The question is pertinent that why did Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, need a guru? Why did he go to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni?
Vedas say that Krishna is not an ordinary person like you and me
The authentic Vedic Scriptures again and again say that Krishna is not an ordinary human being like you and me but he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad Gita (7.7,10.8), Krishna himself says that everything what we see in this world and what we are not able to see with our material vision is created by him and when required is destroyed by him. Krishna further says that there is no truth superior to him. Even Arjuna, agrees with Krishna.
Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. Bhagavad Gita 10.12-13
Arjuna knew that the ignorants and the agnostics will disagree with him, so he requested Krishna to show his universal form. And Krishna revealed his gigantic universal form. In that universal form, virat swarupa, Arjuna saw all the great demigods like Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma, he saw the different gigantic planets, the sun, the moon, the stars within Krishna.
So, there is no doubt that Krishna is the Supreme Lord. Any sane man or woman with little intelligence will understand this.
So, why did Krishna, the Supreme Lord, need a guru?
If so, then why he needed a guru, a teacher, a guide? People like us approach a guru because we are ignorant so we want to learn something. But Krishna is the source of all the knowledge, he is the origin of the Vedas. In Bhagavad Gita 15.15, he says that the purpose of all Vedic literatures is to know him, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo.
But still Krishna along with his brother Balarama went to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni and like an ideal student he studied there.
Krishna enacts various pastimes in this world to teach people like us, the conditioned souls, how to ideally live in this world and perfect our lives. So, Krishna accepted a guru to teach us that we should also have a guru in our life. If we accept a bona fide guru and follow his instructions then we can live happily in this world and after leaving this world we can return back to the spiritual world where we will live happily forever with Krishna.
Who can be a guru?
In order to perfect our life, it is important that we seek the guidance of a guru. And who is a guru or who can be a guru? The important qualifications of a guru is that he should be a sincere devotee of the Lord, should have understood the conclusion of all Vedic scriptures and should have complete control on their mind and senses. A guru not just leads by words but by his example. He leads his disciples to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.
A bona fide guru is never judged by his material education or social status. For example, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura was a great learned scholar, but he accepted Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja as his guru who was materially illiterate but he was a pure devotee of Krishna. Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja had no affinity for any material things of this world. The great devotee had no craving for name and fame. He spent every moment of his life in chanting the names of Krishna. He was a wandering mendicant and would think of nothing else other than Krishna. Such an exalted personality is qualified to become a guru.
How to be an ideal disciple?
The kind of love and respect we should be having for the Supreme Lord, the same love and respect we should be having for our guru, the spiritual master. Guru or the spiritual master is not the Supreme Lord, but he should be worshipped like the Supreme Lord because he comes in our life to give us the love of the Supreme Lord. He is not an ordinary person. Krishna personally sends a guru to a sincere seeker so that the seeker under the guidance of a bona fide guru can come back to him.
The disciple should sincerely serve the guru and follow all his instructions for his own good. If we are not able to show genuine respect to a guru then we won’t be able to show respect to the Supreme Lord. A genuine Guru is a dedicated devotee of the Supreme Lord. And the Lord of the entire creation makes him his ambassador to reclaim the conditioned souls from this miserable material world.
By serving the guru in a humble way and showing all respects to him we gain the mercy of the guru. When we approach a guru then we should not have any false notion about our material education or material prowess. Our spiritual master, guru, is not interested in our worldly achievements.
Krishna and Balarama, the ideal disciples
Krishna and his elder brother Balaram through their personal examples have shown how to be an ideal disciple.
Srimad Bhagavatam describes that Krishna and Balaram served Sandipani Muni with great dedication and devotion. “Sāndīpani thought very highly of these two self-controlled disciples, whom he had obtained so fortuitously. By serving him as devotedly as one would serve the Supreme Lord Himself, They showed others an irreproachable example of how to worship the spiritual master.” Srimad Bhagavatam 10.45.32
Krishna and Balrama had performed many heroic deeds before they went to the gurukul of Sandipani Muni. But never once in the gurukul they tried to show their prowess and valour. They always remained humble. The Lord is teaching to us that in front of our spiritual master we should not try to boast about our material education or status in the society. The guru gets pleased only by our sincerity and submissive behaviour.
Guru gives us the shelter of the Supreme Lord
When the guru sees that the disciple is sincere and is eager to follow the principles of devotional service then he blesses him and imparts all confidential knowledge. Pleased by the sincerity of his disciple, the guru, the spiritual master, prays to the Lord to accept the disciple at his lotus feet and the Supreme Lord Krishna happily grants the shelter of his lotus feet to the sincere disciple.
Guru is not an ordinary person
He gives us the shelter of the Supreme Person
He has no interest in this mortal world
Because he always meditates on Krishna’s pastimes in the immortal world
Always be under the shelter of such a great guru
Who never leaves the shelter of Krishna, the Supreme guru
