How to recognize a Guru? Swami Mukundananda explains | - Times of India (2024)

In a world where on one hand people are turning to spirituality to deal with their life problems, many are also being conned by fake 'gurus'. And so, a question that is obviously arises is-- how to know who is a genuine

guru

and whom should one follow? In this excerpt from

Swami Mukundananda

's new book '

Questions You Always Wanted to Ask

', the spiritual teacher explains who is a real guru as per Vedic scriptures and how can one recognise them.

The excerpt is published with permission from Rupa Publications.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE A GURU
Question: What is the way to find a true Guru? How can I evaluate if I have made the right choice and am moving on the correct path?
Answer: The choice regarding a Spiritual Master can impact your entire life’s trajectory for better or for worse. Hence, it is a matter that requires careful thought and deliberation.

Who is a Guru? We use the word so often, but what does it really mean? ‘Gu’ means ‘darkness’ and ‘ru’ means ‘to dispel’. Guru is the personality who dispels our darkness and ushers us into the light of divine knowledge. Even in material pursuits, an experienced and caring mentor makes a huge difference. The mentor on the spiritual path is known as the Guru. The Guru is a divine personality. As per the Vedas, the Guru must possess two qualifications—śhrotriya and brahma niṣhṭha. The Muṇḍaka Upanishad states:

tadvijñānärtham sagurumeväbhigachchhet
samitpäniḥ shrotriyam brahmanishtham (1.2.12)
‘To realize the Absolute Truth, approach with faith a Guru
who is both śhrotriya and brahma niṣhṭha.’ What do these
terms mean?
Śhrotriya means ‘knower of the scriptures’. The Guru must possess the theoretical knowledge of the Vedic texts. Then he can explain erudite teachings based on the holy books, and it becomes easier for disciples to have faith in his teachings.

Brahma niṣhṭha means ‘situated in God-realization’. Only the one who has attained the Truth can help us do the same. This means that the Guru should be a practical plus theoretical person—one who has Vedic knowledge and has implemented these truths in his life.
The important question now is: how do we recognize a true guru? This is a difficult task. Compare it to a student in second grade of primary school assessing the relative competence of three college professors. Likewise, our intellect is material, so our assessment of the Guru is often inaccurate. Here are some blunders we commit.
First, we look for externals, such as His physical appearance, attire, and living accommodation. No wonder so many imposters wearing saffron robes manage to dupe innocent people in our society. Beware that it is not the colour of people’s clothes that makes them holy but the colour of the heart, which should be steeped in devotion.
Second, in our quest for happiness, we seek material rewards based on incorrect beliefs. We look for gurus who offer worldly boons, such as wealth, health, and prestige. This only increases the business of charlatans and fake gurus. A true saint endows his followers with spiritual gifts—the wealth of divine love.
Third, we get tremendously impressed by supernatural acts, such as talking to spirits, levitating on water, and reading someone’s mind. These are not spiritual powers; they are material siddhis (yogic powers). Faith that is based on the display of such siddhis is the crudest kind of devotional faith.

We must, instead, try to find a Saint endowed with spiritual siddhi. What kind of siddhi is this? The Guru possesses the ability to change the hearts of those who come in touch with him. A popular saying states:
pāras meṅ aru santoṅ meṅ, bahut antaro jān
vaha lohā kāñchan kare, vaha kare āpu samān
‘A paaras (philosopher’s stone) can only transform iron into gold but not into another paaras. But Saints can transform worldly people into Saints like themselves.’
Keeping the above safeguards in mind, let us learn how to recognize a spiritual teacher.
First, when you associate with a true guru, you will naturally develop detachment from the world and attachment to God.
Consider the example of a fire. If you are standing away from the fire on a wintery night, you feel cold. As you walk towards the fire, the cold vanishes, and you experience the heat.
Similarly, realized saints are like a ball of God-consciousness. When we come in contact with them, we naturally experience detachment from mundane worldly things and attachment to divine matters.
There is, however, a caveat here. The impact of a genuine saint varies from person to person, based on the purity of their own mind. It is much like the attraction between a magnet and needles.
Suppose you place five different needles, each with a different percentage of iron, around a magnet—one of pure iron; the second alloyed with a trace of copper; the third with a greater percentage of copper; the fourth with just a trace of iron; and the fifth of pure copper. What will happen?
A magnet attracts iron, so the pure iron needle will be instantly drawn to it. Other needles will be pulled less quickly, to the extent of the copper present. The needle with no iron will not experience any pull.
Similarly, on meeting a true saint, those with pure hearts will experience an immediate transformation, whereas those with impure hearts will be transformed slowly.
You may then ask, ‘If am not experiencing any transformation in the association of a saint, what should I conclude? Is my heart so impure that I am not getting impacted? Or is the saint not a genuine one, and so there is no result?’
The solution is to do the satsang of many saints and then see where the impact is the most. Wherever the spiritual impact took place to the greatest extent, attach yourself to that personality. He is your Guru. If you use this formula in determining your Spiritual Master, you will not get cheated. That is because you are basing your decision on direct evidence—your own transformation.
Second, we find a true guru by the grace of God. When we have a sincere thirst for God, He leads us to our spiritual teacher. He also creates faith that helps us connect with our Guru. Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj has explained this cycle of spiritual quest beautifully:
hari kṛipā guru miley govind rādhey
guru kṛipā hari miley sab ko batā de (Radha Govind Geet)
‘First, God will grace you and connect you with your Guru. Then the Guru will grace you and help you reach God.’
As the saying goes: ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ So, do not simply keep sitting for the Lord’s grace to descend. Rather, search for a Guru yourself, and also pray to God for His blessings in the matter.
Once you reach the feet of a true saint, then stop running around from saint to saint. Instead, begin the process of practical sadhana under your Spiritual Master. Any further search is merely a distraction and a waste of time.