Mantra & Initiation - Swamy Sivananda Radha

All sacred texts and spiritual masters emphasize the need for a teacher on the spiritual path. When you think you have found your Guru, take time to examine yourself and your motives. Do not desire initiation unless you have made up your mind that you want to accept the Teachings and that you will listen and obey. Put aside all worry that you might become dependent on your teacher. A true Guru will lead you to the discovery of the Guru within––your own Higher Self.

Make no demands as to how your Guru should be and how you should be taught. You cannot have a Guru on your own terms. Pray to the Divine that you will be led to a true Guru. Make a bargain with God: Ask that the teacher who is your Guru by divine appointment will either say something special to you or greet you in a certain manner, giving you a particular present––a leaf or a flower or a book, whatever you decide. But once you make a promise to God that you will accept the individual who comes to you with that special sign, you must keep your end of the bargain. Don’t waste your time Guru-shopping. The teacher will come when the student is ready.

No true teacher will ever ask you to do something that goes against your conscience. It is your responsibility, however, to be clear about your own ideals and principles. When your choice has been made, if you feel that your Guru acts in a way that is not in accordance with your perceptions of spirituality and that you may have made a mistake, remember that the error may be in your perception. Say to the Divine, "I am confused. Is my time with this teacher over? Should I look for another Guru?" Ask for a sign, then wait. If no sign comes, stay with the teacher you have, until the sign you have asked for is given.

Only one who has practiced intensively and has received the power of the Mantra can initiate. Otherwise there is nothing to pass on to the student, in the same way that a father can bequeath to a child only what he himself has already acquired.

© "Mantras: Words of Power" by Swami Sivananda Radha, published by Jaico Publishing House, 121, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Mumbai 400 001. Reprinted with permission.

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