Nature of Guru:

• Do not forget Guru is embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. He assumes the human body in order to grace and consecrate human beings.
• First concern yourself with obtaining Guru; once you take refuge with the Guru, all your woes and worries will cease, he will usher you on the path of God. You won’t have to think of anything else. You will be free from all worries.
• A father gifts the body; Guru gifts knowledge— therefore in the sorrowful ocean of worldly existence there is none greater than Guru.
• Satguru and God are not different; God Himself appears in the form of Guru.
• What do you mean by distinguishing between Guru and Shiva? Gurudeva is Shiva personified— He is omniscient. He knows everything! The dirty mirror of your heart reveals the sullied image of Gurudeva, but it is not real.

 Guru Mantra:

• Try to purify the ground first by repetition of ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’. Once the soil is ready, you will get the seed in fitness of time, and with the receipt of Guru’s Grace, you won’t have to worry about anything.
• By being initiated into a mantra, the power of the Guru is gained. The siddha mantra handed down through spiritual succession takes the spiritual aspirant into inner world extremely fast. The purpose of getting initiation into a mantra is to get Guru’s Grace. Guru is none other than God. He imparts His own Self through the investment of mantra; it is to install Guru in one's heart and happily cross over the ocean of worldly existence that the refuge with the Guru is sought.
• Sri Gurudeva puts God inside us in the form of mantra whispered into the ears; he decorates one externally by bestowing rosary, holy mark, and robe etc.
• The mantra ‘Guru’ is the supreme lord among all the mantras in this world. Without taking recourse to it nobody can advance in the spiritual world.
• ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’, the devotees should do the japa of ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’ all the time, while standing or sitting, in the day and night. Whoever takes shelter with a Guru, for him the vast ocean of worldly existence becomes small and easy to cross as cow’s hoof. Just keep doing the japa of ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’, ‘Guru’
• By mere utterance of the sub-syllable ‘Ga’ one is absolved of the heinous sin of Brahmahatya, the utterance of ‘U’ indemnifies the individual from sins committed throughout the life. The remaining three sub-syllables of the magic word “Guru” viz. the “Ra”, the “U” and the “Hu:”, once uttered, destroys the cumulative effect of all the sins committed in the past ten million births! By chanting the mantra ‘Guru’ lord Shiva absolved Himself from the sin of Brahmahatya, Parashuram from the transgression of Matruhatya and foremost of the gods Indra from the sin of Brahmahimsa

Guru Protocol:

• “I will act in whichever way my Guru, with whom I have taken refuge, commands me” – this is the duty of a disciple. To conduct oneself according to one’s own will is foolishness.
• After the diksha your body is in the possession of God embodied as Sri Guru. ‘I’ is turned into ‘this servant’, ‘mine’ is turned into ‘of this servant’— this is the way to conduct yourself.
• Meditating on Guru-paduka (wooden sandals worn by Guru) or on Guru Himself and performing Guru-Puja (worship of the Guru) with the mind as its sole offering – these should be done at the Sahasrara (top of the head). External Guru-Puja or worship of Guru-paduka and prayers chanting of Stava/ Kavacha (mantras for ensuring safety and wellbeing) etc. are various forms of service to Guru. Continuous repeating of the Mantra-Japa or, doing it by writing the same on two-petalled lotus (between the eyebrows), and going round the Guru, constitute true service to Guru. Meditating on Kundalini at the Muladhara, performance of mental worships, reading/chanting of prayers and Kavachas and to meditate that He (the Guru) is permeating through one’s entire body – all these constitute His worship. Finally, the Parameshthi Guru-puja (i.e., the ultimate form of Guru-worship) is nothing but uniting the awakened Kundalini at Muladhara with the Supreme Shiva dwelling in the form of a Bindu (pointed light source) at the Sahasrara (top of the head) after penetrating the Six Chakras.

 Guru, Mantra, Ishta:

• He is the Ishta Devata (Favourite Deity), He comes in the form of Guru; He resides in the form of Mantra.
• Without duly recognizing the oneness of Guru, Mantra and Ishta, it is not possible to achieve mantra siddhi. Guru is both mantra and Ishta Devata (Favourite Deity).
• Taking Guru to be a human being, treating mantra as mere collocation of words and to see the stone in an idol are all offences leading one to hell.
• You were born, you were educated, and you went through samsara, in all this you are merely a body! One day Gurudeva came into your life and accepted you, you became a disciple. From the time the compassionate Gurudeva absorbed you, this body became Gurudeva’s; now the body is not yours. It belongs to Gurudeva now.

Asana (Posture):

• A seat made of cloth alone is detrimental to spiritual practices. By laying it on top of a skin or a blanket, the encumbrance is eliminated.
• Doing japa seated on an asana made of kusha grass enhances longevity. Tiger skin confers moksha, deerskin bestows son, and japa on a blanket gives excellent siddhi.

Diksha (Initiation):

• Diksha is mandatory for everyone. If diksha is not received, the oblations water from one’s hands is not purified. Husband does not become Narayana merely by dubbing him so. One needs to receive diksha and perform spiritual practices to realize the state of perceiving the truth.

 Which Form to Meditate On?

• Whichever form appears while you are meditating, contemplate on that form; there is no need to forcibly conjure images.

 Siddhis (Spiritual Powers):

• Siddhi (spiritual powers) is an indication of the fact one is making progress in spiritual practice. When one performs sadhana (spiritual practices), siddhi is certain. One must be indifferent to siddhi and perform spiritual practices to the best of one’s abilities until the main goal is reached. You will surely realize your Ishta (favourite deity). You surely will!
• Japa, dhyana and tapasya are His forerunners, He sends them ahead to purify the heart of the devotee– human being doesn’t do anything.
• Experience of Jyoti, Naad and such other encounters are not futile imaginations. It takes years to pass M.A. and be capable of earning money. (Spiritual experiences likewise don’t happen overnight). If a genuine seeker after liberation undergoes atonement according to the scriptures and performs spiritual practices as directed by Sri Gurudeva for three months, he is bound to experience the truth of these things, and be blessed with personal realization.
• Though the goal is realization of your Favourite Deity, all the siddhis (extraordinary powers) concomitant with it are bestowed, even if you don’t wish for them.
• Through ascetic practice sattva guna is acquired, the unattainable is attained; every wish borne is amply satisfied.
• Through the grace of Guru, the devoted disciples succeed in gaining siddhis swiftly.
• Just as it is meaningless for a beggar to declare ‘I don’t want a lakh of rupees’ because anyway a lakh of rupees are not lying on the street side to be picked up, it is meaningless for a person lacking faith in the word of the Guru, and incompetent in renouncing worldly pleasures, to say ‘I don’t want siddhis.’
• He, who pretends to be Shiva and impersonates Him even before actually attaining to Shivahood, will have to suffer the burning pain of poison and the striking of the snake.
• Sometimes fear of death can also loom large, but at that time one must perform spiritual practices with greater determination. Do not desire to acquire vibhutis, let no thought of gaining honour from people come to your mind, if it does, banish it immediately.
• Mantra siddhi is impossible without firm faith in Gurudeva. Whether the Guru is a fool or a scholar, given to virtuous conduct or evil ways, He is still a devata (God). He is the only recourse.
• To cheat people by dressing up like a sadhu amounts to deceitful behaviour. Efforts aimed at conquering one’s own mind can never be deceptive.