Who is a good disciple? The first trait that comes to my mind which a good disciple should possess is surrender to the Guru. When I offer my very self to the Guru, I will be a good disciple. To me, shedding off my negative qualities will help me in becoming a good disciple. It is said that a good disciple grows strong under a guru’s discipline. So being a good disciple does not mean that the guru is going to be very kind to me. To burn in the fire of spirituality, I have to feel the heat. The disciple must be earnest and sincere. Have you noticed that the words disciple and discipline go well together, so there must be discipline in the disciple’s life – in thought, word and deed. The eight fold path of yoga embodies the discipline which should become a way of life for the disciple.

At times, I feel that I am a good disciple. But when the real test comes and life’s vagaries strike, my stillness breaks and I find myself still getting agitated. Then I ask myself, “Am I a good disciple, am I imbibing the teachings of my Guru?”. If yes, then why do I get agitated?I should remain in the stillness of my heart and not get influenced by what is happening in the world. Then I console myself by saying,”Atleast the awareness has come, so that I may check myself and not be swayed by any turbulence in the still waters of my life”.Yes, I may not have become a good disciple, but I am surely on the way and with my Guru’s support, I shall definitely reach the goal. There will be difficulties on the way, but I must learn from my mistakes and become a better person. The learning from each episode is that I must have trust in my Guru that she is always behind me and will watch over me. All the world’s a stage and some game or drama will always go on. I must watch it like a witness and not get involved in it.

The Guru has touched me with her magic hand. Her pranshakti has flowed into me with her acceptance of me as her disciple. So now a part of the Guru is always with me. Then how can I defile my Guru’s presence in me by continuing with my negativity? How can I deny all that has come into my life due to my Guru? When I get agitated, angry or am full of hatred towards my fellowmen, won’t the Guru’s presence in my heart be pained? It will be demolished by the impure vibrations of my negativity. It is now my duty to see that the bad vibrations of my actions do not agitate the still waters of my sadhana. The purity of my Guru’s initiation has to be maintained at all costs. Only then will I become a good disciple. This will be my real sadhana.