The Real Guru

One time when Hazur Maharaj Ji was answering questions, the floor lamp by his side started to topple over onto him. What did Maharaj Ji do? He didn’t do a thing. He just looked at the lamp as if it was falling down in slow motion. When it was about to hit him, the hand of a sevadar appeared out of nowhere, and with a firm grip, got hold of the lamp and stopped it right before it hit Maharaj Ji. Everybody in the audience breathed a sigh of relief. Maharaj Ji seemed amused at the whole thing. Immediately a concerned disciple came to the microphone and said, “Maharaj Ji, we can’t let this happen again.”

Maharaj Ji said, “We can’t?”

“No, Maharaj Ji, the lamp almost hit you. We should fasten the lamp so that it’s secure but also illuminates your face so we can all see you clearly.”

Maharaj Ji replied, “You’re most welcome to try to do whatever you want with the lighting. Anyway, they can’t see me.”

What did Maharaj Ji mean by saying, “Anyway, they can’t see me?”

Maharaj Ji was making the point that the physical form isn’t the real guru. Our physical eyes can only see the world of duality. They can’t see the real Guru which is Shabd, the higher consciousness, which is formless. If we want to establish a real relationship with the Guru, it has to be at the level of consciousness, not in the physical, not in the intellectual, not in the emotional, but at the higher consciousness level. In reality, the Master is not the body, the personality, the thinking, or even the mind. All these are tools that will be left behind. He is beyond forms. The real Guru is the higher consciousness.
_{from self to Shabd}