Among all planets in the solar system, the earth is privileged to host life in many forms, and among all the species, humans are most privileged for they can host knowledge.
The only purpose for this body to exist is to make you aware of how beautiful you are and to create a world of divinity around you. Like the birds returning to their nests, again and again come back to your source; only there can you realise that you host the creator.
When a part of the body is stimulated, pleasure arises. When your soul is stimulated, love arises.
Love has no end, but pleasure ends. Often people think pleasure is love. Only the luckiest one will understand the distinction between pleasure and love.
Taste stimulates the tongue, music stimulates the ears and sight stimulates the eyes. And what stimulates the soul? Spiritual practices or sadhana and satsang stimulate the soul!
All that one wants in life, is the stimulation of the soul. Even a faint idea of it keeps life going. Every stimulus should lead you to the Self.
Desire, awareness of the Self and action all are manifestation of the same energy that is you. Among these three, one of them dominates at a time.
When you have lots of desires, you are not aware of the Self. When desire dominates, awareness of the Self will be at its lowest, and that's why all the philosophers around the world have always advocated renunciation and dropping of desires. When the awareness is dominant, then happiness dawns. When desire dominates, stress and sorrow result.
When actions dominate, restlessness and disease is the result. When your actions and desires are sincerely directed to the Divine or to the welfare of society, then the consciousness is automatically elevated, and knowledge of the Self is sure to be attained. When you love something, you have a sense of belongingness with it.
When love is cast over the entire creation, then you are the Big Self. That is the Lordship. When the Lordship dawns on the Self, there is perennial celebration. When no sanchita karma (past impressions) is left, the Self shines through.
And this becomes very obvious in the presence of the Guru. But all those qualities that you appreciate in a Guru are also in your very nature.
Being with the Guru is like being with one's higher self. Guru, God and one's own Self are synonymous. Often one recognises wisdom but sees a gap between wisdom and one's own life. The purpose of becoming a disciple is to bridge that gap. Being with a Guru means spontaneous integration of life and wisdom.
Respecting the Guru simply means honouring your innermost nature.