Thousands of followers cannot create one ‘guru’, but one ‘guru’ can create thousands of followers. A ‘guru’ is a ‘guru’ even if he or she does not have a single follower.

If you have the grace of the guru, the mind can come within your command. Here, the word ‘guru’ implies knowledge, and also any external guru always connotes knowledge. A knowledge-less person can never be a guru. A liar, an imposer, a person bereft of knowledge can be an ascetic, but not a guru. Only a person who has ‘gur’ – art, knowledge, the key of right wisdom can be called a guru. If you have your guru’s grace, you can surpass your mind.

The mind is like the spoilt elephant, which is out of control, and the guru is the mahout, who uses the restraint of knowledge to make the mind walk on the right path. The one who is a gurumukhi – believer in a guru will set right whatever has gone wrong, whereas the manomukhi – one who is mind oriented will not be able to set it right. Why? Because the manmukhi is only immersed in imperfections, evil passions and in his egotism; so be a gurumukhi, one who loves guru and then kill the mind with words, with the words of consciousness.

There is a story of a saint – sage and his devotion to his guru. He would stand with eyes lowered, next to his guru, with a towel in one hand for the guru to wipe his hands. Suddenly he would place a glass of water by his guru and his guru would drink this water. Please note that his guru had not even asked for water, nor did he gesture for water and yet when water was placed his guru drank it. The saint said that his mind is so calm that no other thoughts arise and that the only thoughts that exist are of his guru. So, he said that “when in my consciousness a thought arises which is about the needs of my guru’s body, then it is not my thought but it is a thought of my guru’s mind.” Such was his unfathomable devotion for his guru that the guru did not need to speak out his needs and yet the sage knew what his guru needed at that point.

Begin searching from the guru. How? By making the guru’s sayings your basis to think and using the tools of meditation to dig for the treasures inside.

Your guru has only one message to convey – meditation and love, that’s all. You must bathe in the nectar of meditation and love yourself and get others to take a dip in it as well. Take the cup of joy with you, drink with great joy and also give others the message of your joy.