APPROACHING THE GURU : 1.

Part-1.

Many a young aspirant who wishes to tread the path of spirituality, first does so with very many ideas—may be helpful or otherwise—and does not allow himself to be moulded by the Guru.

He forms variedly wrong notions as to what spirituality is.

He thinks that spirituality is living in seclusion in an Himalayan cave or growing a beard and matted locks or roaming throughout the length and breadth of the land.

Anyhow, he retains the individuality in thought and cannot hopefully surrender his ego at the lotus feet of the Guru, which alone can see him well off in the spiritual path.


I, for one, first approached Swami Sivananda with a clean slate so that he might write on it all that he thinks will benefit me.

I had no idea of my own.

If Swamiji says, a trip to Badrinath or Mt. Kailas will help in realising the Lord, I will do it at once.

 As a matter of fact, Sri Swamiji has never told me that, and I, too, have never visited those places.

I remember, only once he asked me to get by heart the eighteen Mantras of Isavasyopanishad.

I at once crammed it day and night with word for word meaning.

The whole of it was at my fingers' ends, and I was in a position to repeat it in my dream also.

But, somehow, I failed to recapitulate when Swamiji asked me to recite it.

Let it be.

Apart from that particular Upanishad, I have never got by heart the Brahma Sutras, or the Gita or any other Upaniahad; for, Swamiji has not asked me till now.

If he says, to get through all those books day and night will give me realisation, I will do it


SRI SWAMI PARAMANANDA

To be continued  ...