Is your guru hurting you?

[00:00:00]A guru does not make your life easy if you think like that.

[00:00:06]A guru is going to make your life miserable.

[00:00:09]In this age of information when from Kundalini energy to tantras to chakras and everything is available on the internet, all the information is available on the internet.

[00:00:20]>> [music] >> Why do you need a guru? But a guru also makes you feel restless.

[00:00:25]His words [music] make you feel overwhelmed.

[00:00:28]His actions are sometimes not understandable. The more less competent you are in something, the worse you are in analyzing your competence in it. When you are doing spiritual practices, your ego is inflated like 10 times. I am going to the temple. I'm doing these mantras. I'm reading the shastra. I'm the [music] most perfect person and I cannot go wrong.

[00:00:50]He took a glass piece, a shred of glass, and pressed this in between the eyebrows of Ramakrishna. If someone says that I am your guru, I am your teacher, I'm going to say you have to do everything that I say, run away.

[00:01:07]I want to start this video with a very silly question. So, bear with me, okay?

[00:01:11]Can you see your own back?

[00:01:13]I mean, of course, you can stand in front of the mirror, click a picture, and see your own back, but you cannot really directly see your own back without any help.

[00:01:22]I know.

[00:01:23]Just like that, you cannot even see your own flaws.

[00:01:26]Which takes me to a very interesting philosophical concept called Dunning-Kruger effect.

[00:01:32]Which states that the more less competent you are in something, the worse you are in analyzing your competence in it.

[00:01:57]So, let me explain this by an example.

[00:01:59]So, there was this man who wanted to rob a bank. And uh so, he thought that let me just go and even though there are CCTV's, no one will recognize me. Why?

[00:02:09]Because I'm going to put lime juice on my face. Now, you would think this is ridiculous, right? Of course, it is.

[00:02:15]Because he saw it on the internet that when you apply lime juice on ink, it makes it disappear on paper. So, if I'm going to apply lime juice on my face, it's no one is going to see me. I'm going to become invisible. I'm going to rob a bank. And uh And what happened next? Obviously, the police came over. He He was grabbed by his neck and he was thrown into the prison. And when people asked, "Why did you do this?" and he told the same thing that I was full prepared. I had the lime juice on my face.

[00:02:45]Now, that is exactly what Dunning-Kruger effect is that when you're doing something with so lack of confidence, you do not really have the competence to even your competence.

[00:03:01]Or spiritually, it's even worse. Because when you're on your spiritual path, when you're doing spiritual practices, your ego is inflated like 10 times. I am going to the temple. I am doing these mantras. I am reading the shastra. I am the most perfect person and I cannot go wrong.

[00:03:17]So, you need a person who comes, shows you a mirror, and tells you this is your report card, and this is where you stand.

[00:03:26]And that person is a guru.

[00:03:33]To preserve oneself. Because everything that I have done so far because I have created this. I have done this. I have done this. I deserve everything.

[00:03:42]It is worse when it is spiritual ego.

[00:03:45]A guru shows up and tells you that this is this is what is going on, and bursts your ego, and just turn you upside down.

[00:03:57]That is why I say guru is not a teacher.

[00:04:00]In this age of information when from Kundalini energy to tantras to chakras and everything is available on the internet, all the information is available on the internet. Why do you need a guru?

[00:04:13]Because a guru is not going to tell you something new. He's not here to tell you all about the shastras, all about the philosophy, all about the information.

[00:04:20]He's just going to tell you what you need.

[00:04:24]Every person's life and journey is unique.

[00:04:29]And a guru knows the right guru knows what to give you.

[00:04:34]Just like a doctor. You know, every patient who comes to a doctor is unique.

[00:04:39]Everyone has their own symptoms. Kisi ko bukhar mein bhi thoda kam bukhar hai.

[00:04:43]Kisi ko zukam hai, kisi ko nahi hai. So, a doctor knows ki kya dawai deni hai.

[00:04:48]Just like that, a guru knows what is right for you.

[00:04:53]Guru does not do anything magical.

[00:04:55]Nothing.

[00:04:57]So, imagine yourself in a dark room.

[00:05:00]Right? You are standing, you're already very scared, and you suddenly feel a a a movement around your feet.

[00:05:07]And you are scared, and you shout, "Oh, there is a snake in my room. There is a snake in my room." And then someone comes, turns on the light. And then you look down, and you say, "Oh, it was not a snake. It was a rope. I was being scared unnecessarily."

[00:05:21]This story comes from the Vivarta Vada of Advaita Vedanta by Adi Shankara.

[00:05:26]That person who lights up the light is your guru.

[00:05:31]To burn a candle, you need a burning candle already in your hand.

[00:05:36]Or you need a matchstick. You need fire.

[00:05:40]To light up a dark room, you need a light in your hand to do that. And that light, that fire, is a guru.

[00:05:47]A guru does not make your life easy if you think like that.

[00:05:52]The day when guru appears in your life is not going to be a magical day when the lotus are blooming and you are bowing down to your guru. Nothing like that. A guru is going to make your life miserable.

[00:06:02]Terrible.

[00:06:04]>> [snorts] >> Swamiji used to say this in the ashram.

[00:06:07]That a guru makes your life terrible.

[00:06:10]This reminds me of a beautiful story of Ramakrishna, the Ramakrishna, the great yogi, the great saint.

