The key to spiritual evolving is cultivating unwavering faith in God and Guru. But … how to cultivate unwavering faith in God and Guru? This is a very large question that confronts most devotees and disciples. They say, “How can I have complete faith in my Guru? How can I obey him implicitly? He is not aware of my personal circumstances. I must consider my own situation, and if it is convenient to me, only then shall I obey what my Guru says.”

Always remember, that the Guru-shishya relationship is a divine relationship. The connection with your Guru is a permanent one. Once this connection has been established by you, then neither time nor death can change it. Your connection with your Guru follows you, life after life, until your spiritual journey towards evolving into a divine being, is completed. Your spiritual journey cannot be complete or fulfilling, without the presence of a Guru in your life. You seek God outside of you, but in truth God is within you. So, it is to locate the God within you that you need the Guru in a physical form. To find our inherent divinity, an external guru is required.

Faith is an essential ability to understand and accept the greatness or sacredness of an ideal, a cause, or a person, due to one’s inner intelligence and conviction. Faith in a Guru is not a blind acceptance of the spiritual authority that surrounds the Guru. It is a deep inner acceptance of authority, and may be with or without any outward experience. As one continues the spiritual practices in a disciplined manner, this faith tends to get stronger and stronger. The initial wavering that the sadhaka had experienced, starts dissolving with the continuation of dedicated spiritual practice.

So, when the sadhaka asks, “How will I cultivate unwavering faith in the Guru?”, the only reply is “Continue with your spiritual practices unwaveringly, continuously, in a disciplined manner, and you will find yourself possessing strong and unwavering faith in your Guru.” Meerabai could drink the poison sent by her husband only due to the deep faith she had in her Lord Krishna. An illiterate bidi shop owner in Mumbai, met his Guru who told him that “You are not the body. You are the Infinite Truth. Meditate upon the ‘I’ the source of Truth, and you will realise the Truth.” With complete faith in his Guru’s words, the bidi shop owner meditated upon the source of Truth ‘I’ and realised the Truth. This realised bidi shop owner later came to be known as Nisargadatta Maharaj. Unwavering faith in Guru can work wonders!

Faith in our Scriptures allows us to gain true wisdom. Our Scriptures have been passed on to us since many centuries and generations, to lead us and to guide us. Only when you have faith in the Guru, will you realise that his teachings are not any different from what our ancient scriptures teach us. Other than true guidance, the Guru has no ulterior motive. It is only with true faith that the sadhaka is able to realise that Guru is a noble, compassionate soul whose sole purpose on earth is to impart teachings to the disciples.

At times, even when the Guru appears to be harsh and unapproachable, it is only complete faith in the Guru that will make a sadhaka realise the extent of the Guru’s love and compassion, and though he may be teaching essential lessons to the disciple in a harsh manner, his intention is the disciples’ progress. Just as the rose flowers amongst prickly thorns, so also the disciple will flower spiritually amidst the created harsh environment. It is only unwavering faith in the Guru that will enable the disciple to understand that ‘no matter what, the Guru’s only goal is the disciple’s spiritual elevation’.

When the Guru is served with devotion, humility and enthusiasm, the disciple becomes close to Guru, and the very presence and teachings of the Guru, infuses unwavering faith in the disciple. Just as the presence of the child swells the heart of the mother with love, the presence of the true devotee swells the heart of the Guru. The Guru’s unconditional love for one and all, creates reverence in the heart of the disciple, and the seeking of Truth is accelerated. Guru is the doorway to one’s own divine experience, for he leads the disciple to experience the truth of the inherent inner divinity.

Guru can recognise the disciple’s short-comings and true potential. He also knows which path is best suited for the individual disciple. For a disciple who is committed to attaining Self-Realisation, it is important at the beginning, to be in close proximity to the Guru. While living with the Guru, every action his should be taken as a learning lesson by the dedicated disciple. Later, when the disciple is ready to leave the Guru, he will be well-equipped to serve the cause of the Guru no matter where he or she may be.

Service to the Guru and his mission is a never-ending affair. It is to be continued even after the disciple reaches Self- Realisation. After gaining knowledge from Guru Sage Vashishta, as Shri Ram prepared to leave the ashram, He is said to have stated, “Though I have no more duties left, I shall continue to serve the lotus feet of my Guru.”

May you all develop unwavering faith in God and Guru!