Most essential qualifications in approaching a Guru - H.H.Radhanath Swami

How to take shelter? Krishna says in Gita “tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah”. You see; it's not that you just accept initiation; now I have a Guru, study Vedas, become Sanskrit scholar, become very learned. Never!!! In billions of births, you will be bewildered & you will be so bewildered that you'll think you know the Truth, but there are 3 most essential qualifications in approaching a Guru.

One is pranipat; that means the first thing you have to do is follow in Arjuna's footsteps. Karpanya dosho pahat svabhavat. You must accept that I am a fool. You must accept that I do not know. You must accept that I have imperfect senses, I have a tendency to cheat, I commit mistakes & I am invariably illusioned. That because I am covered by these defects I cannot understand anything as it is. Therefore the first most important qualification is that you must humble yourself before Guru. Whatever you know you have to put it aside & admit that you don't know. That's the beginning. Otherwise you don't need a Guru. If you are not willing to do that it's just a fashion, it's a fad, our Guru Maharaj used to say many people like to keep a Guru like they keep a flower pot on a wall. They just see I have a Guru, Every now & then I water it. They keep a Guru for their own prestige, but that is not correct. Through such a process the transmission of knowledge cannot take place. Pranipat that means you have to humble yourself, seek the shelter of the lotus feet of this personality. That I do not know anything, please instruct me. Krishna, the JagatGuru Himself was not willing to say a single word to Arjuna of transcendental knowledge until Arjuna came to this platform. Karpanya dosho pahat svabhava As long as Arjuna thought I know what's best for me Krishna simply remained silent. There was no use in talking to such a person who thinks he knows. He convinced against his will of the same opinion still what can you tell a person who already knows. In classical music, there was a very famous music teacher & it is described that he would teach the piano & if you never played the piano before in your life he would charge you a certain amount of money for the lesson & if you had already been playing before, he would charge you twice as much; because before he could teach you anything he had to first convince you that you don't know anything, otherwise you are a useless student, you'll always be second guessing or coming up with another idea.

And after pranipat is pariprasnena. Once you seek shelter and humble yourself then you must enquire submissively. What is the real goal of life? What is the Supreme occupation? What is the Real Dharma? What is the duty of a man about to die? Who is God? What is my relationship? Who am I?

Ultimately these enquiries fructify in the third principle sevaya. Where we ask the question "How can I serve you Guru Maharaj". And how do we serve? Not just by giving garlands or washing feet but by following the instructions he gives us in our life day by day & when the disciple has this consciousness & this approach then yasya prasadat bhagvat prasado, yasya aprasadan na gatih kutopi. It is described that when one pleases the Guru in this way the grace of Krishna comes through him in the heart of the disciple. The Guru is not Krishna, but the Guru is the manifestation of Krishna's grace in this world; the delegated representative of Krishna to deliver the Supreme grace, the Divine grace of God, into this world. So when one is favored by Krishna through such humility & devotion then one can understand things, as they are not otherwise.

H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

guru-mukha-padma-väkya, cittete koriyä aikya,
är nä koriho mane äsä