03 Feb 2005
A doctor may be smoking a cigarette. But when he advised not to smoke, you can follow his advice and get the benefit. If the doctor smokes, he will suffer. Why should you worry about him? Even the manufacturer of the cigarette has written on the cigarette pack “Smoking is injurious to health”. Sometimes the human incarnation of Lord Datta practices things which are contrary to His preaching in order to test your faith on Him. Shri Shirdi Sai used to smoke. He was testing the faith of His orthodox Hindu devotees by that. You can follow the preaching of the Guru and get the benefit. When a doctor says that you should not smoke, you will criticize and blame him as a smoker and say that he is not eligible for preaching non-smoking. Why should you worry about his practice? If he smokes he will be affected. Criticizing him does not benefit you. Are you stopping your smoking when a doctor who does not smoke advises you? Even then you are not able to stop smoking. Even if the Guru is an ordinary human being, you can follow his preaching, whether or not he practices his own preaching. If he does not practice, he will suffer. Suppose such a Guru is a human form of the Lord. Then practicing or not practicing the concept does not touch the Lord in any case. He is above all these things. In such a case you cannot blame him. Even if the Lord in human form practices His preaching, you will say that since He is the Lord He has no difficulty in practicing it. Therefore, in any case you are unable to practice the preaching and are looking for some lame excuse for your inability.