| By — Shyamal Sinha |
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 How to Recognise a True GuruDearest Parmarth family, Jai Gange! A very happy, sacred, and auspicious day of Guru Purnima. This is the beautiful day when we celebrate and honor the presence of the true light of wisdom in our life — the light that shows us the truth of who we are. A question that so many people ask in satsang is, “How do I find the right guru?” or “How do I know if a guru is right for me?” It can be really hard, especially in a world where charisma can so easily pretend to be enlightenment. My own life has been completely transformed by the presence of Pujya Swamiji — his guidance, his blessings, his grace, and the light he has shone on my true Self, enabling me to anchor in my highest truth. And it’s from that place of deep gratitude that I share a satsang clip and deep teaching worth reflecting on today. So many of us tend to bring our modern habits into even our most sacred searching. We compare. We analyze. We look for someone who feels comfortable, who is most aligned with what we already believe, who will validate and support the narratives and stories we tell ourselves. We go looking for a guru the same way we shop for everything else – what will make me feel better in the moment? But what if the very mind we are using to evaluate and choose is the exact thing that most needs to be transformed? How many times have we bought something – online or in a store – because it fit the mood of the moment or seemed to be the antidote to the boredom, insecurity, frustration we were feeling? Then later, as our mood and moment shifts, we realize the purchase was a waste of money because we don’t actually feel better in the long run. It was just a temporary salve for our fragile ego. In the same way, we tend to assume the right teacher will be the one who makes us feel good — who soothes us, tells us what we hoped to hear, butters us up. But some of the most transformative and powerful moments of my life came from the opposite: from being loved enough to be pointed back to truth, even when truth wasn’t comfortable. From being seen for my soul rather than my story. From having a guru who saw beyond my ego, beyond my narrative, beyond my fears – who saw the highest truth of me and slowly began to peel away the not-Self so my Self could emerge. In this video from our sacred evening satsang at Parmarth Niketan I share stories of finding my guru and what it actually feels like, and also a deeper mystery – one that that could turn our whole understanding upside down: what if finding a guru was never really about choosing at all? What if it has far more to do with our own readiness and our own ripening than with our searching and selecting? Watch, enjoy, dive in to learn how to know when the right teacher appears. Click here to watch! A very happy sacred full moon of the Guru to you all. With so much love and peace, In Sacred Service,  Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati |
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| cHow to Recognise a True GuruDearest Parmarth family, Jai Gange! A very happy, sacred, and auspicious day of Guru Purnima. This is the beautiful day when we celebrate and honor the presence of the true light of wisdom in our life — the light that shows us the truth of who we are. A question that so many people ask in satsang is, “How do I find the right guru?” or “How do I know if a guru is right for me?” It can be really hard, especially in a world where charisma can so easily pretend to be enlightenment. My own life has been completely transformed by the presence of Pujya Swamiji — his guidance, his blessings, his grace, and the light he has shone on my true Self, enabling me to anchor in my highest truth. And it’s from that place of deep gratitude that I share a satsang clip and deep teaching worth reflecting on today. So many of us tend to bring our modern habits into even our most sacred searching. We compare. We analyze. We look for someone who feels comfortable, who is most aligned with what we already believe, who will validate and support the narratives and stories we tell ourselves. We go looking for a guru the same way we shop for everything else – what will make me feel better in the moment? But what if the very mind we are using to evaluate and choose is the exact thing that most needs to be transformed? How many times have we bought something – online or in a store – because it fit the mood of the moment or seemed to be the antidote to the boredom, insecurity, frustration we were feeling? Then later, as our mood and moment shifts, we realize the purchase was a waste of money because we don’t actually feel better in the long run. It was just a temporary salve for our fragile ego. In the same way, we tend to assume the right teacher will be the one who makes us feel good — who soothes us, tells us what we hoped to hear, butters us up. But some of the most transformative and powerful moments of my life came from the opposite: from being loved enough to be pointed back to truth, even when truth wasn’t comfortable. From being seen for my soul rather than my story. From having a guru who saw beyond my ego, beyond my narrative, beyond my fears – who saw the highest truth of me and slowly began to peel away the not-Self so my Self could emerge. In this video from our sacred evening satsang at Parmarth Niketan I share stories of finding my guru and what it actually feels like, and also a deeper mystery – one that that could turn our whole understanding upside down: what if finding a guru was never really about choosing at all? What if it has far more to do with our own readiness and our own ripening than with our searching and selecting? Watch, enjoy, dive in to learn how to know when the right teacher appears. Click here to watch! A very happy sacred full moon of the Guru to you all. With so much love and peace, In Sacred Service, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati |
