Acharya Prashant explains that one cannot obtain knowledge from a teacher in the same way one does in a college, where a student pays fees for a course and essentially goes to purchase information. This approach will not work for gaining real understanding. While one can acquire knowledge of subjects like computer science through such transactional means, the knowledge of life comes from a Guru, and the attitude required in that relationship is entirely different. It is the teacher's responsibility to ensure the student does not develop aversion, and the student must also understand that a teacher is a teacher. Since education has become a business, students have started to believe that everyone is for sale. They feel that they have bought the course with money and that the teacher is merely a service provider. However, a Guru is not a service provider or a vendor. While a teacher of electronics or computer science might be seen as a vendor, a teacher of life education cannot be a service provider. If one approaches with the mindset of a consumer, one will not receive anything. The speaker notes that students sometimes demand answers to their questions as if it were their right, which reflects a deeply ingrained consumer mentality. This kind of knowledge cannot be bought. Whether it's a course or a trip, you haven't purchased it with money. It is a matter of grace; you could offer millions and still not receive it because it cannot be bought. A good relationship between a teacher and a student is the most wonderful relationship, not based on blood ties or pleasure, but on one light kindling another. If this sacred relationship turns into one between a client and a customer, it becomes the most absurd relationship possible.
