Measure of a Disciple

Kathopanishad

Kathopanishad

In his dialogue with Yamraj

in the Kathopanishad,
Nachiketa professes to belong
to the first category of devotees.

In Her elucidation of the Kathopanishad,
Param Pujya Ma told us of those attributes
which classify each shishya (disciple)
into one of three categories.

A Shishya of the First Category

  1. He anticipates the Guru’s desire and fulfills it.
  2. He serves the Guru silently and with devotion, as an instrument in the hands of his Master.
  3. He ever seeks to bring happiness to the Guru.
  4. He immediately learns and imbibes the knowledge imparted by the Guru and makes it part of his life.
  5. He renounces his attachment to the world when he is at the pinnacle of success and joy.
  6. He performs all duties unasked.
  7. No demands need to be made of him. He complies in complete identification with his Master.
  8. He fulfills his Guru’s directives with promptness and humility.
  9. He fixes his eyes upon his Guru’s feet and is forgetful of his own self.

He does not even remember what he has attained or what he was unable to attain. His desire is just one – to attain the Lord.

A Shishya of the Second Category

  1. He stays at his Guru’s feet as a servitor.
  2. He obeys his Guru’s commands word for word.
  3. Whatever he is asked to do, he does very diligently.
  4. He readily accepts all that the Guru explains to him. At his Guru’s behest, he serves all.
  5. When the Guru points out his mistakes, he accepts his Guru’s verdict without question and immediately changes himself to the extent to which his Guru desires.
  6. He renounces the world, knowing it to be the epitome of sorrow. He endeavours therefore to end that sorrow.
  7. He does not use his personal intellect – he merely obeys.
  8. He does not anticipate – he merely obeys.
  9. He cannot deduce or reach conclusions himself, he does as he is told.

Obedience and faith are his intrinsic qualities.

A Shishya of the Third Category

  1. Such a shishya is adham or degraded.
  2. He is a follower of the preya or downward path.
  3. He is a slave of his desires and does as he likes. He is enslaved by material objects and by his emotions, and wishes to make others subservient to him.
  4. He pretends not to understand the directives of his Guru.
  5. He misuses the freedom given to him and the opportunities granted to him.
  6. He misuses knowledge for selfish aggrandizement.
  7. He exploits his Guru and the entire world.
  8. He is disobedient and insolent and does not wish to serve anybody. He evades his duties.
  9. Devoid of tapas, daan and yagya, he does not even know how to love.

He seeks credits of being a great sadhak and a do gooder, but is an absolute hypocrite.

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