Guru

- Disciple [Sishya] relationship N K Srinivasan Introduction This topic is central to our tradition of spiritual path and training in Hindu religion. Similar traditions exist in other religions too. A "guru" is defined as " one who dispels darkness or ignorance" ,meaning spiritual ignorance. Let me hasten to add that a guru is not merely a teacher or instructor. Thus one who gives lectures to you on Vedanta or teaches yoga asanas may not be considered a guru unless you learn spiritual practices also with him at close quarters. I wanted to write on this topic for a long

time but felt diffident to do justice to this important topic. Only now I felt compelled to write after certain recent inner experience. It should be noted that to understand this topic--that is "Guru-Sishya realtionship" or G-S relationship , one must learn about a few other related topics ,firmly established in Hindu traditions. One is " self-surrender" , the other is "renunciation" , and thirdly "ashram " life. One seeks a guru for spiritual training and for the ultimate result of self-realization, leading to liberation or "mukti"--liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. One may be liberated while in the physical body , called "Jivan Mukthi" or

after leaving this body ,called " Videha Mukthi". The nature of this relationship Much confusion has occurred over this relationship , particularly in the West, mainly because of limited understanding or misunderstanding of the true implications . It is wrong to suppose that a guru, however exalted he or she may be, will confer spiritual knowledge or 'grace' as a matter of course and liberate you from your previous baggage of bad tendencies [vasanas], with a touch or glance, in a trifle....At best , the guru will slowly guide you and reveal your own weaknesses in small degrees and prepare you for the

arduous climb in spiritual practice. Practice you must, under the guidance of the guru. Lot of self-effort is required. [ The practice itself may take many forms--chanting [japa], meditation, pooja or worship, fasting ,pilgrimage and so on. Above all, service to the Guru, his disciples and other needy persons near you is meant as a purification process for your mind. Company of saintly persons [Sadhu sangh] is considered an essential part of such practice and ashram life. The guru-sishya relationship should last a lifetime and would extend to your future lives too. It is strongly believed that one establishes a relationship with a guru over several lives and these 'previous bonds' or

'rinanu-bandha' always operates in one's cycle of lives and is responsible for bonding with a guru in this life, which may or may not be apparent to a disciple. Finding a Guru This task is at once easy and difficult. If one is destined to find his or her guru, the Guru will appear at the right moment. The merits of one's noble actions and one's effort in the spiritual path would prepare the disciple as a fit instrument to receive the guru. The common saying that "when the disciple is ready, the guru will appear" is found to be true. Further, if we walk towards God, God would run towards us.These statements are not mere platitudes, but sincere sayings to impress in our minds that

we should make supreme effort---sincere efforts to become a worthy disciple of one's master. In India ,there is a statement often heard:" It is easy to find many gurus; but where are the worthy disciples!". How true this! Many great saints have lamented that they could not find worthy disciples and considered themselves fortunate if a handful of great disciples came to them. Gurus and Upa-gurus When one travels along the spiritual path, one invariably gets drawn to upa-gurus or subsidiary gurus in the early years. This may be the preliminary steps or steps in which some of the weaknesses of the disciples are removed. The disciple is

suitably honed for greater practice later. Then finally the main guru or the 'eternal' sad-guru is found. It may happen that the upa-gurus gently push the disciple towards the final Guru. In such cases, the disciple does not reject the upa-gurus or find differences with the upagurus. He merely changes the direction or approach with the help of the final or main guru.It is same thing as one still retains love and respect for an elementary school teacher, even after one moves to high school or university. The change of upa-gurus to find the main guru may also happen due to change in the main approach in spiritual practice, even though the final goal may be the same. I will elaborate on this because there are

distinct approaches in the Hindu traditions for beginners. For instance, the disciple may find devotional path appealing to him (often due to family influences) and may feel that the knowledge path [Gyana or enquiry methods] may not suit him. It may happen that the guru ,sensing this , may guide him. The guru may ,after some practice, switch the disciple's approach and send him to another guru. There are many instances of saintly aspirants switching from Bhakti marg or devotional path to Jnana or advaita path or knowledge marga or vice versa. Only a few could feel comfortable with both the paths at the same time. Some could include karma yoga or path of selfless action as the preliminary step or

