For a seeker of liberation, there is nothing more invaluable than the presence of a Self-realised Master in one’s life. Only by the grace of past virtuous karmas is one fortunate enough to meet and be associated with a Sadguru.
A lasting bond
If you happen to meet your Master and are sincere in your learning and trying to follow the teachings, a deep connection is formed. Even if you falter many times, a lasting bond will take root. And this connection is not limited to the present life alone but extends across all your future births. That is how nature works.
Even if the Master’s body passes, the connection endures. He will again return because it is a commitment for the Master. There is no need to be born again for an enlightened being, but still, he chooses to do so for the sake of others. You cannot sacrifice or renounce anything greater than what a Master sacrifices. The Master is renouncing his own moksha, salvation, to be with ignorant beings and guide them on their path.
As Gautama Buddha famously said: “I am not going to go. Although physically I will be gone, I will still be here”. Similarly, one of Guru Nanak Dev’s closest disciples wrote in a beautiful couplet: “You are the one who has come back to hold our hands and take us on the path of the Lord. You didn’t have to, but you have come”. That is why the Master is called the Great Compassionate One.
The Guru’s work
The Master would have loved immensely to dissolve his mind into maya, the macrocosmic mind of the universe. The Self is already realised; there is no place to go, no heaven waiting. The only remaining thing is the mind, and the Master holds onto the mind because they feel that their work is not yet complete. There is still much to do.
Because a true Guru will not leave you until you have realised your divine nature. Until then, the Guru’s job is not done! And this job is difficult because hard nuts don’t want to break. The Master has to be firm and hammer your ego repeatedly and cannot be so soft that you don’t listen. But if the Guru is hard, your ego gets offended. You might get angry and even run away. It is a difficult situation indeed, yet the Guru remains resolute until the seeker’s delusions have been shattered.
When the Master enters your life, your mind may resist, clouded by ignorance and desires – for the mind is a bag full of countless unfulfilled desires and ambitions. Desires for wealth, spouse, grand houses, status, etc., are accumulated across lifetimes and stored deep in your subconscious. And with every birth, further desires and karmic connections with people are added to the burden.
A love beyond give and take
Death takes away the physical body, but the mind does not die with it. Its journey continues, coloured by afflictions like raga (attachments) and dvesha (aversions). Yet despite them, if anybody in this world loves you unconditionally, it is your Guru. Most relationships are formed for mutual exchanges – “You scratch my back, I scratch yours”. But the love of the Guru is not transactional, not based on convenience or mutual benefit. The Sadguru does not have any ulterior motive or selfish greed to satisfy. He is only there to help a seeker because Sadguru knows the pain of not knowing and how your ignorance punishes you.
Sometimes people say, “Oh, I have found you!” – it is impossible. How can a blind person say, “I have found the sun”? It is the sun that must find the blind person. Or how can a child claim, “I am holding you”? The father is holding the child. In the same way, it is the Master who finds the seeker, not the other way around.
Do not postpone
There are beautiful shabads (devotional hymns) in which the disciple expresses deep humility, asking, “What did I do to deserve your presence in my life, O Gurudev? What did I do to earn your love? I don’t deserve it, yet you are here, guiding me out of sheer compassion.” The Guru comes into your life only by divine grace, so recognise the importance of this opportunity and do not squander it away. There is no guarantee that your Master will return in a human form again or that you will find your way to him in another birth.
Read the Sri Guru Gita, a scripture in which Shiva narrates to Parvati the signs that indicate a true Guru and the qualities a good disciple ought to have. Take that list, assess whether your Master fits the description, and see if you are a good disciple. If you are a sincere and honest disciple and work diligently on yourself, then awakening can happen in this very life; do not postpone it to the next.
