JOIN USDivine incarnations make the best Gurus. They are superior to human gurus. Our scriptures distinguish between many different kinds of Gurus.
There are gurus who impart knowledge by teaching us the scriptures. They are called seeksha gurus.
There are gurus who teach us the esoteric meaning of the texts contained in the Vedas and the Upanishads. They distill the insights contained in them and explain them to us in a manner that we are able to grasp their significance.
Such a guru is a Veda guru.
There is another class of gurus who draw up schedules for our spiritual practice. They draw up measures or choose certain rituals or prescribe certain fixed timings for prayer or meditation. Such a guru is known as a nishiddha guru.
There is another class of gurus who guide those who approach them on how to fulfill their desires. Such a guru is known as a kamya guru. There are other gurus who focus their attention on yogic postures or breathing exercises.
Such a guru is known as a vachaka guru. There still other gurus who guide seekers to control their senses and outline procedures to be followed to achieve such control. Such a guru is known as a soochaka guru.
There is another class of gurus who clarify our doubts when we traverse the spiritual path. Such a guru is called a vihitha guru.
Finally, there is the guru who directs the seeker to realize the presence of God in him by telling him that God is out outside him but inside him.
Such a guru will help the seeker realize his presence in the seeker. Such a guru is known as a parama guru or kaarana Guru: “You and I not different from each other. I am you and you are I.”
Not all Gurus are divine incarnations. It is always advisable to choose a divine incarnation as a guru. Such a guru is known as a Sadguru or a World Preceptor.
Such a Guru knows that he or she is not the body, or the mind or the intellect. Such a Guru is directly connected to the primal source or the Supreme Being and is therefore legitimately viewed as the personification of the Supreme Being.
Although such a Guru voluntarily assumes Name and Form, they are beyond both. They reside in the inner silence of the Self and are irreversibly connected to it.
There is no question that they cannot answer, no fortress that they cannot move and no mountain that they cannot scale.
Having no individual identity, they destroy their egos to selflessly serve the universe. The power wielded by such a Mahatma is extraordinary and immense. Seek such a Master.