the main plank in practice. So, you find that a great guru would tailor his instructions to a disciple based on the disciple's mental make-up and may even suggest a different guru. I must also add that such transfer from one guru to another is not a mechanical process like changing from one university to another in a graduate school. Often this transfer from one guru to another would be a subtle process, not easily apparent to the disciple but only understood much later. It may happen that the two gurus know and respect each other very well. The present author had two upa-gurus who prepared him in certain ways before he found his final Sadguru , Lord Shirdi Sainath

several years later. A disciple is indeed fortunate if he finds his main guru in the first instance , but such cases are rare.One should be highly 'evolved' spiritually to find his guru in the first instance or at a very young age. Surrender to the Guru The disciple must mentally surrender to the Guru with the full faith that one's guru would lead him/her towards final self-realization. This faith must be implicit and need not be shown explicitly. If one has even the slightest doubt in the role of his guru, then he may not make much progress. Sri Ramakrishna said the the disciple must test the master as one tests a coin. This only means that the disciple

should not be gullible to be lured by fake gurus and charlatans, many of them displaying cheap ;miracles' or tricks. In modern times,the so-called surrender to the guru is often external and explicit. It consists of such acts like falling at the feet, doing worship of the feet ['pada pooja'] and even drinking the wash water from guru's feet. Such methods were meant as supplications in former times. But the internal surrender is more important while the disciple quietly prays for the blessings and grace from the Guru, taking him to be solely responsible for his spiritual progress. In modern times many mistake this surrender process as an external transaction. One

common step is to surrender one's property or wealth to the Guru or his ashram/monastery and become a dependent on the ashram for daily expenses. This step may be relevant in some cases ,but is unnecessary. What is important is the mental surrender which implies that the disciple takes every command of the Guru as worthy instruction to follow, 'without questioning the master'. One must also realize that after one's surrender to the guru that the guru knows best what to do in any circumstance and every thought of the Guru should be respected and held in highest esteem. Obstacles to surrender This topic comes up in the lives of any true

seeker or sincere disciple. Surrender is not easy. One has to ask himself or herself: " Why can't I surrender?"--- The most common reason is the over-arching ego that places one's own thoughts before accepting the gurus' thoughts or words. But when one keeps the conviction that the Guru has taken the responsibility for the progress of the disciple, then the disciple slowly keeps his ego in check. The disciple must realize that the wisdom of the Guru is enormous and the Guru speaks from a high level of wisdom. It may be that the guru is uneducated in worldly terms and even an illiterate. But the divine wisdom may shine from his utterances. Oftentimes the disciple tries to project his own thoughts for

analysis. The process of surrender becomes increasingly difficult for an intellectual or highly educated person who considers his worldly knowledge as superior to that of his guru. This is one form of ignorance.In spiritual dimensions ,one's knowledge of mundane world is almost useless. A guru would insist that there is perfect matching or synchronisation between the disciple;s thought,word and action. If one thinks differently from his words or actions ,he is a hypocrite and cannot make spiritual progress. Guru and subservient attitude Gurus teach subservient attitude or servile attitude to the disciple. This takes the

form of doing daily chores for the guru and senior or elderly inmates and other needy devotees--- chores such as washing their clothes, serving food ,cleaning the floor and so on. Such menial tasks cultivate humility and at the same time provide opportunity to learn wisdom from the elders. This tradition is upheld even today in many Hindu ashrams which I had frequented over several decades. It would be wrong to interpret such actions as cheap labor or exploitation of volunteers. Many would love to do such service to senior monks or elderly persons even for a year or two. The servile attitude also implies that one does not speak ill of other gurus or traditions ,however different they may be.

[Unfortunately I have seen many instances of young novices speaking ill of other groups or masters openly in several ashrams. In Hindu milieu, one still finds useless arguments over the superiority of jnana marga or path over Bhakti marga or vice versa. Again young chelas indulge in wordy disputes over the relative merits of worshiping Lord Shiva over the worship of Vishnu or Lord Krishna. Such useless actions not only displays lack of maturity in spiritual matters but weakens a disciple's inner strength. A guru watching the disciple would curb such attitudes and would urge him/her to spend more time in japa/meditation , observing silence and doing physical work in and around the

ashram. [I have heard even highly trained and respected preachers making sarcastic remarks over the worship of either Shiva or Vishnu in public platforms. I felt at that time considerable indignation and disgust; but felt sorry for such ignorant ,but proud and ill-trained preachers. There are many such foolish preachers around in India. It is better to avoid them.] Gurus and business activities In modern times,several gurus build schools, hospitals and small workshops with the aim of helping the local communities which are often very poor in India. While such activities are laudable and may be necessary in certain backward regions in

