Acharya Prashant responds to a question about whether the intense attraction towards a Guru is a weakness of the mind or a form of faith and surrender. He explains that the answer depends on what one understands by the word 'Guru'. The meaning of Guru is neither attainment (prapti) nor a person (vyakti); the true meaning of Guru is liberation (mukti). It is not about getting something for oneself, nor is the Guru a physical person. The Guru signifies freedom from oneself—not attainment, not a person, just liberation. If one's attraction is genuinely towards the Guru, which means towards liberation, then it is a most auspicious thing. However, the speaker warns that this is a strict condition. The attraction must be purely for liberation, not for any form of attainment or towards a person. One must be careful not to confine the Guru to an image, a concept, or a principle. When the Guru is reduced to an image, the desire to materialize and attain that image arises, which becomes a source of great sorrow. Reducing the Guru to a person is an immeasurable disaster and an insult. The speaker clarifies that the Guru is pure and only pure Truth (shuddh satya). To see the Guru as a person (vyakti) is to see the body (sharir). To see the Guru as an attainment (prapti) is to see the mind (man), as all concepts and images reside in the mind. But to see the Guru as liberation (mukti) is to see the Self (atma). He explains that those attached to their own body will inevitably see the Guru as just a body. Similarly, those attached to the mind will see the Guru as a source of knowledge to be acquired, reducing the Guru to a set of ideologies. The true seeker, who has realized the suffering of being confined to the mind and body, comes to the Guru for the sake of liberation. They do not come to acquire anything for the body or mind but to shed the unnecessary burdens they carry. These are the individuals who will truly benefit. Therefore, when desiring the Guru's company, one must first be clear on which level this desire exists: the level of the body, the mind, or the Self. Seeking the Guru at the level of body or mind will only lead to sorrow, but seeking at the level of the Self for liberation will make life lighter and clearer. This, he concludes, is spirituality.
