The question in relation to the captioned question is how to sort out the issue of finding a true Guru from the avalanche of Gurus we hear about and see in the present times on the TV screens reeling out the so-called ‘spiritual’ discourses. Adi Shankaracharya had visualized this problem long back and in stanza fourteen of his renowned work Bhaja Govindam writes,

Jatilo Mundee Lunchitakekeshah

Kaashaayaambara bahukritaveshah

Pashyannapoi Cha Na Pashyati Moodho

Hi-udaranimitam Bahukritaveshah

(One ascetic with matted-locks, one with shaven-head, one with hairs pulled out one by one, another parading in his ochre-robes-these are fools who, though seeing, do not see. Indeed these different disguises or apparels are only for their belly’s sake.)

As such instead spirituality being the cause, for a number of them it is the career for the sake of aggrandizement of wealth and fame. The brand of spirituality being espoused by such individuals harms the society and will not help to mitigate the negativities.  

The parents give birth to the body which is a materialistic asset. Sadguru causes the spiritual birth and gives divine orientation to the inner world of an individual. The booklet “Why and What Sort of Spiritual Guru?” gives detailed guidelines for seeking a true spiritual Guru, because it is your once-in-a-lifetime decision that will hold good for the rest of your life.

It is true that Guru seeks the disciple, but the intending disciple needs to be inquisitive in search of a true Guru. Great results accrue when a true Guru and his prospective disciple meet!