India and elsewhere, very soon the focus of the ashram or monastery ['mutt' or 'matha' ]get diverted from purely spiritual pursuits. The gurus and their chelas [disciples] are drawn into commercial disputes and squabbles, and would have less time for sadhana or spiritual practice. Such institutions offer very little time or solace for a spiritual aspirant or sadhak . While these activities may be dubbed as 'seva' or service to the Guru or to the ashram or to the society at large, they are not really part of 'karma yoga' which entails self-less service with concentration on thoughts of God or the Almighty. [One can do seva or service washing the dishes while concentrating the thoughts on God or

chanting a mantra, as Brother Lawrence did in a French monastery in Paris in the 17th Century.] Oftentimes these social activities boost the ego of the disciple or even the Guru who seeks limelight in the hyperactive media these days. The concept of quiet retreat in ashrams is gradually lost. While some form of voluntary service ,say for an hour or two a day, in the library or book stall or in the printing press / computer room or in the kitchen or the ashram garden may be conducive for spiritual growth, working long hours at regular assignments would spoil the mental framework of a serious disciple. Even great sages like Bhagawan Ramana used to work in the kitchen to help the inmates [cutting vegetables ,for

instance] for an hour or two in the mornings mainly to offer some physical help to the kitvchen staff. One finds innocent disciples or devotees made to work 8 to 10 hours in certain ashrams mainly as a source of free labor. This should be discouraged. It is clear that the spiritual path is long and hard and requires intense concentration and should not be cluttered with mundane activities as found in the life of a householder or grihasta. A disciple should spend sufficient in silence and solitiude. The very purpose of seeking a guru would be gradually lost by too-much activity. In former times, one sought a guru in isolated ashrams or cottages to avoid

interactions with worldly people ,till one is firmly established in spiritual routine of japa and meditation. The modern ashrams resemble more of a five star hotel environment than that of an ashram where sages/rishis imparted esoteric wisdom. In such an environment, spiritual instruction and sadhana are sham practices of commercial ventures, with price tag for every activity. Methods of instruction from a guru and 'crazy wisdom' A guru when he accepts a disciple and gives diksha or initiation , he tacitly accepts the responsibility for the spiritual progress of the disciple. This commitment on the part of the guru is life-long. I would even say that this extends over

several lives! The first task of the guru is to teach humility to the disciple . This may take many forms of chastisement. In most cases, the guru would curtail talking by the disciple. The forced 'physical silence' practised by the disciple is a great sadhana. [ There is the famous instance of Sadasiva Brahmendra ,the great Siddha and Advaita master, arguing with various scholars as a young man. Vexed by this,his guru asked him: "When you will stop talking like this?". Sadashiva replied: "From this moment". He became a mouni sadhu from then on.] Further the disciple would be told not to talk about himself or herself in public. [Nowadays one finds the disciple loud

mouthed and giving press interviews or TV interviews on many days, mainly to promote the activities of the ashram. How degrading such actions are in the spiritual path? It is really lamentable that Indian spiritual centers and ashrams have fallen into abyss of sales promotions of their wares..] Self effacement and humility are two essential qualities for any aspirant or sadhak for serious sadhana. A guru , besides teaching humility, has to curb the pride of a disciple ; the ugly head of pride in oneself can take many forms: the most vicious form is that of "pride of learning". After learning a few scriptural texts, often in a rote manner, a

chela is puffed up with pride. If there is a single cause for the downfall of many gurus and disciples, it is this pride of learning. Several gurus, even some well-known teachers and preachers from India, have fallen headlong into disrepute , over their callous remarks on other gurus and their teachings because of their pride in their own learning and assumed wisdom. It is easy to build a large ashram/institute and even create an order of monks ,like Adi Shankara, did (788-812 AD), these days. But these gurus are not Adi Shankaras!! With their limited knowledge and initial experience, they often get involved in delusionary endeavors. ( I must add that

