There are so many Gurus from different religious sects that it

becomes confusing to choose one Guru. What is the process of

finding a Guru? By Swami Mukundananda
There is a saying in Hindi:
                      "Pani piyo chhanake, guru banao janake"
“Drink water only after filtering it; make a Guru only after carefully knowing
him.”  We must not accept anyone as our Guru, merely because of a
friend’s suggestion; we must ourselves recognize someone as a true Guru,
and only then should we surrender to him.  
However, just as it is not possible for a Grade One student to evaluate the
capability of a college teacher, similarly, it is not easy to recognize a Guru,
who is a Divine Personality, while we are only beginning the path of
spirituality.  Yet, there are certain characteristics that provide helpful
indications:   
1.The true Guru’s words are very impacting.  Although we may have
heard and read the same knowledge many times without being moved,
when we hear it from the mouth of a God-realized Saint, the words
change us from within.  The reason for this is that the Sadguru does not
merely elucidate what he has read in books; he explains from the depths
of personal realization.   
2. Whatever doubts we have on the spiritual path, if we place them
before the Guru, he or she can easily dispel our confusions.  A mere
theoretical scholar of the scriptures cannot do this.  However, the
Sadguru possesses realized knowledge, for he or she has seen the
Truth, and is able to reveal it with the benefit of experience to sincere
seekers.  
3. A true Guru does not give his or her disciple material allurements. 
Rather, he teaches his followers that the world is not the
goal. Nowadays, many so-called saints claim to have a magic formula
for removing all the material miseries and bestowing money, wealth,
prestige, etc.  Allured by such false statements, people flock to them in
thousands.  We must beware of such imposters who have not yet even
 understood that detachment from the world, and not material
attainments, is the goal of spiritual life. 
4. If we associate with a true Guru, we will naturally find ourselves
getting attached to God and detached from the world. 
5. The above points are all helpful in recognizing a Saint, but the
strongest indication will come from God Himself.  The Lord is seated in
our hearts, and when He sees that we have a sincere desire to meet
Him, He will guide us to a true Guru and create faith in Him.  And
when the inspiration comes from God, we will know it by its intensity; our
heart will urge us that we have found the Guru we were looking for. 
Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of spirituality, Yoga and Meditation. He is
the founder of the unique Yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind and Soul.
He received His degrees in Engineering and Management from IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Kolkata).
Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. For the last 3 decades,
Swamiji has been inspiring people all over the world, on the path of Spirituality, holistic health,
yoga, meditation, service to society and God-realization. He has been invited to speak at various
Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle etc. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs
at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Kellogg and Duke University.