True gurus
A lot of Gurus and Swamis come to the West. When the Swami or Guru comes, you find people coming in front of them sweeping the floor and saying, “Guru is coming! Swami is coming!”
It’s not necessary. If he is a Guru or a Swami he must have deep, deep love. Love will change; love will heal; love will create an atmosphere for you to advance spiritually.
Swami: Like Christ.
Guru: That is the extent of the link between the bhakta (devotee) and the Guru. Who is Guru? Who is Guru? Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshvara – the three persons in one God. He is father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, lover, beloved – anything that you choose, he is. He is cleaner and blockbuster.
Swami: Cleaner? Hoovananda?
Guru: Yes, he is a cleaner – Hoovananda!
He must have a very good sense of humour. If any Guru gets angry or any Swami gets angry, sack him! He must have a lot of love, understanding, and time for his devotees.
Yes, but, he must have everything very clearly set out for his devotees. No going around to answer a question – he must go very straight (be straight-talking) and go zzzzum! It is necessary.
I will play with my children! You are my children. The Divine Mother plays with Her children, as She has played with me. I will play all your games the way you want! But remember I am also a very good pickpocket. I’ll pick your pocket – pick your mind’s pocket – and put something else in it whilst I’m playing with you. Unlike the person who has lost his pocket, you have lost your mind!
You know, at the end of a puja I always go and join my brothers and sisters for the meal. They eat while I have fun with them! They are my little children.
True gurus have time for their devotees
You know, a lot of Gurus and Swamis come to the West. I’m sorry to say, but they have no time for their devotees. They float in and float out, they pick the pockets and off they go to another country. And the poor devotees are left high and dry.
A Guru is somebody who must be available to his devotees to question. You can question and ask me what you want… because I do not answer it, the Divine Mother answers that question. That is a must for the devotee; because if the person is not there then with all the problems that people have to confront, they are in a lot of trouble.
Problems – you must be able to go to the Guru. I go to the Divine Mother and I present all the problems of my devotees. I go to the Divine Mother and I’ll give you a beautiful example…
True gurus are the link between you and the Divine
Once, just after the puja, there was a lady at the back of the temple and she was holding a baby in her arms and she was crying. I walked up to her and said, “Why are you crying?” She said, “The doctors have said this boy cannot be operated on because he is going to die.” An amazing power came over me! I just picked the child up and I walked straight inside the sanctuary, and I held the child in my arms, and I said to Mother, “You can’t do this to this child!”
Because of my love for the child and God, I was foolish enough to take the child and question Mother’s decision! As I held the child in my arms the Divine Mother said to me, “Go and tell the mother to [arrange the operation]. I will be with the child; he will be perfectly alright.”
The mother looked at me when I said that and I said, “Don’t worry! I’ll be with the baby whilst the operation is happening and he’ll be alright.” After a short time, she returned [to the Ashram] – not only with her baby – but other problems from the ward as well, so I got other babies’ problems as well!
So, that is what you call a Divine play! The play was that through that child She (Divine Mother) brought the consciousness of God to other people as well. We cannot understand initially what is happening, and then the whole pattern changes!
That is our job – to appeal on your behalf.
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