[00:06:16]And he writes in one of his biographies that his guru, his guru's name was Totapuri, that one time that he was not able to let go of the form of Mahakali.

[00:06:25]Ramakrishna was a great bhakta of Mahakali.

[00:06:29]He told his guru that, you know, you talk about Brahman and you talk about Nirguna Nirakara, but I cannot let go of this beautiful form. I love her so much.

[00:06:36]I want to pray to her. I want to do all the rituals. And Totapuri, the guru, was so frustrated. He took a glass piece, a shred of glass, and pressed it in between the eyebrows of Ramakrishna. He said, "What do you cannot let go?

[00:06:50]You have to do it.

[00:06:53]I've told you everything. Now, you have to go beyond this form."

[00:06:57]Totapuri was famous for being impatient and harsh.

[00:07:00]And that is what I'm saying. If Ramakrishna-ji had a bucket list that my guru should look like this, my guru should make me feel like this, should give me this, and should, you know, behave like this.

[00:07:12]Doesn't work. You have to gauge yourself. Why do you Why are you looking for a guru right now?

[00:07:19]If you're looking a guru for solace, for peace, then you're going to attract similar kind of your kind of people.

[00:07:28]Like I want peace. I'm very restless.

[00:07:29]When I go to someone, I feel happy.

[00:07:32]Of course, you feel happy. But a guru also makes you feel restless.

[00:07:36]His words make you feel overwhelmed.

[00:07:39]His actions are sometimes not understandable.

[00:07:44]A guru is not for solace or peace. A guru is for liberation. He does not tell you that, "Okay, if you're feeling sad, do this. If you're feeling this, do this." No.

[00:07:56]He gives you way to come out of this so that you never feel that again.

[00:08:01]Liberation, not peace.

[00:08:05]Always gauge that.

[00:08:06]And the one of the most important things that I want to discuss in this video is to how to, you know, identify the right guru.

[00:08:13]Because we live in India, right? In every nook and corner, there's a guru.

[00:08:16]There's a person wrapped in saffron clothes claiming to be a guru. And of course, those people have also done some spiritual practices, some spiritual scriptures they have also read.

[00:08:26]But are they the right guru?

[00:08:30]You have to judge. And how do you judge?

[00:08:31]Only with two things.

[00:08:33]Number one is spiritual ego.

[00:08:35]If someone says that I am your guru, I am your teacher, I'm going to say you have to do everything that I say, run away.

[00:08:42]Spirituality, reading scriptures, doing some practices, the first thing that you get is spiritual ego.

[00:08:47]If the person is not overcome that himself, then he cannot help you.

[00:08:53]And number two is disrespect to other faith, other paths, other religions.

[00:08:58]If a person believes, because for a guru, there is no difference between any of his sadhakas. Anyone stands in front of him, bow down to him in reverence, he would bless him only.

[00:09:10]Even if a terrorist stands in front of a guru, he will bless him.

[00:09:13]Not support him, not console him for what he's done, but he will bless him.

[00:09:18]A real guru will never disrespect anyone.

[00:09:23]Anyone from any faith or path.

[00:09:26]So, if you're seeking a guru in your life, first understand what are you seeking? Are you seeking comfort or are you seeking liberation?

[00:09:35]Do you really want to get out of the jungle of Maya or the bondages of Maya or you just want a retreat a getaway?

[00:09:44]You have to seek yourself. You have to understand that first.

[00:09:48]Because guru is nowhere far from you. There is no distance between you and your guru.

[00:09:54]You're watching this video right now so there is an intention to evolve to grow in your spiritual journey.

[00:10:00]My friend these are signs that a guru is already guiding you.

[00:10:04]A guru might not appear in a physical form but in a form of a book a shloka a person or even the inner voice that you already carry within you.

[00:10:14]This reminds me of a beautiful story of Swami Vishnu Devananda.

[00:10:18]Swami Vishnu Devananda was born in the south he left his home he was you know he was just wanted to wander around he wanted to serve in the army and he was in an office someday and he saw piece of paper and there was a quote written on it.

[00:10:32]The quote that was written was that the ounce that an ounce of a practice is better than gallons of preaching and he was so impressed and he was so taken away by that quote and he was he said that there is no credits given to that who has written this who has written this and he started finding looking for the person and then someone told him that it is Swami Sivananda sitting in Rishikesh.

[00:10:54]He went there bowed down to him and got initiated became a great yogi himself.

[00:11:01]These are the ways that your guru guides you.

[00:11:03]And the biggest is your inner voice.

[00:11:12]That voice is the guru that will guide you from within.

[00:11:16]That voice is usually curved by a lot of ego That voice is curved by ego and pride. [clears throat] So if you're seeking a guru, understand the difference, understand your needs, and don't wait for a guru to appear in your life then you will start your sadhana.

[00:11:42]If you have gotten this thought that where is my guru, how to find it, you already have him.

[00:11:47]And what he needs you to do is start your sadhana. Pick up your mala, do your sadhana, be consistent on your path, and someday maybe physically in a form of book or shloka, the guru will appear.

[00:12:03]If you have any questions, you can drop them down in the comment section. I will see you in the next one. Until then, subscribe to this channel, and Har Har Mahadev. Hari Om, everyone.