Week 4 - Guru Seva - and the destruction of bad habits

This section primarily covers the neccessity of Sri Guru in helping eliminate the sadhaka's bad habits.

An interesting quote

Another interesting post by Jagat, this time on the power of the Holy Name to eradicate anarthas.

Here's a simple question, which is better when it comes to removing anarthas, Sri Guru's mercy, or Sri Nama's mercy

The two most certainly are interdependent. Remember the older discussion about the merits of chanting the Name before and after diksha? When Baba gave me harinam, I remember how at the end, as I paid my pranam, how he told that he would "pray to God to give mercy for your chanting to be successful".

One may then ask, well how shall we serve the guru? I once posed this question to Baba. His reply was, "That which makes another happy, that is service." He then added that if we would do our bhajana well, that would make Baba happy, and that would be our primary service.

In this regard, let there be also a word of caution for those who pay lip-service to guru's service without actually considering what would bring joy and happiness to the guru. Sometimes immature sadhakas are seen doing the most awkward things in the name of serving the guru.

Perhaps others would like to elaborate on what is and what isn't guru-seva.

In my poor undestanding, the words Guru-Seva are already an evident indicative; to serve the Guru as required by him.

Sometimes people serve their own interests or fulfill their own concoctions in the name of serving the guru. What I am hoping for is something more concrete than the mere principle.

Its easy to see how this can happen. Someone in authority, especially spiritual authority, is often exploited by others for endorsement of ideas, etc. You can see it in countless interviews, and we have even seen examples of it here on GD. A person can very often bring their own agenda to questions they may ask.

I've often asked myself (because I'm uninitiated), what would I do if my guru makes a request/demand that I'm unable to fufill? I think this is usually a conditioning from IGM... Madhava's quote above puts it in perspective for me. Its not 'what will the guru demand of me', but 'what can I do to please the guru'? Attempting as hard as you can to become fixed in your bhajana, yes I can see this as the real demand of a guru.

I might add how selfless the above demand is. Its not earn X dollars for me, sell this many books for me, manage this and that for me... simply increase your love of God, that makes me happy.