Those who are in teaching profession usually face two types of problems. How to make the dull students understand the subject – this is the first problem. How to inculcate good behaviour in aggressive and arrogant students – this is the second problem.

The first problem tests and increases the intellectual capacity of the teacher while the second problem tests his patience.
There are many teachers who do not give due importance to the second problem. Even those who bother about this problem display impatience and try to bring about change by being strict. Some people argue that it is not proper to be so strict and that one should earn the confidence and love of children and then try to bring about transformation in them. Some others opine that such softness is not useful in all cases. They also say that being strict may not work in certain cases. Each child is different and therefore, the methods should also be different to suit the mental setup of the child – say some specialists.
If it is so difficult to bend the small children who are like tender plants, how much more difficult it will be to transform elders? How do we induce good thinking in them? These are the questions faced by spiritual teachers. The other name given to spiritual teacher is Sadguru.

Usually it is the grown ups that approach the Sadguru and ask Him to uplift them. When the Sadguru tries to rectify their mistakes, they turn stubborn. They are fully convinced that there are no defects in them. With such a mental attitude, they engage themselves in Guru Seva. The Gurus always find such disciples problematic. A Sadguru has the responsibility of removing each and every defect in His disciple. He has to remove the ego and selfishness that are present in His disciples. The following Sookti is intended for such Sadgurus.

Mridutva naisvaarthya mukhaan sva shishye
Dhaatum gurustad vipareetameti
Stanandhaya vyaadhi nivaaranaaya
Maataa pibet tikta rasam svayam hi

In order to induce noble qualities such as tenderness and selflessness in His disciples, a Sadguru will sometimes take upon Himself qualities opposite to such noble qualities (such as harshness and selfishness). It is just like the breast-feeding mother who drinks bitter concoctions to cure the baby’s disease.

There is some similarity between what the above Sookti is saying and the opinion of the specialists who say that the teachers should act keeping in mind the mindset of the pupil. But there is a strong disagreement also. The above Sookti says that the Guru should display those qualities that are opposite to what He intends to bring about in His disciple. This is in sharp contrast to the opinion that it is difficult to enforce upon the grown-ups noble thoughts and that one should try to inculcate noble qualities by first practicing it oneself.

Those belonging to the ‘inculcation’ school of thought take the help of examples of great men such as Mahatma Gandhi. On the other hand, those who uphold ‘enforcement’ reinforce their argument with the help of examples of hardcore criminals who are beyond repair. Among these two opinions which one does the Sookti favour?
It does not favour either of them. In fact, it does not even touch those problems. The Sookti is intended for the Gurus of such disciples, who, despite being in the spiritual path are not able to overcome their evil qualities because of the tendencies of previous lives. Once this becomes clear, one will not compare the message of the Sookti with the above two schools of thought.

Certain episodes that we come across in the Dattatreya Purana help us to understand this better.
A pious person by name Vishnu Datta and his wife were leading a life predominantly occupied by penance right from their young age. Vishnu Datta was leading a pure spiritual life. He never got entangled in mundane life. He once got a desire to have the Darshan of Lord Dattatreya. Vishnu Datta had a Guru, who had guided him very well in the spiritual path. Vishnu Datta was a very hard working disciple and had achieved much progress in the spiritual journey. Now he got a desire to have the Darshan of Lord Dattatreya. Even Lord Dattatreya had the Samkalpa of giving him Darshan.
Where was the necessity for Lord Dattatreya to give Darshan to Vishnu Datta, who had already become quite old and had already achieved much spiritual progress? It was because there were certain defects in Vishnu Datta which his Guru was unable to remove. Now, Lord Dattatreya had taken upon Himself the responsibility of eradicating those defects. Therefore He wanted to give Darshan to Vishnu Datta.

Vishnu Datta was an aged person. He had practiced Tapas for many years. How can there be any defect left in him? Yes. Even such persons have defects. Such defects remain unknown to the person who possesses them. It is only Lord Dattatreya who can remove such defects.

