Don't steal away the credit

Don't steal away the credit.

It is customary for many saints in India to start their discourse by offering prayers to their Guru and considering their abilities to do something good as an empowerment from the Guru.

However, sometimes this ritual of offering prayers to Guru looses its substance and preachers start personally feeding on the praises, respect and favors of the disciples, followers etc. This is alas a very sorry situation not only for the followers but also for the preacher. What he considers as a part of his seva to Guru and sadhana becomes a part of his sense gratification and degradation. It was a part of tradition in the traditional Gurukulas that Brahmacharies would go and beg alms and whatever they get , they would deposit it to their Guru and lived happily on whatever Guru gave to them. They never personally cooked anything for themselves and put efforts to maintain themselves independently. Similarly, a sadhaka even when he preaches he does the gyan daan on the behalf of Guru and doesn't expect anything in return for that service from others.

He doesn't thinks that I have benefitted this disciple of mine and now he is obliged to me and if he doesn't pays back what I have given him , he is ungrateful. Genuine Guru do everything on the behalf of Krishna and doesn't expect anything for himself in return of service of teaching the disciples. Bonafide Guru never consider his disciple as his resources/manpower to execute his desires and his  projects in this world. Rather, he sees the presence of his Lord Shri Krishna in each of them and see himself as a sevak of them. Also, in ancient Gurukula practise the education by Guru was free and Guru dakshina was also voluntary and not forced and such system of expecting something in return from disciple was never considered worthy practise in vedic culture.