Question: How do you know that the guru is speaking the truth?
Answer: Blind faith and fanatical following is not advocated in the Vedas.
It is unfortunate that there have been a few Indian and Western teachers who have claimed to be gurus and taken advantage of the naivety of innocent followers.
The Vedas caution the prospective disciple to study the qualifications of the guru carefully and question him about all matters.
A very important scripture in the Vedic canon, called the Nectar of Instruction states that “A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world”.
As a check-and-balance, there are three ways that one can establish the bona fide nature of a guru.
Firstly, a guru must be coming in an unbroken disciplic succession which can be traced back to the original speaker of the Vedic truths, Lord Krishna.
Secondly, whatever the guru says must be verifiable in the scriptural canon.
Thirdly, it must also concord with the instructions and descriptions of the teachers that came before him.
And, of course, one’s own tangible experience will show oneself: “By following this guru, am I giving up degrading activities and progressing in my spiritual development?” If so, then one has found a true guru.
