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Thirdly, nature tested us by her tough attitude and found that we did not give up. We were given the opportunity to prove ourselves tough, stable and unmoved by showing that we are disciplined and do not compromise in keeping up our values.
During these heavy rains, everybody who has been present here deserves compliments for their patience and concentration. It signifies their full dedication. When there is full dedication and surrender, there begins devotion and when devotion begins, then comes the role of guruji. Without this full surrender, people are just lost in the confusion of where, why and when. Just like a child asks his mother who his father is, and believes the one his mother points out to be his father, without asking why and when, so a disciple does not ask for any proof. Without surrender you cannot find a guru and without guru you cannot have the ultimate realization of divinity.
I also thank from my heart all the saints and gurus who have arrived here to bless us. Please note the the difference between a teacher and a guru. A teacher is one who adds something to your preconditioned knowledge; whether you have true knowledge or false knowledge does not matter. They just fill up your store. But a guru first empties out your conditioned knowledge, and fills you up gradually with new things. So a student of a teacher just has a mixture of true knowledge (jnana) and false knowledge (ajnana). But the disciple of a guru expresses himself in a totally fresh and new manner.
There is another difference between a teacher and a guru. The teacher just talks of a way, but the guru takes you along with him, he walks with you until you reach the final goal. For example, if you ask a traffic policeman the way to a railway station, he will just point it out, but a gentleman who happens to pass by will guide you till you reach the station. Another difference between a teacher and a guru is that a teacher always charges you fees before giving you something, but a guru does not know how to take, he just knows how to give. His hand is always raised in the position of giving.
There is a short story that I want to tell you. Once a student went to his teacher about his Ph.D. thesis. The teacher asked, "By which path do you want to get your Ph.D., by the path of knowledge or the path of devotion?" The student said, "By the path of knowledge." "Okay,” said the teacher, and gave him a big mathematical problem and told him to return when he had
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