GURU PURNIMA

Guru Purnima is one of the most auspicious day in Hindu calendar. Most Hindus offer worship to their respected Guru.

In ancient days before accepting a child as disciple, Guru used to take interview and only when Guru is satisfied that a child will be able to fulfil all the terms and conditions of Guru's hermitage, a child is taken as disciple by Guru. This ancient system still exist in our modern education system. A child and a parents are interviewed before a child is admitted in school.

However this system is no longer followed or perhaps followed by handful of religious and spiritual masters. Today most religious or spiritual leaders are commercialised and in a rat race of growing numbers of their disciples.

Even people follow blindly in such rat race thinking that the salvation or all materialistic desire will be on the finger tip if one will accept a particular sage or saint as Guru. People rush to make Guru and then forget.

On the same note spiritual masters also go commercialised in accepting anyone to be their disciple by accepting certain donation. In both case neither Guru nor disciple will have any close link or connection with each other. There may be few exception to this anyway.

We cannot question Guru or Spiritual master but we can at least understand fundamentals of Guru and disciple relation. Before accepting anyone as Guru, one should ask a question oneself, "Am I ready to become a true disciple? Will I be able to attend to call by my Guru at any time even if I have to leave my most important worldly commitment?" If the answer is negative, then it is not important to accept anyone as Guru. One can serve the temple or ashram but do not make Guru.

Once you accept Guru, you are on all time alert like soldiers and doctors who have to attend to duty even at odd hours. Once you accept Guru, you cannot make any excuses to Guru. You must attend to Guru's request first.

Understand the true relation of Guru and disciple first and thenworship and serve the Guru with full faith.

Manhar Narsey