Dattatreya first appeared to Vishnu Datta in a meat shop. That too in the form of an alcoholic. Although Vishnu Datta could make out that it was none other than Lord Dattatreya, he didn’t go near Him. On the second occasion, Lord Dattatreya appeared like a wild person wandering in graveyards. This time also, Vishnu Datta did not go near Him.

After these two episodes, introspective churning began in Vishnu Datta’s mind. Why is Lord Datta appearing in such forms?- he asked himself. After much churning, Amrita came out. What Amrita? The nectar of thought. What thought? “I am hating bad things. It is not good to have hatred. I must always be in the right path; still I should not hate bad behaviour. In spite of knowing this, I am hating it. Lord Dattatreya is appearing in those forms only to serve as a mirror and show me my defects.” This was the line of thinking of Vishnu Datta.

Once this nectar-like thought was born in Vishnu Datta’s mind, there was no defect left in him anymore. After reconfirming this once again, Lord Dattatreya gave Darshan to Vishnu Datta in His real form.

There is another episode in Datta Purana, when Lord Dattatreya appears to Indra in the form of a drunken person engaged in lustful play with women. Although Indra misunderstood Dattatreya in the beginning, he sought the advice of elderly sages and soon corrected himself. “Sadguru Datta! Because I have become a slave of my senses, you gave me Darshan in that form in order to point out my defect” Indra told himself. Because of such thinking, Indra got protection.

When Lord Dattatreya appeared to Jambhasura and other demons in the same form, they believed that whatever they were seeing was real and tried to kidnap the girl next to Lord Dattatreya. When Lord Dattatreya realized that the desired transformation had not occurred in the minds of the demons, He decided that they were unfit to live. In no time, they were defeated by Devatas.

These episodes make one thing very clear. Lord Dattatreya did not show the same form to all. He showed such forms which mirrored the defects of those who came to have His Darshan. In other words, He acted as a mirror. The above Sookti is advocating the same technique.

In order to point out that a Guru behaves as a mirror, the phrase “Gurustad vipareetameti” has been used. Vipareeta in Sanskrit means inverted. When does an object appear inverted? When it is kept in front of a mirror. When the Guru takes the role of a mirror, the phenomenon of lateral inversion takes place and the defects of the disciple reflect in the Sadguru. At the same time, the noble qualities of the Sadguru get transmitted to the disciple. This phenomenon is indicated by the term ‘Viparyayam’ in the above Sookti. This word indicates not only the method adopted, but also the fruit it bears.
A very good explanation indeed. But is it proper for the Guru to use such foolhardy methods just for the sake of the disciples? Should they do it? – some may ask. The above Sookti justifies it with the help of the example of the mother who drinks bitter medicine for the sake of her child. It does not mean that making the mother drink bitter medicine can cure every disease of the child. However, in certain cases it may be a good method. In such cases, the mother does not say “this medicine is very bitter, I cant drink it” and avoid drinking it. Similarly, when all the paths are closed and when the Guru realizes ‘this is the only path left’, he will assume the form of a mirror and will not (and should not) hesitate to reflect in Himself the ugly defects of His disciple. With the help of the example of mirror, the Sookti helps the disciples to understand the occasional ‘odd’ behaviour of the Sadguru. It will also prevent the disciples from suffering the same fate as Jambhasura.
Jambhasura is different in that he did not accept Dattatreya as his Guru. There are examples of those who, despite accepting Dattatreya as Sadguru and obtaining much help from Him, committed the mistake of misunderstanding Him. The episode of Dharma Keerti (in Datta Darshana) is an example for this. By understanding the message of the above Sookti, one can avert such a mistake.

May Lord Dattatreya shower His blessings on you so that you may succeed in understanding your Sadguru in the right perspective. May you not push your Sadguru to a circumstance when He is forced to drink bitter medicine for your sake!
Jaya Guru Datta.

Jaya Guru Datta.

Sri Swamiji