Table of Contents
Who is a Guru?
In spirituality, a person who guides other individuals to the Supreme Truth is a Guru, a Sadhguru( not to be confused with a modern/popular Yoga Guru).
A Sadhguru is essentially one who has realized the Truth behind the apparent worldly phenomena.
It is the Truth to which a Sadhguru points to and the sadhaka or the practitioner has to follow the instructions of such a Sadhguru to attain the state of the Guru.
This will end the cycle of transmigration of a sadhaka.
Types of Guru
There are many categories of Guru in terms of their practices, but here we will discuss the two fundamental classes of Guru.
They are Shiksha Guru and Deeksha Guru.
Since we are dealing here with the Guru in the spiritual parlance, the Shiksha Guru here refers to the Guru who gives us fundamental knowledge about Mantras and other spiritual concepts, but may not be directly responsible for our actions.
On the other hand the Deeksha Guru is one who takes complete responsibility for the sadhaka, and acts as the spiritual guardian of the sadhaka.
The Deeksha Guru is one who gives the final mantra for chanting, that awards liberation to the sadhaka.
Thus the Deeksha Guru is often considered as a sadhaka’s eternal benefactor and is believed to reappear in every lifetime of the sadhaka, till the sadhaka attains final emancipation.
So that responsibility, accountability and the duty of the Deeksha Guru is many times more as compared to the Shiksha Guru who is just a helper to the sadhaka during the initial stages of the sadhaka’s journey.
On the other hand the Deeksha Guru is the one who sees the culmination of the sadhakas journey and extremely intimate with the sadhaka, so that he can contribute maximum towards the ultimate welfare of the sadhaka.
Test your Alignment with the Spiritual Subject Matter (only 6/7 Questions)
The scores generated in this Quiz are relative. There are no right or wrong answers. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
Qualifications of a Deeksha Guru
An ideal Deeksha Guru is one who is full of compassion.
A compassionate Guru is one who is not interested in money, fame, recognition or collecting more disciples.
The Deeksha Guru is a person who has necessarily forsaken all worldly comforts for the highest ideal which is Truth. Truth here also is a synonym for the Ishta Devata, who is Ishwara, the Supreme Master of all that can be.
A person who has realized the highest ideal which is the Supreme Being, is blessed with the Power of the Mantra and is ordained by the Supreme Being or His Deeksha Guru to initiate the qualified sadhaka with mantra Deeksha.
Process of Attaining Deeksha
The word Deeksha comes from the root word “Drik”, which means to see. “Sha” in Sanskrit has many meanings in context to the Word “Deeksha”. Sha means cut that which is undesirable. It also means to purify or even tranquilize.
So Deeksha literally means to be able to see by removing the faults, or to be able to see things or realize things as they are without the distortions that the mind induces. It thus has many connotations.
Thus Deeksha is an extremely powerful process, that is said to rectify the faults of the irate mind. But before the Deeksha process one needs to take Shiksha or necessary training.
This work, the sadhaka undertakes by accepting many types of Shiksha Gurus and applying valid transformational spiritual practices. He continues these practices diligently over many years which purge his mind from six faults namely lust, anger, greed, illusion, self-pride and envy.
Then, after accepting a Deeksha Guru, he undertakes further training under him. When the Deeksha Guru is confirmed of his purity and dedication to the spiritual domain, initiates such a sadhaka into the Deeksha Mantra.
What should be the Outlook of an ideal Deeksha Guru?
The Deeksha Guru only serves His Gurudeva and Bhagavan in reality. He serves the mission of His Gurudeva by training other sadhakas and preparing them on the path of Moksha or Liberation.
Thus he earns the special love and concern of His Gurudeva and Ishta Devata. This is his way of pleasing Guru and Bhagavan. He has no other expectations from anyone in this world or the next.
He specifically has no expectations from His disciples, the fortunate beings who have taken shelter under him.
He can however accept meagre donations or service from his disciples, for their satisfaction so that they are not infected by “Guru Rinn”(गुरु ऋण) which roughly translates as “That Service which is due to the Lord in the form of Guru”.
What should a Deeksha Guru not be associated with?
The Deeksha Guru should not be associated with worldly people, fame, name, recognition or extravagant publicity.
Otherwise it shall be a blot onhis capabilities towards presenting and conducting himself as a devotee of Satya or Truth.
He should keep away from so-called sadhakas who waste him time, in the name of psuedo-spirituality. Speaking firmly to such deviant people is a virtue for him, that will save his energy and allow him to focus on truly deservant sadhakas.
For a Deeksha Guru, austerity is an embellishment and hence he should use technology and other comforting facilities as tools for serving society through his knowledge with the appropriate intentions that befit a Guru of the highest cadre.
He should also not engage himself in too many social programs that will distract him from the mission of contributing to the spiritual welfare of committed sadhakas.
Role of Deeksha Guru in Future Lifetimes
Many times, even after receiving Deeksha, at an appropriate time, having attained an advanced mindset , a sadhaka may still be prone to committing an error or sin, due to the influence of a bad karma of some past life, because of which the sadhaka fails in his goal of attaining Moksha or emancipation.
The Deeksha Guru is extremely compassionate to such a sadhaka, understanding totally the background of such a happening.
The sadhaka finds himself trapped in a new body with a fresh set of Karmas. The Deeksha Guru, out of compassion, appears as the Guru of this sadhaka even in the next life so that he is able to extend a helping hand to the sadhaka and salvage him towards Moksha.
Such is the reach and compassionate nature of a genuine Deeksha Guru.
You display your love by reading this valuable material. So kindly read and consider financially supporting us to keep our efforts going with renewed vigor! Supporters in India can donate via Razorpay while those abroad can use PayPal!
