Who is the Right Guru ?

Who is the right Guru? What is a Guru for? Is a Guru compulsory? When does one seek a Guru? How to get a Guru? How to identify the right Guru? What can we do until we get the right Guru?
At the outset, these questions baffled me very much and I think there would be many like me. By Guru, I mean ‘Atmeeya Guru’ or a Spiritual Master. In the present day world, we could see around us different types of people,: some of them handling politics without principles, some amassing wealth without work, some hunting after pleasures without conscience, some others earning knowledge without character, yet others engaged in commerce without morality, a few handling science without humanity, and a few others worshiping God without any sacrifice I think it is all mainly because of the absence of a right Guru for them for proper guidance. It is equally true that it is very hard to find the right Guru, because the fake Gurus are proliferating themselves almost every day. However, let us try to explore various avenues to find out the qualities of a Sat- Guru (The best Spiritual Master) and wait patiently to meet him, if it is so ordained.
Who is a Guru?
Guru is a Sanskrit word, literally meaning a teacher. Scholars say:
“Gukaraschandhakarasthu, rukarasthannirodhakrit;
Andhakaravinasitwad, gururithyabhidheeyate”… That is:
‘Gu’ means ‘andhakara’or darkness, symbolizing ignorance and ‘Ru’ means, ‘nirodha’ or destruction of that darkness; Guru removes the darkness of ignorance and hence he is called Guru. Guru is like a lamp burning in full effulgence.
A Guru is also supposed to be a great Aacharya. An Aaacharya is :
“aachinothihi: sastrani, aachare stapayityapi;
Swayamacharate tasmad, aacharyathyabhidheeyate”, means:
He who knows the meaning of Sastras or Science, establishes them with the help of rituals and he himself adapts them as such in his life, for the service of the entire humanity and to the inhabitants of the world, at large, is called an Aacharya.
The Scriptures say that a man in whom we find manifestations of qualities, belonging to God, such as purity, sublimity, nobility, loftiness of conduct, character, nature, thought, feeling, and action, can be said to be a Guru in Vedic parlance. He is considered as ‘Prathyaksha Devata’ or visible God. God reveals Himself through Guru. He is a self-realized Soul. Saint Adi Sankara, Saint Ramanuja, Madhavacharya, Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sree Ramana Maharshi etc. are some typical examples.
What is a Guru for? Is a Guru Compulsory?
We need a teacher to learn something in a better and proper manner. For instance to learn mathematics well, we need a teacher. Why then we do not have a teacher for learning Yoga and Meditation, which help us develop mentally, physically and spiritually, aswell. Why do students go to Universities for specialized studies when they can study at home? It is to get expert teaching in proper perspective in those subjects. As every rule admits exceptions, a Guru need not be a high scholar for example, Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sree Ramana Maharshi, became Mahatmas without passing through any academic courses.
When does one seek a Guru?
God is in every body, but to know his sublime presence within, we have to keep open our inner eyes. It is here that a Spiritual Guru is inevitable with his immeasurable help. A Guru really is the path to God. He encourages the seeker and inspires him. If you have supreme devotion to God, and the same kind of devotion to your Guru, then the essence and subtle truths of Scriptures are revealed to you in due course. When you become extremely advanced, you need no help from anybody else to realize the presence of God. The only thing is that the time taken for this may vary from person to person, depending on his persistence, perseverance, providence, and dedication to attain Guru kripa or mercy of his Guru.
Who is the right Guru?
The most important thing a Spiritual Master does for us is to make us consciously aware of something vast and infinite within ourselves, which is nothing other than God himself. Only a Sat-Guru can do this for us.
“na twaham kamaye rajyam, na swargam na punarbhavam;
Kamaye d:ukha taptanam, praninam aarti nasanam” means:
He doesn’t crave for kingdom, or heaven, or rebirth; all he craves for is only the removal of the sufferings of people. We will enjoy ‘Brhmanandam’, a kind of ecstasy of extreme bliss, when we remember the real Guru, for he is our ‘Atma Swaroopa’ or the same form as our soul, and ‘Jnana Moorthy’, or the embodiment of ultimate knowledge. Guru facilitates our inner spiritual urge and progress. He is our private tutor in Spiritual Life. He teaches us what we need to know and help our soul to evolve to the next level. He can inspire us and increase our aspirations so that we can begin to realize the highest and noble things of divine nature. We can attain God’s grace by efforts through a real Guru. He is invested in his Sishya or Student. Our visit to Guru brings transformation in us and unless and until you become a ‘Jnani’, or one with applied and ultimate knowledge, you cannot recognize a Jnani, in full. One devoid of ‘Jnana’, cannot possess divinity. The higher the soul evolves, the more spiritual the understanding becomes until perfect rapport with the Divine Spirit is attained. This is atonement, which makes a man perfect. The fact is that if you have true and full faith in your Sat-Guru, he can even change your fate.
How to get and recognize a Guru?
A real Guru may not be so smooth to you. At first you may feel disturbed in mind before him. But, something will attract you towards him and you will wish to be with him. Sometimes, he may not be so friendly to you in words and deeds. The practice is that you don’t look for a Guru. When you suffer from the pain of ignorance and when your mind earnestly and sincerely urges for a Spiritual Master, he will come to you, or you will be called to him. Some people believe that it is ‘poorva-janma punyas’ or good deeds transmitted from your past life that bring a Guru into your present life. Majority seems to support the former view. Sometimes you will try to move away from him, but you cannot. There will be something in you that will keep you closer to him like a magnet; the less ego, the more attraction. The dignity of the presence of a Guru, makes us to offer it to him freely and without any inhibition. A Sat-Guru’s life will be his message and he leads by example. He is often to us like a mother.
What can we do until we get the right Guru?
Here comes the Bhagavatha Dharma or the principles for doing the righteous things in our life, for our help.
Srimad Bhagavatam lays down:
“ Narayana, Akhila Guro Namasthe”, meaning,
Oh! Lord Narayana, you are the Akhila Guru or the Guru of all Gurus, and we bow to you.
All the other Gurus only come under you. But, we cannot see the Lord in person to ask a boon, or any blessings or guidance. But the Lord also protects Bhagavata Dharma, which shows the path to God, for even to the down-trodden and to all sinners of the world, aswell. Vaideeka Dharma (Rituals) is very strict in its discipline. It earmarks hell, as the punishment for people who do not follow the Scriptures in the way in which they are prescribed. . In Srimad Bhagavatham, the Lord says that it is only pardonable if mistakes creep in unknowingly while reading it. The Lord is so merciful. Srimad Bhagavatham itself is supposed to be the Lord. We can find there in, answers to almost all our questions relating to our day to day affairs of life, provided we dig some deep. So, we can unequivocally accept Srimad Bhagavatham as our ‘Akhila Guru’, until we get a Guru in person, and let us wait for it hopefully with unconditional love to God, Almighty, through dedicated ‘Narayana Seva.’
Jai Hind'
God Bless America.