there are genuine teachers/gurus of high order in India, but they are ,for the most part, obscure and inaccessible to guru-chasing crowds, particularly from the West.You may not find their names in newspapers and TV programs.) To recall, an important task of a guru is to chip away the crust of pride covering the mind of a budding chela. Besides the pride of learning, the disciple may develop a pride of superiority over other 'ignorant' students surrounding the master or visitors. To curb this form of pride and other superior air of such disciples, most ashrams expect the chelas to do every day menial tasks and chores.For instance, you might have heard the injunction in Buddhist

monasteries: " After meditation, sweep the floor." This also grounds the high flying disciple to every day realities of existence. In Hindu ashrams, one invariably does some chores such as helping in the kitchen, drawing water from the well and washing the clothes by hand near the water tap or river bank---- at least in those ashrams where primitive living conditions exist. Scriptural Learning : how it can be an obstacle? Many disciples in ashrams mistake listening to lectures on spiritual texts for spiritual instruction. While learning the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita and other Vedanta texts under a great

scholar and guru are considered essential and wholesome, they do not form part of the necessary instruction. One can easily pick up lot of lecture notes and write books and even begin to preach or hold satsanghs elsewhere ,but these are of no use in spiritual progress. Spritual experiences alone count. [In fact many great Hindu saints did not have formal instruction in any of these scriptures.] Instruction comes later, after these are learned to some level, in practizing japa , meditation and inner enquiry [" atma vichara"]with intense concentration and cultivating sadhu sangh... It is easy to see that such instruction can be only one on one basis or in a small group. Many times a guru will spot a

weakness on the part of the disciple and try to eradicate that by a specific practice or punishment. This process is a long and difficult one and can take many years. After all, you know that you go to a guru with lot of baggage of past guilt feelings , bad karma and mental afflictions. All these have to be eradicated slowly ,never to return. Kindness and compassion on the part of the Guru make this process easy and profound. Please note that this can be done only in a small intimate group, but not in mass awakenings. In general, a discipleship of at least 12 years is considered necessary in Hindu tradition , though this is not a hard and fast rule; some have attained liberation

after staying with a master for a few months ,because their minds had already undergone much purification. [There is an interesting anecdote of a young man going to a famous guru to get instruction. When the disciples prostrated before the Swami or guru in a typical Hindu fashion, the young entrant was debating in his mind whether he should go near the guru and fall at his feet. His ego was too strong for such a humbling gesture.But then the guru walked towards the young man and prostrated before the young man and touched his feet. The young man realized the humility of the master and got the lesson--he at once decided to follow the guru for the rest of his life ,and he did

indeed became a famous disciple and a guru in his own light. There are many such instances in the Hindu spiritual lore. Some are culture specific and may not be easily understood by Western or modern readers.] Special forms of instructions and transmission of spiritual knowledge Many disciples look for special instructions, often peculiar to a particular tradition or lineage of gurus. This is considered secret or esoteric and given only to a few by the master. In all such cases, the special techniques are taught after testing the disciple for many years and would never be taught for a fee. If a guru

professes to teach a special technique for a stated some of money, stay away from such gurus. Esoteric teachings are kept secret mainly because such techniques are difficult to learn and can lead to harm if improperly practised and may even be tried for malignant purposes. In fact even pranayama [one of the steps in eight-step Ashtanga yoga of Patanjali] can be harmful if not properly learned from a competent yoga teacher. I am not interested in explaining or listing the esoteric methods or crazy wisdom types here. There are many methods discussed in books, the internet and elsewhere. But beware of false gurus with very limited

knowledge and practical experience who make tall claims. [For instance, there are some who distribute certain "mantras" or talismans , supposedly invested with magical power to confer wealth and prosperity out of nowhere to gullible people. Such claims are often false and meant to make money for the fake gurus.] Certain esoteric means taught by some gurus are misguided interpretations of texts which were written several centuries ago in India when cultural and spiritual atmospheres were quite different from modern times. Several methods relating chakras and kundalini yoga are not properly understood because the traditions have lost their thread of continuity and modern gurus make false

claims or misguided in their methods. The secret doctrines or methods ,in some rare cases, are taught by gurus after long preparation of the disciples, for physical and mental stresses cane be quite high for many modern young people. For instance,even if a guru says that one should observe silence for several days and contemplate , many would not be able to do that. The Guru-disciple relationship has another important aspect. A guru may give different prescriptions or set of practices for different students. For one, it may be just chanting for hours in an isolated room. For another , it may be midnight meditation in a burial ground. The Guru knows the best. The

