The grace of the Guru or Guru Kripa is a unique and mysterious force which bestows on the disciple all qualities that he lacks and makes him an extraordinary being for helping and serving others and also for receiving the highest level of knowledge, wisdom and realisation. Guru Kripa bestows divine light, bliss and immortality on the disciple. This extraordinary force and blessing can be received only by those who are disciples.
How can we be a disciple?
We have to accept that the Guru is a divine being and we are a spirit living in miserable state of being in this body of flesh and bone. When this awareness comes and there is a driving need to overcome this state and attain the state of bliss, we take the first step in being a disciple. The Guru is free from all bondage and we need to learn how to free ourselves from the bondage of world. When there is an internal anguish and need to overcome the bondage of this material existence, the Guru Kripa flows. This anguish needs to be expressed through soul longing and not just mere words.
The next step is to serve the Guru. Serving the Guru includes following all his instructions and teachings and doing the daily practices taught to us. Our ego and preconceived notions on how to live life and what is right and wrong form a Himalayan barrier between us and the Guru Kripa and only Guru Seva done in right spirit will help break it. The disciple should be humble and obedient even in spirit. Else it will not be possible to overcome our lower nature, the mental blocks, the past habits, arrogance and karma which keep us enmeshed in this world. To be a disciple, you should obey even in dream. The Guru is not human but we are human. We have to be completely blind to the human side of the Guru and focus only on his Divinity. This will help us to transform ourselves from the human to Divine. Our relationship with the Guru is purely Divine. We must cast off the human relationship with the Guru and enter into the Pure Divine relationship with him.
We live tied to the world and its bonds. We seek from the Guru help to fulfil our physical, mental, financial and emotional difficulties. When we seek only paltry things from the Guru, we will receive only those small gifts and not the great blessing of Guru Kripa. We must rise beyond the human relationship with the Guru and enter into the awareness of his Absolute Divine Essence. Then our daily sadhana will help us shed the human consciousness and reveal the divinity within us. Then gradually the Grace of Guru begins to manifest in us and we enjoy Guru Kripa.
Know that you are the child of God and demand of Him your Divine Heritage. If you stand before Him and always seek bread, butter and a better car that is all you will get. Seek Him and you get Him and all the treasure of the Universe. See Guru as God, and as his child you will partake of the wealth of the Cosmos. Then Guru Kripa manifests and works in you.
Finally we have to wait for the time when the Guru deems it right for us to receive the Ultimate Treasure of Self Realisation. We need inner maturity and development of certain qualities which help us to receive the full force of the Guru Kripa. Only the Guru knows when we are ready. Till then we must wait in patience and go on with self preparation by doing disciplined sadhana and guru seva. When we are obedient and willing disciples, the Grace of Guru will flow into us automatically. We should not make the mistake of ordering how and when the Grace should enter into us. We cannot ask the Guru Kripa to adapt to our needs and desires. We have many desires and karmas within us and Grace can come to us as disappointments too. And these setbacks, when accepted as blessings will bestow the Guru Kripa on us. Pray constantly to the Guru to help you follow his instructions and surrender unto his Divine Personality. The most perfect way of receiving Guru Kripa is by being a real disciple. Let every effort by thought, word and deed of your daily existence be aimed at this.
