~~OM~~

Is the Guru-Disciple relationship cultivated based on disciple doing the sadhana prescribed by the Guru? Can someone do another sadhana that they feel drawn to and consider you as their Guru?

Yes. A guru is an example of a quality or attitude we want to practice and perfect in our lives. That will be our sadhana. It does not need to be the sadhana of the Guru. In most cases it is not. It is the attitude of the Guru. It may be the attitude of discipline. It may be the attitude of compassion or love or any other bhava which the Guru exemplifies. It may be the way She cooks or writes or maybe we can't explain it.

What are the kinds of questions that a student can ask a Guru to know if the teacher is the right Guru for them?

There are various intensities that we are searching for in our relationships. The Guru is someone we want to allow inside, we trust to allow ourselves to be completely vulnerable, whose example is one that we respect and want to emulate.

Can you please let me know how the ideal disciple-Guru relationship should be?

A love affair.

How does a student know when a certain teacher is the Guru for him/her?

How do you know when you have fallen in love?

You just know...

How do you, or how did your Guru, evaluate progress by aspirants?

By the type of sadhana they are performing, the questions they ask, and by the glow in their faces.

Is attachment to the Guru beneficial/not beneficial for one's spiritual growth.

Necessary. Totally desirable. How can we become a shishya, a perfect reflection of the Guru, without attachment? The shishya says, "I love you so much I want to become like you!" That is a very positive attachment.

Why do so many Gurus insist on loyalty and either state explicitly or implicitly that without this you cannot progress on the spiritual path.

Loyalty makes a consistent discipline. It allows us to experience unselfish love. It allows us to surrender in the face of obstacles.

What does the Guru's protection mean? Does it mean that the Guru saves us from each and every calamity that can befall us or does the Guru show us by example how to deal/face that calamity?

I like your second alternative better, but I will like to offer another.

The Guru gives a new inspiration to pursue new directions, new goals for our lives. When we engage in the new pursuits, the old attachments no longer have the same relevance as they did when they were the sole focus of our lives. Therefore, it is no longer regarded as a calamity when we don't achieve our frivolous desires.

Can a Guru take the karma of a disciple?

It depends how karma is offered. If we complain that I don't want this, then the Guru probably won't want it either. If we are so overjoyed that we want to share it, the Guru will probably be present to share with us.

How do we develop devotion to the Guru?

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