s happening to the saintly society?’ I tell them if there is counterfeit currency, it’s because there must be real money somewhere. People may pose to be holy men, but there are originals somewhere. As for the quality, how many teachers are good teachers, how many doctors are good doctors, how many fathers are good fathers? Like I told you earlier, it’s an all-inclusive thing. Your saints come from your own society and for your society. But you can decide to stay untouched by the grime and be a lotus. You can make sure you don’t allow anyone to corrupt your faith. There’s this saying, ‘Yadio amaar Guru shurribaadi jaay, tathaapi amaar Guru Nityananda Rai’ (Even if my Guru goes to the brothel, he continues to be embodiment of joy and eternity.) This kind of attitude will liberate you of the failings. You will benefit more by moving your attention away from the person, and focusing on the principle he represents. The Guru principle!

Q. But why should we know about who is high and who is low? Is it not sufficient for me to know that Guru is Guru and leave it at that? Who am I to judge them?

A. . That’s a very good state. Undiscriminating, unconditional belief! It is true, it simply doesn’t matter what is the grade of your Guru, what matters is your grade. What counts is what you make out of the things which destiny brings you. But when people ask us questions, we have to answer. We differentiate in order to understand, not misunderstand. Everything is One, differences are only a celebration of the unity. There was a big convention in Mahamilan Math, Kolkata recently and Gopal Mitra spoke in that gathering, highlighting how I am doing yeomen’s work for the sampradaya (our Order). ‘Sri Vitthal Maharaj, undaunted by ill health or obstacles, is constantly on his feet. He is taking the ideal and the noble mission of Thakur Omkarnath forward. I would say he is Vivekananda of Thakur.’ That was high praise and perhaps an unreasonable build-up. So, when it was my time to speak in that gathering, I said, ‘Gopal Da compares me with Swami Vivekananda and I appreciate his sentiment, but this is like the parents of a blind child naming their darling Padmalochan (lotus-eyed)! I am a poor, blind devotee of Thakur, but that does not stop me from being a worthy broadcaster of His glory, because even a chandala (lowly one) is entitled to distribute the mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath. So, you see, we are all distributing the mahaparasad of Thakur Omkarnath. That’s our job!