disciple should accept such methods with full faith and follow through or else quit the ashram. Any argument or reasoning out with the guru would be pointless, because these methods cannot be easily tested or analyzed. Giving a common prescription for all and sundry chelas, as practised by many modern gurus, prove to be only a money spinning venture and very soon the prescription may be abandoned by the disciples. Goddess Worship In Hindu traditions,goddess worship has a special place and connotation. The deity is symbolized as the Mother of the Universe [Akhilada Eswari] while mother goddess in the form of Saraswati [the Goddess of

learning and wisdom ]and Lakshmi [the goddess of wealth and prosperity] are also worshiped. Goddess with enormous power to uphold justice and destroy evil forces is Shakti, consort of Lord Shiva or Parvati. Many worship Shakti Mata with gruesome images, mainly to feel that the Supreme Deity can easily destroy harmful entities and restore order in the world at large. [In this tradition, natural calamities like tsunamis and earth-quakes are expressions of goddess of destruction which may result in devastation.] Such devastations are results of bad karma or deeds accumulated by the society at various times. Some may not agree with or accept such notions. Be that as it may, Hindus are taught to worship Mother

Goddess both in benign form and in gruesome form. Both are her divine aspects. Mother Kali is shown as a woman trampling a demon at her feet---the demon being lust and greed, arising out of vanity. There are complicated forms of worship of Mother Goddess with symbolic means. Unfortunately this form of worship has been much distorted in recent years in Tantric circles with sexual overtones. A competent guru alone can guide an aspirant or sadhak. Gentler forms of Mother Goddess worship had been practized in India for centuries and even now , women in households carry on such worship, especially on Fridays ---to draw energy for happy life and prosperity.Here again a guru is essential for guidance. This

form of worship entails an enormous amount of mind control so that lustful thoughts do not arise.This ,indeed, is a specialized area and needs careful instruction from an accomplished master. There are ,however, many fake gurus,calling themselves "sakthi Upasakas" and teaching sakti-pat, hoodwinking gullible female devotees. Spiritual Transmission It is a generally held belief that a guru can pass on the fruits of his sadhana or spiritual merits to a few chosen disciples. This can happen when the master is ready to shed his mortal coil,that is, at the time of his physical death or Mahasamadhi . Sometimes this transmission can be effected

much earlier when the Guru decides to appoint his successor to the seat of the order or the ashram and would take a retirement , seeking solitude or mauna [silence] and move elsewhere. One may question whether it is possible to transfer the spiritual fruits at the touch of a button. What is actually a spiritual transmission? In most cases and in popular minds, it is the transfer of special knowledge and psychic powers such as healing and clairvoyance from the guru to the chela. I have heard of many such instances of transmission that I do not doubt such a possibility. The chief disciple acquires many such psychic powers to continue the work of the master in this world. It should

be noted that this implies a tremendous responsibility on the part of the disciple--not to misuse such powers and be able to pass this on to the next generation in the lineage. It is a sacred rule that the disciple would not misuse such powers . Many consider that the guru may also transfer the ability to awaken a disciple from spiritual slumber or ignorance. Many orders of monks are founded on this principle. How far such claims are true ---is a moot point. In most cases, the lineage is meant to maintain the assets of the Order or mutt and carry on routine practices such as temple worship and lecturing on specific methods. One must consider each lineage separately for such

claims. Initiations by a Guru Initiations are formal rites given by a Guru to signify a certain advancement. These are sanctified by many rituals and 'mantras' or syllables used for specific purpose. A common initiation or 'diksha' is the 'mantra diksha' when a guru offers a special mantra to a disciple to be chanted regularly. This may be a common mantra like "Hare Rama" or something specific for a disciple. The disciple is supposed to keep this mantra a secret and use for regular chanting or Japa. Is this a kind of mumbo-jumbo introduced by these gurus? Mantras have great value in tuning one's nervous system, bestowing calmness and

