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It is said that once the student is ready the Guru will appear before him, but my question is what are the steps a person (wanting to be a student seeking a true guru) should follow in order to prepare himself for the grace of Guru and how does he know that he/she is doing them properly or not?
Please do cite references from authentic resources.
Following Yama and Niyama WILL BE a starting point for getting grace of the God/Guru.
However, there will not be any fixed methodology for attaining the grace of the God/Guru. And, there will not be any fixed time limit within which the grace of the God/Guru is assured.
It varies from person to person.
Even for a SPIRITUALLY advanced person like Swami Vivekananda, it took so many years, starting from 1881 to 1886, to attain Samadhi, that he had been longing for.
The following are excerpts from the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi.
D. How is the Guru found?
M. God, who is immanent, in His grace takes pity on the loving devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee’s development. The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self within.
Ch. Bhagavan says he has no disciples?
Bh. Yes.
Ch. He also says that a Guru is necessary if one wishes to attain Liberation?
Bh. Yes.
Ch. What then must I do? Has my sitting here all these years been just a waste of time? Must I go and look for some Guru in order to receive initiation seeing that Bhagavan says he is not a Guru?
Bh. What do you think brought you here such a long distance and made you remain so long? Why do you doubt? If there had been any need to seek a Guru elsewhere you would have gone away long ago.
Ch. Then Bhagavan does have disciples!
Bh. As I said, from Bhagavan’s point of view there are no disciples; but from that of the disciple the Grace of the Guru is like an ocean. If he comes with a cup he will only get a cupful. It is no use complaining of the niggardliness of the ocean; the bigger the vessel the more he will be able to carry. It is entirely up to him.
Ch. Then to know whether Bhagavan is my Guru or not is just a matter of faith, if Bhagavan will not admit it.
Bh. (Sitting straight up, turning to the interpreter and speaking with great emphasis). Ask him, does he want me to give him a written document?
Professor Venkatramiah records in his diary that he said to Mrs. Piggott, an English visitor, “Realization is the result of the Guru’s Grace more than of teachings, lectures, meditations, etc. These are only secondary but that is the primary and essential cause.”
When asked whether he gave initiation Sri Bhagavan always avoided a direct answer. But the initiation by look was a very real thing.
Wrong identification of Guru to the body.
Submission to this Guru is not submission to any outside oneself but to the Self manifested outwardly in order to help one discover the Self within.
“The Master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that he is only outside. If he were a stranger whom you were awaiting he would be bound to disappear also. What would be the use of a transient being like that?
But as long as you think that you are separate or are the body, so long is the outer Master also necessary and he will appear as if with a body. When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases the Master is found to be none other than the Self.”
After an intense debate between Faith and Logic. HH Pramukh Swami concluded by saying,
Use your brain/Logic until you find a true guru. Once you find Him, Put Your Mind aside and Have complete faith in him.
The pre-requisites before accepting a guru involves:
Examining whether he exemplifies what he preaches.
Knowing the spiritual powers of his guru.
Scrutinising the spiritual enlightenment of his disciples.
If a guru fails to deliver his disciples from the torments of rebirth, then he cannot be called a true guru.
Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
To be a vessel of God's guaranteed blessings we should :
(1) Never violate His Holy laws.
(2) Seek not happiness in other things but God incarnate.
(3) Always keep the company of a bona fide sadhu.
The grace of Lord Swaminarayan and this God-intoxicated sadhu is attained when:
(1) One is wedded to God's laws.
(2) One has a profound knowledge of atman and Paramatman.
(3) One has an intense repugnance for mundane pleasures.
(4) And when one has a deep devotion fragrant with the glory of God.
But one swollen with pride fails to gain the grace of God.
Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
Give topmost priority to the perfection of three virtues, because others like renunciation and self-denial are subsidiary and vary with individuals. The three indispensable virtues that readily receive the blessings of a sadhu are :
• Unshakeable faith and knowledge of God's greatness.
• Living by His word.
• Friendship with the devotees of God.
Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
Guru or truth is seeked and found when a person is seeking something beyond material realm like Buddha(than King Siddhartha) was dissatisfied with his wealth, kingship, luxuries etc., and seeking something beyond or Swami Vivekananda (then Narendra) searched for someone who had actually seen God in reality rather than simply accepting God's existence blindly.
Grace of Guru explained by Ramana Maharshi
D. How is the Guru found?
M. God, who is immanent, in His grace takes pity on the loving devotee and manifests Himself according to the devotee’s development. The devotee thinks that He is a man and expects a relationship as between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is God or the Self incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the error of his ways and guides him in the right path until he realizes the Self within.
D. What should the devotee do then?
M. He has only to act up to the words of the Master and work within. The Master is both ‘within’ and ‘without’, so He creates conditions to drive you inward and at the same time prepares the ‘interior’ to drag you to the Centre. Thus He gives a push from ‘without’ and exerts a pull from ‘within’, so that you may be fixed at the Centre.
D. What is guru’s grace? How does it lead to Self-realization?
M. Guru is the Self…. Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain His grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God’s grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association. The devotee’s mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm expanse is the Self.
The Guru is both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. From the ‘exterior’ he gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the ‘interior’ He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is guru’s grace. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.
You think that the world can be conquered by your own efforts. When you are frustrated externally and are driven inwards, you feel ‘Oh! There is a Power higher than man!’
The ego is like a very powerful elephant which cannot be brought under control by any less powerful than a lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the Guru, Whose very look makes the elephant-like ego tremble and die.
You will know in due course that your glory lies where you cease to exist. In order to gain that State, you should surrender yourself. Then the Master sees that you are in a fit state to receive guidance, and He guides you.
D. How can I obtain Grace?
M. Grace is the Self.That also is not to be acquired: you only need to know that it exists.The sun is brightness only. It does not see darkness. Yet you speak of darkness fleeing on the sun’s approach. So also the devotee’s ignorance, like the phantom of darkness vanishes at the look of the Guru. You are surrounded by sunlight; yet if you would see the sun, you must turn in its direction and look at it. So also Grace is found by the proper approach you make, though it is here and now.
However, in Kaliyuga many fake gurus operate, with mere saffron robes and external symbols and to deceive and rob majority spiritually blind masses who identify spirituality with mere visible religious symbols or word jugglery and are seeking wealth, material things and occult powers in reality rather than enlightenment or Moksha from such impostors. Because spiritually devolved will ask for material things but not God/wisdom despite God or Guru appearing in front of him. Arjuna and Duryodhana seeking help from Krishna
Despair and Hope in Age of Kaliyuga
(2) Among the people of the age of Kali all one attains by good birth, behavior and qualities will be wealth while material power will be the only factor determining what is just and reasonable. (3) Relations between men and women will be based upon sensual pleasure, business will be ruled by deceit, masculinity and femininity are there for sexual attraction and a sacred thread will suffice to be considered learned. (4) External marks only determine someone's spiritual status and constitute the basis for mutual exchanges, because of a lack of funds one is less credible and scholarship consists of word jugglery.
For any serious Sadhaka, the creation itself is Guru, thats why Avadhutas and Dattatreya have 24 gurus of the nature as explained by Krishna in Uddhava Gita.
Human life is to go back to Godhood. All experiences are meant to lead us there. When you have purified enough could integrate guru appears
