Acharya Prashant addresses the question of whether a Guru can be a friend, explaining that while it is possible, it is detrimental to the seeker's progress. He illustrates this with an analogy of a master and a servant traveling in different train classes; the servant refuses to move to the first class and instead expects the master to descend to the third class. Similarly, when a seeker tries to make the Guru a friend, they are essentially trying to bring the Guru down to their own level of ignorance rather than elevating themselves. Friendship implies equality, and in human dynamics, one rarely learns from or listens to a friend's wisdom. Instead, people often react with irritation when a friend tries to offer guidance, preferring trivial interactions over spiritual growth.
