Gurugita 013: Sadguru chases the disciple across births and rescues him/her

You can take your time to select your Guru. However, once you select your Guru, you can no longer change your Guru. Unless and until you accept Him as your Guru, He will never accept you as his disciple. You should say, ‘You are my Guru. I have accepted you as my Spiritual Guru’. Until then, He will not accept you as His disciple.

‘Once He accepts you, He will not leave you even if you ask him to leave you and go away’. This is to be remembered. Such faith arises in both the Guru and the disciple. ‘O Guru, please leave me’- even if the disciple asks, the Guru will not leave him. Likewise, even the Guru gets the confidence that the disciple will not leave Him and go away.

Once such selection is done, the ever-compassionate Guru will chase the disciple and rescue him from his problems. The ever-compassionate Guru will chase you across various births that you take and will rescue/ save you. This is because you had placed implicit faith in Him and had worshipped him devotedly. He had immediately showered many boons upon you for all your prayers. To fulfill those boons, He chases you in all births and saves you. The story of Bhadrashila in Datta Puranam is a clear example of this.

If you select a Guru and then discard him or after completing the selection process and identifying your Guru, you try to find another Guru, you will become ubhaya bhrashta (loser on both counts). The story of Lord Indra is a good example of this.

The position of Indra is granted to that holy being who has conducted not only 100 Ashwamedha yagas but who also has performed limitless penance. Such being will retain this position/ title of Indra as long as his balance of punya exists. Even then, there are many Indras who, after having performed this great penance and meritorious deeds, have committed heinous crimes and have slipped from this position mid-way.

One among these Indras had chosen Brihaspati as his Guru. Under his Guru’s direction, he subdued many demons and was living in all glory. In this manner, this Indra retained his position as the Lord of the three worlds for a very long period of time. Gradually, his mind began to wander towards objects of pleasure. This was because even the slightest fear had been removed from him. There was no fear from demons whatsoever, in addition food and comforts were available in plenty. This was a state of joblessness. The senses (indriyas) had no work. There was no fear. The armies were free and the horses did not have any task.

Many a time it appears that those who have a certain degree of fear in them are truly healthy people. When the mind is released from fear, it runs towards objects of pleasure. What happens when money accumulates in large quantities? The person does not know how to spend this inflow. He has no heart to give it away in charity or help the needy. Then this money drags the person towards vices.