The words of the Guru have the power to change the course of life and enrich our lives. When the going gets tough and conditions are harshest, when you feel helplessness rather acutely, embracing the words of Guru makes life shifts its course to have a richer experience. When the skies of life turn grey, Guru's words emerge like the sun with its golden orange luminosity. We can look only at the physical body of the Guru. But the Guru's eyes pierce our body and peeps into our soul and its numerous journeys of the past and its future embarkments. He looks into our mind, the storehouse for latent patterns of habit, our inner drives which influence our behaviour in the manifestation of our destiny. That's why when a Guru says something, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to you, work diligently on it, Because he knows what is best for you. His major thrust is two-pronged, to empower his disciples and enrich their lives. He nurtures them under his wings till the disciple is comfortable enough to leave him. He doesn't pressure you to follow his words. He just gives directions and guidelines. However, he is waiting cautiously watching you and his impact of his words on you keeping to the shadows, but when you need him, he will step out of the shadows and protect you. If you pay a deaf ear to what the Guru says, the you are at potential risk. Your will 
An old ascetic lived in a hermitage with some of his disciples. A searcher came to meet him to gain valuable insights. He was not able to discern the right path. He said, 'I am extremely disappointed with my life and developed an aversion to it. The same monotonous life .....How can I be rescued? Please tell me a means of deliverance that will obliterate the darkness within me so that my agitated and anxious mind will be at peace.' The ascetic looked calmy at the searcher and handed him a book that was lying besides him. 'Read this book carefully, take a plunge into depths of its words. The deeper you dive, the greater you will perceive life and the truths of life. This will annihilate the darkness that has engulfed your mind, you will see a light whose splendour will never diminish and you will find the path that you so desparately seek for', the ascetic told him. The searcher was pleased to hear the words of the ascetic. He plunged deep Into the book, line by line, word by word. He became obsessed with the book. One day he retuned back to the ascetic and said, 'What you said was right. However, when I am deeply engrossed in the book, the essence of the book envelopes my heart and soul, my entire being. As I descend to the depths of the words, I hear indistinct buzzing sounds. I experience immense exhilaration. But when I withdraw myself from the depths, I feel I have lost what I acquired. The same gloomy situation arises again and once again there is darkness all round me, the very darkness for which I have come to your refuge to get rid of. The ascetic chuckled and flashed a smile. He knew that is exactly what happens. He narrated a story to the searcher - Two friends were walking together. One of them has a lantern with him, the other didn't. The light of the lantern illuminated the path for both of them. That is with one source of light both friends were treading the path. Suddenly the person with the lantern turned and took to another path, he was meant to go in that direction. And the one without the lantern had to go another way. The friend with the lantern continued his journey uninformed. There was neither fear nor doubt in him while walking his path. But the other friend with no source of light couldn't continue his journey. he stopped in his track. The path was not visible to him. The one with the lantern continued his path unhindered while one without the lantern went astray. His journey ended abruptly. He was lost in wilderness. The searcher grasped what the ascetic wanted to convey. He found solace in the ascetic's words.
A real estate businessman was about to make an important business proposal the next day. He stopped by his Guru's residence to seek his blessings and ask for his ideas and suggestions before the meeting. His Guru was meditating. He paid obeisance to his feet. The Guru opened his eyes and said, 'It is good that you came today. Don't leave until tomorrow morning, before we talk. Stay here overnight. Now, go to bed.' And he closed his eyes again before the businessman could utter even a single word. The businessman was perplexed at what his Guru has just said. He was completely baffled by his Guru's strange behaviour. He thought maybe Gurudev is not aware of the purpose of his visit and as he is meditating at the moment, he wants to talk in the morning. Varied thoughts crossed his mind. There is no way he could attend the meeting if he stayed overnight at his Guru's place. However, he felt the nudge to stay back and follow his Guru's words. The next day he woke up to the phone ringing. He learnt that the person with whom he had planned to drive along with to the meeting was shot dead by two unidentified men. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died in the early hours this morning. The business man was in shock. It was as if his Guru hugged him the whole time of calamity. He was thinking to himself, What just happened? My Guru knew about the day ahead, he knew what was ahead of me. How foolish I was to think he is unaware of my business meeting and didn't speak to me because he was in meditation. He broke down in tears, fell at his Guru's feet and thanked him for saving his life. Sages say that the knowledge imparted by the Guru is like the lantern which kindles the light and annihilates darkness within. One who doesn't have the knowledge of the Guru goes astray, forgets his path and gets drowned in darkness. Until one becomes resplendent with the light within, he cannot get far in his journey with the light from others. Gurudev kindles the light in each of his disciples alike. He gives the same 'words' to all his disciples. But the one who goes to the depths of his words, imbibes the words, gives credence to the words, values the words as an anchor and puts the words into practice, treads the path unhindered. He completes his journey and reaches his destination by the grace of the Guru. And the Guru showers on one who has surrendered himself at the lotus feet on his Guru. Guru's words like lantern provide light. Actually, the real light is produced by the lantern in us which is ignited by the splendour of his words that become emblazoned in our mind by imbibing and inculcating his words in practice. But one who doesn't bother to light up his lantern, doesn't even put Guru's words in practice, doesn't have faith in his words; will keep lurking in darkness.
As the relentless march of 'time' continues and gnaws away at our lifespan, slowly and surely leading us to death. Isn't it wise to hold the hand of Gurudev in the vortex of time as we reap our karmas, ripen our wisdom and evolve to perfection by lighting our own lanterns, by listening and imbibing the 'words' of Gurudev?
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