Guru alone knows the flaws in a disciple. The bad habits of the disciple are like the weeds. A farmer alone knows the weeds in the field. Likewise, the vices of the disciple are known only to the Guru. No one else can have any clue. The disciple appears quite normal. He dresses in a dignified manner, behaves humbly and talks softly. But, only Guru knows about the internal behavioral flaws in him just like the weeds in the field are known only to the farmer.
Guru always accepts the vices of the disciple. Here the vices in him are analogous to the weeds. Such being the case, does Guru really accept the vices of disciple? Here, we see a contradiction. There is some mismatch. Let us recollect an event that occurs in the ashrama.
During the birthday celebrations of Swamiji, devotees offer many things coming in big queues waiting for hours together. But, Swamiji rejects all of them and instead ask them to offer one of their bad habits. Swamiji tells few to offer their bad traits along with the physical offerings that they bring. Here, accepting the bad habits implies weeding them out from the disciple and throwing them away just like the farmer removes the weeds. Once the disciple offers the bad habits, they will get removed.
A farmer sows only those seeds that thrive in the field. Similarly, a Guru identifies the right kind of qualities that make him flourish and cultivates only them. He alone knows which mantra, austerity or spiritual suggestion a disciple needs. That itself the Guru teaches. In the field called disciple, the Guru keeps on observing if the cultivation he wanted has sprouted there or not. Guru can be called as “karshakavara” (an outstanding farmer). Narada had brought the seed word ‘Narayana’.
Similarly, Guru is a superior spiritual farmer who grows the noble qualities in the heart of the disciple. Such a farmer takes care of his cultivation so that no weed can destroy his crop. At the same time, he retains the weeds that help. For instance, in a field of coconut trees, one tree is left over. Similarly, Guru also sometimes neglects the negative attributes in the disciple because the spiritual practice that he initiated in the disciple does not get deviated because of such bad traits. The same bad trait might be harmful to some other devotee. This is a secret which is beyond the grasp of other devotees. In this way, Sadguru is like the farmer who cultivates. The right to decide the weeds lies with the Sadguru alone and not even with the disciple.
Hence, the disciple who is under the guidance of Sadguru must never compare the teachings he receives with that of other disciples. Similarly, one must not think that some other disciple is inferior to oneself. This is the primary rule in the school of spirituality. May you all understand this rule and become good disciples at the school of Datta Sadguru.
Jai Guru Datta! Sri Guru Datta!