Talks Excerpt 367. Swamiji: The Guru sees us as all-perfect, divine and he gives up his divine abode for us, time and again, to raise us.

From Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Devotee: What stops us from seeing the guru in ourselves?

Swamiji: Ignorance. Ignorance of our true nature and his true nature. We see ourselves as the body and him as a man. But he sees us as all-perfect, divine, and he gives up his divine abode for us, time and again, to raise us. Until each one is raised he will not rest, such is his compassion. Life after life he has helped us. How can we ever repay him?

He and he alone knows how to treat us as we need to be treated, and not as we think we should be treated. Once you understand this there is no jealousy. He fulfils our need – this is a great word in spirituality.

Other gurus you meet are also God, but only for general advice on sadhana and not for inner guidance. But gradually you will see this. Listen to all, but strictly obey your Guru only. Do not listen to conflicting advice.

Conflicting advice may be given; one lot may be given to you and one lot to another. So obey what your Guru says to you. There may be fifty taps but you can drink water from only one.

[To a female devotee] Man and holy-man, keep them at arms length. Play the role of mother, not wife.

‘Blinding darkness’ occurs when you use a mantra for obtaining powers [siddhis], which leads to delusion. You think it is spiritual and so you go on and get deeper and deeper. There is no hope for you. I want you to take special note of this: All powers are dangerous.

You are here at the Guru’s feet by Grace only; otherwise you would be somewhere else. So you must gain the Guru’s grace, that alone will help you. But you still have to do meditation to purify yourself.

The free-to-read or download, 396 page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.

These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.