When I Asked a Spiritual Preacher to Show Me My Sadguru, He Just Smiled Silently. What Does It Mean?

[Dr. Sheshadri Thiruvenkadam (Balaji) asked] 

Swami replied: Recognizing the Sadguru is the essence of the whole spiritual effort. In the chemistry practical exam, you are given a salt for analysis. If you ask examiner for the name of the salt, he will just smile. Even if you get the name, you will not get marks for just writing the name unless the clear procedure is mentioned. Your knowledge of the procedure is important. If somebody gives the name of the Sadguru, you may follow Him for sometime. When the Sadguru tests your faith, you will run away from Him because your selection of the Sadguru is not based on your logical analysis, aided by scripture. Therefore, the recognition of Sadguru by logical analysis is important because the logical analysis will clarify all your doubts and your faith in Him will be doubtless and firm. The knowledge of the Sadguru is always confined to your next higher level so that you can climb the next subsequent step. The knowledge of the ultimate level is not expressed by the Sadguru immediately till you complete the lower levels. Even a liberated soul assisting God (Sadguru) may serve your immediate requirement, but you have to constantly change the preacher as you rise to the higher levels.

Sometimes, there is a risk of meeting the preacher of lower level, who will drag you down. If you meet the Sadguru once in your life, it is sufficient, because He gives you the total knowledge analyzed in all angles. This total knowledge exists in the self qualitatively in complete sense. It may be defeated due to its lack of quantitative strength by the ignorance that is coming from several births due to its quantitative strength. But the qualitative concept of the total knowledge is never lost and in course of time, it gains quantitative strength and you are sure to defeat the ignorance and reach the goal one day or other. This is the greatest fortune of meeting the Sadguru once in several millions of births (Bahunaam Janmanaamante… Gita). The human birth is rare. Interest to reach God is still rare. Meeting Sadguru is very very rare (Mahapurusha Samshrayah… Shankara).