Real Swami

[Guest guest]

Interesting question/answer session with Sw Ranganathanandaji was sent to us by

sunil n <sun_fundu As the posting was very long we will post short extracts over next few days.....jay

 

Question by a lady: I would like to know if you could help to tell the Americans how they are able to tell the difference between a real swami and a fake swami. There are so many of them coming to U.S.A. and, if you are interested, you could tell us some points on how we could find out who is who.Swami Ranganathananda:- This is a problem present everywhere, in India also. There also, many teachers go around; that is the condition just now in America also. There is one criterion given about a spiritual teacher in our spiritual tradition. First of all, he or she must be pure, and a good student of spiritual life and must have practised it, and he or she must have unselfish love for the disciples who come to him or her, and lastly, he or she should not sell religion. Selling religion is condemned in all our sacred books; it is too sacred. That is what has been emphasized all through India's religious history. The teacher gives religious instruction to somebody out of compassion, out of love. If he or she sells it, religion is destroyed thereby. So, I can only tell the people here-beware of people who sell religion and who make big promises that quickly you will achieve spiritual experiences. There is no quickness in religion; you have to go steadily and slowly. So a little training must be given to people that religion is not so cheap, in three months you cannot get salvation; it cannot be given in a capsule. All these ideas people must know.It is a serious struggle. You have the Divine hidden within you; you have to struggle to become spiritual and realize it. So, when this knowledge comes to people, I don't think cheap gurus will be able to spoil anybody's mind. Even in India, many people don't know what religion is. So one who promises spiritual results to come quickly, gets disciples more easily than others; like a political party promising everything under the sun 'if you elect me'; similarly, people are cheated in religion also. So, there, people themselves must assume some responsibility; they should know that religion is not so cheap, it is a serious matter. So let them think thrice before they accept a guru. Search for guru is not religion; search for God is religion. So, guru comes secondary, just for help and the seeker can watch and see. Here, Sri Ramakrishna's advice is very significant. He said, 'Don't accept anybody as your guru until you examine him or her both by day and by night for days together. Then, if you find he or she can stand all these tests, and is really pure, then you can accept that person as your guru.'