Why can’t you have two gurus or mentors at a time? Especially when great souls like Lord Dattatreya had twenty-four gurus. Isn’t it an excellent virtue to learn from everyone? Let me share my thoughts on this spiritual dilemma.
Generalized Instructions
“Surrender to your guru with faith, and they will take you ahead,” my mentor, who follows the guru culture, says.
Another guru might say, “You are the divine, so why bow or surrender to anyone?”
Meanwhile, I say, “Understand your nature, follow your heart, and then decide whether you should surrender or see yourself as divine.”
As a seeker, which of the above should you follow? Out of everything various liberated souls wrote and spoke, how do you know what’s good for you?
That’s a problem with generalized instructions in spirituality. What is suitable for one may be poison for another.
The Game of Ego
Have you ever seen a little kid? If the mother scolds them, they will run to the father. If the father scolds them, they will run to the mother. If the parents work as a team, they will go to the grandparents. In the process, many end up spoilt.
The human ego is also a kid—a very fragile kid. It begins to manipulate your feelings when it remotely sees pain or hurt.
The role of a spiritual mentor is to cleanse your ego. Unfortunately, this process demands that you experience pain from time to time. If you have multiple mentors, you will suddenly have options.
If one mentor attempts to remove your ego, you will run to the other. If that guru does the same, you will run to a third. Consequently, you will remain lost at the crossroads of spirituality forever without any growth.
Singular Guidance
The day I accepted my beloved Om Swami as my mentor, I consciously decided not to follow any instructions from anyone else, no matter how reputed or respected they were.
I heard what everyone had to say but never implemented anything without checking with my mentor. That’s because he was the only one who could tell me which instructions were poison and which were nectar for me.
My policy was simple: Either have a mentor or don’t. However, we can’t have two mentors simultaneously. That would be a spiritual disaster of confusion.
Don’t Dig A Spiritual Grave
Let go of all gurus (past or present) except your mentor to ensure you don’t go around in circles. You can read self-improvement, Puranic stories, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, and such texts.
When it comes to meditation, Sadhana, and other specific instructions, it is better to stick to just one mentor. Otherwise, in this world full of noise in the name of guidance, you will only end up digging a spiritual grave for yourself.
Just like a plant in a greenhouse needs protection, a spiritual seeker needs to be shielded. So, if you aren’t clear about the difference between hearing and accepting, just stop listening to other gurus.
If not, at least ask your spiritual coach before implementing anything. After all, isn’t that why you sought a mentor in the first place? If you can’t have a one-pointed focus on a mentor, how will you build a one-pointed focus on your goal? You will only end up on a wild goose chase, then!
Love,
Sri Devi Om
