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Guru Purnima Special: How does one find a true Guru?

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
24 July 2026
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Guru Purnima Special: How does one find a true Guru? by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat

(Excerpt of a speech delivered by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

So, how does one find a true Guru? The scriptures and the Vedas give us two answers.

One says that a true Guru is attained only through God’s Grace:

“Binu Hari Kripa Milehi Nahin Santa.”
Without the Grace of God, one cannot attain a true saint.

Similarly, the Ramcharitmanas says:

“Jab Dravai Dīna Dayāla Rāghava, Tab Sādhu Sangati Paiye.”
Only when the compassionate Lord bestows His Grace does one attain the company of saints.

But the scriptures also declare:

“Punya Punja Binu Milehi Na Santa, Sat-Sangati Sansriti Kar Anta.”
Without the accumulation of great spiritual merits (punya), one cannot attain the association of saints, whose company brings an end to the cycle of birth and death.

Now an ordinary person may naturally ask, “If a true Guru is attained through our accumulated merits, then why do the scriptures also say that one attains a Guru only through God’s Grace? And if it is entirely through God’s Grace, then what role do our merits play?”

This is a very natural question.both work together.

The answer is that a true Guru is attained through both God’s Grace and one’s accumulated spiritual merits.

It cannot be God’s Grace alone. If God’s Grace alone were responsible, then why would one person attain a genuine Guru who leads him to God-realisation, while another falls into the hands of a fraudulent guru who misleads him completely? If God’s Grace alone were operating, then everyone should receive an authentic Guru. Otherwise, the principle would become inconsistent.

On the other hand, if we say that a Guru is attained solely through our past merits, another question immediately arises.

Our past karmas are inert. They have no intelligence of their own.

Suppose you performed charity, served a poor person, rendered service to a saint, or engaged in other virtuous deeds. Those actions themselves are lifeless. They have no hands, no feet, no eyes, no mind, and no intellect. How can such inert actions independently produce their results? Someone must be there to administer the fruits of those actions and maintain the account.

We ourselves do not remember what we did in our previous lives. We do not know where we were born, who our parents were, or what actions we performed.

There have been a few exceptionally fortunate people in this world who could remember one previous birth, some perhaps two, three, or at most four. But beyond that, no one remembers.

When all one hundred of his sons of Dhritarashtra were killed in the Mahabharata war, the blind and aged Dhritarashtra was overwhelmed with grief. He asked Shri Krishna, “People call You God. Let us accept that. Then tell me – what sin did I commit that I should suffer such a terrible fate? As far as I remember, I have committed no such sin.”

Shri Krishna replied, “You remember only your last few births.”

Dhritarashtra answered, “Yes, I remember four previous births.”

Shri Krishna then asked, “And before those?”

Dhritarashtra replied, “I do not remember.”

Shri Krishna explained, “You have passed through countless births. If you remember only four of them, how can you calculate the results of all your actions?”

Even this much remembrance was extraordinary. Ordinary people cannot remember even one previous birth. In fact, most cannot even remember much of their own childhood in this life.

Suppose I ask you, “Where were you on the 6th of December when you were five years old?” Who can answer that? Even the most capable scholar or civil servant cannot.

Our memory is so weak in this age of Kali that we forget things within a few hours.

If our past karmas are inert, then who transforms them into their results? Who arranges for us to meet a true Guru?

It is God.

Seated within the heart of every soul, God knows the accumulated karmas of every individual. When the time is right, He bestows the fruits of those past merits by guiding the soul to a genuine Guru.

It is as though God says, “You performed many virtuous deeds in your previous lives. Now go to the saint who has arrived nearby. Go there.”

The seeker then hears that a saint has come to a nearby town or village and decides to go. “Let me see who this Guru is.”

He goes, listens to the discourse, reflects upon what he has heard, and thinks, “There is certainly something extraordinary here. I shall return tomorrow.”

He goes again. Then again. Gradually his faith deepens. His heart becomes attached to the Guru, and he surrenders himself. From that moment, his spiritual journey truly begins. Whether he reaches the goal in this lifetime or after several more births, he has been placed on the right path.

This is God’s Grace.

God awards us the fruits of our past karmas, but He does so through His Grace because we ourselves have no knowledge of those past actions. We do not remember what we did in previous births, nor do we know what fruits we deserve. Yet God remembers everything.

Someone may ask, “If God is merely giving us the results of our own karmas, how is that Grace?”

Consider this. If you employ an accountant, you pay him a salary to maintain your financial records. When he keeps your accounts properly, you do not call it Grace because he is doing the work for which he is paid.

But what have we ever given to God?

Have we employed Him? Have we paid Him anything?

Without expecting anything in return, He lovingly keeps account of every action performed over countless lifetimes. At the appropriate time, He arranges for us to receive its fruit and guides us to the shelter of a true Guru.

That is His Grace.

This is why the scriptures declare both truths. They say that a true Guru is attained through one’s accumulated merits, and they also say that a true Guru is attained through God’s Grace. There is no contradiction.

Our merits make us deserving, but it is God’s Grace that arranges everything. He brings us to the Guru and also instils faith in our hearts that, “Yes, this is the true Guru. Through Him, my life will be fulfilled.”

With that faith, we surrender ourselves at the Guru’s feet and begin walking the spiritual path.

This is the true meaning of the scriptural statements that a genuine Guru is attained through both God’s Grace and one’s accumulated spiritual merits.

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education. To stay updated with all the news and events of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, visit www.jkp.org.in/jkpwhatsapp.