Two contrary views were expressed in these columns recently one by a proclaimed guru, exchanging wisdom for compensation, and the other by a reluctant guru who expected no compensation yet never succeeded in being proclaimed a guru.
A guru is one who removes ignorance about one's own potentiality. Some claiming to be guru provide information drawn from scriptures. But that makes one possessed of information, which is not a substitute for wisdom. The internet is a great source of information, but the one who is a service provider cannot be a guru. A guru can only make the seeker competent and qualified to become wise with the information provided; the guru cannot make the disciple wise.
Mother is said to be a great guru. What role does a mother play in the child's physical, psychological, moral and spiritual evolution? Observe a mother bird after it lays its egg. It gives the egg the warmth it needs and protects it from harm. Once the chick comes out of the egg, it provides it with food. The mother bird knows of the vast space high above and spread far beyond, having flown far and wide. The mother bird knows that the chick would have wings to fly, intrinsic skill to fly, though it is not so strong now.
So the mother bird provides the chick with nourishment so that it can grow strong wings. When the chick grows a bit, the mother bird shows the chick the vast space in which she had been flying with gay abandon, describing the great places visited and the pleasures of flying with the breeze blowing through the wings. The chick now grown strong and bold becomes conscious of the strength of its wings, sees the vast space spread high above and far beyond. It takes the first leap with hesitation and falls, hesitates and attempts again only to become sad and disappointed.
From a distance the mother bird looks on with interest and concern. She takes the chick to the precipice of the great mountain, points out to the chick the wings now grown strong and powerful and, proceeds to show the vast space spread high above and far beyond. Even as the chick sees the vast space with awe and wonder, the mother bird gives it a nudge and slowly and gently, pushes the chick over the precipice. The surprised chick stumbles, desperately flapping its wings in a reflex action and before it knows what is happening, spreads its wings wide, soaring high above and then diving below into the valley.
The mother bird is satisfied that the chick is now confident enough to chart its own course. It is not known whether the mother bird waited for the chick to return to offer thanks and gratitude, nor does one know whether the chick ever came back to the mother bird to thank and express gratitude. The mother is a natural guru she is neither a proclaimed guru nor a reluctant guru.
Ramana Maharshi said that it is necessary to have a guru but he need not be a human guru; he could as well be the Self within transcending human limitations. It is the seeker who has to realise where he stands, and whether he needs to get information and guidance from a source ^ he has to take the decision as to whether he needs a guru or not.