RELATION BETWEEN GURU AND DISCIPLE

The fabled pearl-oyster leaves its bed at the bottom of the sea and comes up to the surface to catch rain water when the star Svati is in the ascendant. It floats about on the surface of the sea with its shell wide open until it succeeds in catching a drop of the marvellous Svati rain. Then it dives down to the sea-bed and there rests until it has succeeded in fashioning a beautiful pearl out of that raindrop. Similarly, there are some true and eager aspirants who travel from place to

Relation Between Guru and Disciple 217

place in search of the Mantra, the saving word, from a godly and perfect preceptor (Sadguru), which can open for them the gate of eternal bliss; and if in his diligent search a man is fortunate enough to meet such a Guru and get from him the much-longed-for Mantra that has the power to break all fetters, he leaves society at once and retires into the deep recess of his own heart and rests there till he has succeeded in gaining eternal peace.

Do not fear if such a teacher (i.e., spiritually enlightened Guru) does not seem to be learned and well up in scriptures and other books. Do not fear because he is not book-learned. No, he will never be found wanting in the wisdom of life. He has a never-failing supply of Divine wisdom—of truths directly revealed and superior to all knowledge contained in books.

A man was disputing about the character of his Guru when the Master said, " Why are you wasting your time in this futile discussion ? Take the pearl and throw away the oyster-shell. Meditate on the Mantra given to you by the Guru and leave out of consideration the human frailties of the teacher."

Listen not to any one censuring your Guru. He is greater than your father and mother. Would you keep quiet when your father and mother are insulted in your very presence ? Fight, if necessary, and maintain the honour of your Guru.

The disciple should never criticise his Guru He must implicitly obey whatever the Guru says. A certain couplet in Bengali says : ' Though my Guru may visit the tavern, still my Guru is holy Rai Nityananda; and though my Guru may visit the unholy haunts of drunkards and sinners, still to me he is my own pure and faultless Guru.

When the devotion is genuine, even the most ordinary things make the devotee remember God and lose himself in Him. Have you not heard how Lord Chaitanya was merged in Samadhi at the thought, ' This is the earth of which drums are made ? " Once, while passing through a village, Sri Chaitanya came to know that the inhabitants of that village earned their living by making drums. At once he exclaimed, " This is the earth of which drums are made," and immediately lost all external consciousness. For he thought that out of that earth drums were made which were used in congregational music; and that the music, again, was in praise of God who is the Soul of our souls and the Beauty of beauties. In this way a train of ideas was flashed upon him, and he was at once engrossed in God. Likewise, when a man has true devotion to his Guru, he will certainly be reminded of him at the sight of his relatives. Not only that. Even if he meets people from the Gurus village his thoughts are at once directed to the Guru himself. He prostrates before them constantly, sprinkles the dust of their feet over his body, feeds them sumptuously and renders all other kinds of service to them. At this stage the disciple fails to see any defect in his Guru. Now only can he say, " Even if my Guru frequents taverns, he is the Lord, the Eternal Bliss all the same." As a human being a Guru cannot be a repository of virtues alone and free from all defects whatsoever. The disciple, on account of his devotion, no longer sees him as man but as God Himself, just as one sees everything as yellow, due to>