serenity of mind. Would a general mantra suffice? May be ! But a mantra offered by a guru has a special value.It is like the gift one receives from his father, whatever may the financial value of the gift item. It has sentimental and emotional value. A mantra offered by a guru would work like that. It is not proper to trivialize such a gift. There are other complex initiations in the spiritual path. One important diksha is ,of course, the "Sannyasa diksha ",given at the time of becoming a renunciate or a monk or a nun in a Hindu order. It is much more than taking a vow before the magistrate. It involves severing many ties or bandhas which are holding a disciple such as ties with one's family.It is at once difficult and

liberating. The vows of celibacy and embracing poverty are included. In essence, the monk renounces personal attachments, especially to his kith and kin, and embraces the society at large. A monk, in Hindu tradition, has no caste after Sannyas. If he was born a brahmin and invested with sacred thread, he removes the thread at the Sannyas ceremony. A monk should not distinguish a person based on his caste...for him there is no low born or high born or an outcaste in the society...Alas, in modern times, one finds monks still clinging to their relations and observing the caste restrictions. [Bhagwan Ramana eschewed all caste divisions and as a result ,many orthodox Hindus were not prepared to accept

him as a regular preacher.] One would go to this stage of sannyas only after much preparation by the guru. Any hasty attempt to get sannyasa could lead to peril for the disciple and the master.[It is true that several modern swamis got their sannayas state easily by paying some amount to certain pontiffs in Varanasi ,Haridwar and other places. Many of them later turned out to be fake gurus.] For many 'Sannyasa diksha' may be the culmination of long apprenticeship with the guru or ashram life. In most instances, the guru would drive the disciple out of the ashram after sannyas ceremony and let him wander in the wide world. This is the common practice in India and it was strictly

followed a hundred years ago. Unfortunately , with large cozy ashrams being built, very few young sannyasins enter this wandering sadhu [Parivrajika] stage. Many continue to serve the ashram and related institutions like company executives! It is again the guru's responsibility to make them wander around in the world for at least a few years. It was also the common practice a hundred years ago that the wandering sadhus would carry no money [no credit cards to draw cash at the ATMs!] and live on alms only. Such wandering sadhus would not stay for more than three nights in any town or village to avoid attachment to the local people. [I used to find several such wandering sadhus

in the 1950's in and around Chennai [Madras] in my student days.] These wandering monks did a great service by spreading spiritual knowledge among common folks without any selfish motive by their personal example. [Recently I learned that a well-known math with hundreds of swamis had removed this stage of wandering years from their training routine. This might help to attract more young ones for monastic life!] Gone are such practices in high tech ashrams with lot of 'commitments' or business activities. The mahasamadhi of the Guru The final exit from the mortal cage or death of the physical body is called "mahasamadhi". A guru or realized master may

operate from the astral world [non-physical] and help a devotee or disciple. The strong belief in this phenomenon has led to two things: a guru's body is not usually cremated ,but buried or interred in a tomb and a structure, however small, is built over the tomb. This relic becomes a place of worship for countless devotees and former disciples. Such 'samadhi mandirs' or 'adhisthanams' are many and quite famous in India and become places of "miracles" of various kinds. The second aspect is that this belief leads to the conviction that one's guru need not be physically present.One can take a saint or sage who is no more living , as one's guru and meditate upon him/her. It is quite

common that many have taken as their guru a former saint or sage of extra-ordinary spiritual powers. One way the disciple may get 'initiated' by the by-gone guru is by dream experiences. The sage may appear in one's dreams and give clear,positive directions. In fact such experiences are confirmations on one's belief in the redeeming influence of such a sage. It is possible that the sage who is not living any more may initiate many actions through dreams for the positive good for the world. It is a moot point whether one should take these dreams as serious messages or only a product of hallucinations from over-active brains. Only personal experience of this nature can convince a person to the veracity

of such experiences. It may be that one starts with a physical ,living guru and later on is guided by a non-living guru. Gurus and Sex Life A guru who is a celibate monk must strictly follow the vow of celibacy and must keep his distance from the opposite sex. This is clearly understood in Hindu traditions. A guru or swami who deviated from this stand must leave the stage of monkhood and should not be a guru anymore or defrocked as in Christian traditions. There are instances of gurus leaving the sannyas and returning to householder life, but cease to serve as a 'guru' any more. There are. however, traditions in which a

