Radhe Radhe !
In these dark age of Kaliyug, we often wonder how to choose a Guru. We are scared – we may be misled, swindled or murdered even. Srila Sanatan Goswami instructs us to live with the Guru for considerable time and scrutinize him. this is commendable indeed. Sri Rudra Yamal Tantra states that we should seek the following qualifications in a Guru, before we surrender unto him.
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he should not indulge in gossiping about others
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he should not be ugly
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not a leprosy patient
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his actions should never display cruelty of any kind
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his actvities should be above criticism
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he should be healthy,otherwise he will not be able to perform his own sadhana, nor will he bale to impart training to you
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please do not choose one who is involved in gold-trading
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he should not be a thief
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he should have brilliant intelligence
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he should not be a dwarf
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he should have sadachar
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he should be at peace and his mind shoudl not be in tension, for he is stressed out, then what peace will he offer to you?
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his character should be free of blemish
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he should not have illicit affairs
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he should be extremely well-mannered and polite. His speech should be decorated with utmost decency.
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he should not be a hypocrite (one thing inside his heart, while he speaks another thing)
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he should not be envious
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he should not be a food-lover
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he should not be miserly
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he should always be truthful – no matter what
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he should be of calm and quiet nature
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should be devoid of inauspicious qulaities (the shastras mention some inauspicious qualities, for example white birth-mark on the right side of a male is good, while the same in a female is inauspicious; joint eyebrows are auspicious in both sexes – we find that Sri Krishna has joint eyebrows, since he posseses all auspicious qulaities.)
Thus we see that a sadguru is extremely rare. I have met devotees who can be classified into two categories in this regard.
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these devotees think “something is better than nothing”. As a result they overlook many points of qulaification. They are in a hurry to choose a Guru, and inevitably make mistake. But even when the problem starts staring at the face, they turn a blind eye. Maybe, they feel they have no option.
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another class of devotee, who are extremely rare, opine that we will be born life after life, but choose aperfect Guru, for only such a Guru can take us to Godhead – the Supreme Personality Sri Krishna. If a Guru is flawed then anyway he cannot take us to the Supreme Abode. I belong to this category. Radhe Radhe !!