Importance of Guru

The Guru Gita from Skanda Puranam says,

Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat Param Brahma
Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah

The sound Gu means darkness. The sound Ru means, light. Guru is someone who radiates light of wisdom in the hearts filled with the darkness of ignorance.

Kriya Yoga practice is not complete without the initiation from Guru. Guru’s role and his guidance in Kriya yoga is indispensable and cannot be neglected. The deeksha / initiation given by Guru is the very essence of Kriya Yoga and it creates a divine link between the Guru and disciple which guides the disciple in each and every step he takes towards his ultimate goal. As mentioned before (in this article), Kriya Yoga as taught by Lahiri Mahasaya follows strict Guru-Disciple relationship.

As Swami Sivananda said that no person should think he is so great that he does not need the help and guidance of a superior person.

Wikipedia says, In Indian culture, a person without a guru was once looked down on as an orphan or an unfortunate one. The word anatha in Sanskrit means "the one without a teacher."

In the Upanishads, five signs of satguru (true guru) are mentioned.  In the presence of the satguru; Knowledge flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha aavirbhava); Abundance dawns (Samriddhi); All talents manifest (Sarva samvardhan). When you find peace and tranquility and joy in the very presence of a person, you can know that he is a satguru.

To the Guru, the disciple should completely surrender to march forward in the spiritual journey. In Swami Sivanandha’s words, surrender is better than reverence.

By practicing Kriya as said by Guru with faith and surrendering the ego to Guru and with Guru’s blessings, one can attain his ultimate goal much faster. The pathway of the disciple is cleared and speedened up by Guru's blessings.

Guru is none other than Lord Siva in human form as said by the Guru Gita. And the disciple should never see Guru separate from Lord Siva. As long as one can get the guidance from within oneself, an external Guru is a must. There after the Guru becomes one with self and the guidance comes from within.