guru may be a householder with wife and children from the beginning. For instance Lahiri Mahasaya , the paramguru of Paramahansa Yogananda , was a householder saint.But there should be no ambiguity about this status of a guru. [The system of monks or order was introduced by Adi Shankara in the 8th century when he founded the order of monks and helped to establish the four main mutts or monasteries in India,called 'Sankara mutts'. But this tradition of sannyas is much older than this period and there had been several variants of such orders of monks. There had been the approach or alternative argument that one should not become a monk at the tender age of 10 or 15 years, but

must experience life ,going through trials and tribulations , and become a householder [grihasta] and then only take up sannyas in later years and qualify as a guru. According to many, this is the traditional view [of following four ashramas or stages in life,namely ,Brahmachari [student], grihasta [family man],vanaprastha[life of retreat] and then sannyas[renunciate], in succession. These four stages enable the gradual ripening of one's mind for Guru's role and each stage entails some duties. But some argued that there could be exceptions , as in the case of Adi Sankara, and one could take to sannyas or monkhood at a young age. There are others , historians and philosophers, who postulate that this

tradition of monkhood from young age was adopted from the Buddhist religion at the time of Adi Shankara to bolster the Hindu religion.] Whether a house-holder guru or a monk, sexual misconduct of a guru is unacceptable and deplorable ,and the guru ceases to be a guru in the society. Of late, in the last few decades, one finds numerous reports of gurus,especially in the West,who had behaved in improper sexual conduct and who had been exposed in the media and taken to courts. Such gurus must cease to wear the ochre or saffron robe as Hindu monks and cease to function as a guru. But many of them have escaped strict punishment in a legal sense and continue to function in distant

lands.[In most cases, such sexual misconducts were revealed by former disciples after two or three decades of living ---a factor which makes legal process difficult to pursue and effective punishment or catherization may not be meted out. The present author knows one instance when a famous Indian [Hindu] guru was taken to court for sexual misconduct and the guru was penalized with heavy fines in a foreign court. Later the guru returned to India and committed suicide .Such instances must be eye-openers for future gurus and their gullible disciples.] In Hindu ashrams, it is strictly forbidden for a Hindu monk to touch a woman. What if a woman touches a monk ? The monk has to

undergo a penance, by fasting and chanting special mantras!! But, such regulations are slowly disappearing in the context of western cultural mores affecting Indian milieu. The strict moral codes in Hindu faith have been diluted or removed by various legal means in India .Therefore one trying the ashram life should reconsider the moral implications in recent times. The Guru and mind control Human mind is fed with lot of inputs through the five senses. The mind, considered the sixth sense in Hindu scriptures, processes the information and images into various thoughts ,based on past thoughts and impressions. New thoughts keep arising with

great speed. Thoughts can keep us happy; but thoughts can trouble us also at any moment. We have no real freedom unless we learn to control our thoughts. Any spiritual practice that does not address this problem of controlling one's thought is useless. Prayers , chanting and observing silence are the common methods of controlling one's thoughts. Deep meditation is possible only after one's thoughts are subdued. Great sages can remain in a thoughtless stage for several hours. But if we attain a thoughtless state even for two minutes, that would be a great achievement. A guru's role is to help the disciple control his thoughts and attain the ability

to arrest one's thoughts at any moment. This is not easy and may take a few years of practice. As Lord Krishna says in the Gita, mind is like a wind moving here and there; it is difficult to control its movement. But it can be done by constant practice ['abhayasa'] and by dispassion ['vairagya']. It is indeed difficult to attain 'vairagya'--lead a passion-less life. With guru's blessings and God's grace, this can be attained. In Hindu tradition, one believes that one's destiny would provide or create circumstances and situations that would lead to vairagya and final renunciation from worldly life..This need not be forced or contrived, but would come to pass in the life of a serious disciple.

Concluding Remarks I have mentioned the various factors and parameters in the Guru-Sishya relationship in the context of Hindu spiritual experiences. Much of this is common to all religions ,though there are minor differences in the details in each religion. There is nothing special in Hindu traditions ,though certain concepts and practices have been kept alive in India. One should ,however, steer clear of false and fake gurus whose main interests are in making money and getting fame and publicity. These bogus gurus have vitiated the spritual atmosphere in several ashrams in India and elsewhere. It is easy to spot such fake and bogus gurus and swamis. A sincere seeker or

sadhaka is bound to reach his/her goal sooner or later, oftentimes sooner than one can imagine. ------- Om Tat Sat------