Seeker ,Path And Guru

Chongeswar

What do you want? could be Defining question and crucial Missing piece of puzzle for troika of Seeker, Path and Guru. A simple question to someone- what do you want? May result in Gape of a silence for some time. A Sincere repeat of question will result in reply of I am not sure what do I want with shrug off of shoulder.Simple reflection will let you know that how you Wanted different things in different phases of your life or different things at different times in same phase of your life.Let's be honest and ask yourself what do you want? Five times .You may come up with different answers? Someone's simple exclaimed Really! Would cast doubt on your own choices.

The unexamined Life is not worth Living -Socrates.

Consistent attempt for the unwavering want makes the one -Seeker, Who is not afraid to explore uncharted territory for the same.(1)

What does the Seeker seek? It can be anything -money power, fame, rank, Love, Bliss or freedom. You would like to assume that everyone is seeking one thing or the other. Alas! Unfortunately that is not the case.
Majority of human beings are not sure what they want ,living on impulses, Chasing one experience after another, Living mechanically ,doing just basic minimum thing to survive or living worse than parasites and in turn ,facing their consequences . Still, repeating the cycle and consequently suffering and making others suffer with them. For this discussion, Seeker is the one who seeks freedom and Bliss. We are left with very Few.

Once Goal is clear various possible ways emerge. Since time immemorial this quest for Freedom and bliss had troubled the human species. Few iconoclasts broke the boundaries and paved the way. Later Various Masters devised their own Traditions or ways. Fundamentals or roots of these paths Can be traced back One Or any combination of the three: Bhakti Yog ,Karma Yog And Gyan Yog.(2)

How does a Seeker know Which path is Suitable for him or her?
There are two ways to solve this conundrum. First one is Understanding each path and Evaluating the oneself. Understanding the path May include Knowing what are the characteristics, prerequisites, practises, what to do and what not to do in each path .Self-evaluation will involve observation and analysis of own thoughts ,desires, behaviour and tendencies, likes and dislikes and shortcomings . This approach will help seeker to figure out which path makes more sense to him and matches broader perspective of his life.

Some may find Bhakti Marg attractive because of its beautiful practises, rituals, song, dance and food but logical and rational person may find it very-very tough because of its important prerequisite- "surrender". Logical, rational and critical thinking person may find Gyan Marg attractive which encourages Knowledge, Logic, experience, questioning and contemplation. Once a Seeker has zeroed on the path. He should steadfastly tread on it with determination for some time before he evaluates his own progress.

The path of a spiritual growth is the part of lifelong Learning.- M. Scott Peck

These paths may appear different initially but as Seeker progresses on one Path he will find that the demarcations of various paths seems to fade away or merge into One.

The one who truly Surrenders,Knows and the one who truly Knows, Surrenders -Swami Ramsukh Das

Second one is easier - Ask a Great Master or A Guru. A Guru is the one who takes you from darkness to Light (from ignorance to knowledge).

The true Guru is not the one who one who instructs you but the one who inspires you discover the answers within yourself -Sadhguru.

The one character when he appears in your life, your life does not remain same after that ,sometimes even to extent he turns the life upside down and still you yearns for his presence- O Guru! The Guru- A master key.

Chongeshwar /चोंगेश्वर

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1.English does not have equivalent word for beautiful hindi word "sadhak" . साधक का अर्थ है "जो साध रहा है (sadhak means one who is trying to perfect something ).
2.A true seeker should not be bogged down by the exact number of the paths or criteria of division (initially).