Daily Devotion -Apr 15, 2026 (English)- Ultimate Truth
Hari Guru Donon Ek Hain (God and Guru are One)
Every aspiring devotee has doubts about who is greater, God or Guru. He remains afraid that if he considers God greater and Guru smaller, God may get offended, and so on.
The answer is that you should have the same devotional sentiments towards the Guru as you have for Radha Krishna. Do not let the feelings of big or small arise.
Though scriptures state that Guru is greater - more mana prabhu asa visvāsā। rāma te adhika rāma kara dāsā॥ (Ramayan), meaning devotee, that is, Guru, is greater than God. But it's not so.
In many places, God Himself declares the devotee to be superior, like -
ye me bhakta janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāḥ ca te janāḥ।,
God says those who claim to be my devotees are under illusion; they are not my real devotees.
mad bhaktānāṃ ca ye bhaktāḥ te me bhaktatamā matāḥ,
Those who are devotees of my devotees are considered my greatest devotees.
He has gone to the extent of saying, "anuvrajāmyahaṃ nityaṃ pūyeyetyaṅghrireṇubhiḥ" meaning, "I walk behind my devotee so that his foot dust falls on Me, and I become purified by it. I take on the sins of countless living beings, and the dust of my devotee's feet purifies me."
However, do not get entangled in this controversy. Narad Ji is a descension of God and the greatest authority on devotion. In the Narada Bhakti Sutra, he states tasmiṃstajjane bhedābhāvāt - do not differentiate between God and His devotee (Guru). Consider them non-different, meaning they are one and the same.
Do not consider Guru and God as 'equal'. eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣāt(Bhagavatam), know the Guru to be the 'direct manifestation' of God.
yasya sākṣāt bhagavati jñānadīpa prade gurau, ācāryaṃ mā vijānīyāt nāvamanyeta karhicit - Shri Krishna told Uddhav not to consider the Guru as equal or different from Him. Guru's body is separate, but God functions through it.
So Hari and Guru are one and the same, non-different. However, we place greater emphasis on the Guru because we cannot attain God directly. Guru imparts philosophical knowledge to us, engages us in sadhana, bears our ill feelings, and keeps pursuing us for our welfare. And at last, when our mind becomes pure, the Guru makes it divine through the divine power Swaroop Shakti and unites us with God. Guru does all the work from A to Z. God comes only when the mind becomes pure - nirmala mana jana so mohi pāvā. Uddhav was such a great friend of Shri Krishna. Yet, He did not grant him divine love. Shri Krishna sent him to the Gopis and told him to accept them as his Guru. Then, he attained divine love through the Gopis. So we consider ourselves more indebted to the Guru, but not that God is smaller than him. The Guru has those qualities because God resides in Him.
Therefore, consider the Guru and God as one and the same. Do not differentiate between them as greater or lesser; otherwise, it will lead to a grave spiritual transgression, nāmāparādh.
All the above points pertain to a God-realized Saint. Those who accept as Guru someone who initiates their disciple by whispering a mantra in their ear, or someone who merely delivers theoretical lectures without having practically attained God, will face ruin, because such 'Gurus' are themselves souls bound by Maya.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
