When we hear the word ‘Guru,’ a traditional image comes to mind — a peaceful master surrounded by disciples, imparting wisdom. But the Guru is far more expansive than a single form or personality. The Guru can appear in front of you even as a competitor, or somebody with whom you have a conflict, or even as a tempting person of the opposite gender. One cannot predict the form the Guru might take, and if you encounter one in a perfectly planned way, that entity is likely not a true Guru. Divinity doesn’t operate according to our expectations.
Why We Keep Missing the Guru
The Guru is not something you ‘have’ like an object. To say someone didn’t have a Guru is as absurd as saying they didn’t exist. Guru is not something outside you — Guru is what you are. You may forget him, you may ignore him, but just like breath or heartbeat, the Guru is intrinsic to your being. Even when the body drops, the Guru doesn’t leave. He is not a man or a woman — that would reduce the Guru to mere personality, and then surrender becomes impossible. Surrendering to a person is slavery. The Guru, instead, is the formless truth that speaks through countless forms. What we expect from ourselves, we expect from the Guru. And that is the reason why we pre-decide what the Guru must look like. And that, you would now understand, is the reason why you keep missing the Guru. Because you have pre-decided that he would come to you only in such specific shapes and forms. He is too big, too free, to be driven by your wishes. And when he comes in his innumerable forms, in his unpredictable ways, then we miss him because we were expecting something else.
God and Guru are not different
God manifests in ways we recognize — as Father, Creator, Destroyer, or Teacher — depending on what we need or understand at that moment. God does not abide by any of the names you give to him. But because we are limited, we see only one side of God at one time. We cannot see his totality. So, depending on which side we see, we give some name. When we look at him as a teacher, as the one who is holding our hands, as the one who is gently nudging us, pushing us, beckoning us, then we call him the Guru. When we feel a certain seductive pull, then we call him the Beloved.
Those who have known have sometimes even called God as a butcher because he mercilessly destroys. There is no name that has not been ascribed to God — Mother, Father, even Brother, Mirror; All, None; This, That; Pūrṇa(Total), Śūnya(Nothing); You, Me — it depends totally on you.
Guru Is Not a Person — Guru Is the Path
This is just like choosing your favourite shirt or saree. You will only choose as per your taste and what you choose as per your taste can never benefit you. It can never be larger than you, it can never take you beyond yourself. There has to be a difference between choosing a Guru and choosing a Gulabjamun(a type of sweet), but we pick them up the same way; it must be sweet and hot, if possible.
There is no difference really between a mentor, a friend, a lover, a Guru or anybody who wishes you well, it’s all the same. There is no need to attach any special significance to this word. Whosoever helps you clear your mind is the only one good for you and he or she or that book or that situation or that group or that object or that animal is the Guru. Guru is a continuity, taking different forms at different times. No specific form is the Guru, and yet all forms can carry his essence. To meet the Guru, you must lose yourself. Only then can real seeing, real learning, and real freedom begin.
Discover more empowering stories and insightful content like this on YOUxTalks, your go-to destination for inspiration and knowledge.
Follow YOUxTalks on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youxtalks
