1. There are those who perform miracles and call themselves "Gurus," but they are not the "True Master" (Sadguru) who can help one attain liberation.
2. There are some who perform mass hypnotism, mesmerizing a whole audience, or some who perform magic tricks, or who use the evil powers of mantras, or do extraordinary feats and amazing things that are not possible for a common man.
3. Some teach about medicines, or alchemy, or how to get things one desires through eye contact (something like hypnosis).
4. Some teach literature, musical knowledge or knowledge of singing, some teach dance and performances, and some teach various musical instruments to the people. They are all gurus.
5. Some teach occultism, or the use of amulets and talismans, and others teach skills so one can earn a living and fill the stomach.
6. Those who teach the professions that are traditional to a particular caste so that one may earn a livelihood are also gurus, but not a true Sadguru.
7. In principle, one's own mother and father are also a type of gurus in life, but the one who makes it possible to cross over beyond the worldly life is the Sadguru.
8. One who teaches the pronunciation of Gayatri Mantra is a guru of the family, but without Self-Knowledge, it is not possible to cross beyond the worldly life.
9. The "True Guru" teaches about the Knowledge of Brahman, removes the darkness of ignorance, and reveals that the identity of the individual self (jivatma) is one with the Supreme Self (Paramatma).
10. When the imagination that there is separation between God and devotee is there, the Sadguru reveals that there is no duality of the individual (jiva) and God (Shiva), thus unifying God and devotee.
11. Understand that when the tiger of the world illusion has separated the cow and the calf (God and devotee), it is the Sadguru who quickly jumps in and reunites them.
12. When living beings are caught in the net of Illusion, and suffering because of the miseries of worldly life, it is the Sadguru who liberates them.
13. Know that when living beings are being drowned in the great flood of the river of desires, the one who jumps in and saves them is the Sadguru.
14. The time of residence in the womb is very difficult, and afterwards in the world there are the shackles and bondage of desires. The one who gives relief by imparting Self-Knowledge is the Sadguru.
15. One who opens up the inner meaning of words and reveals the essence of one's true identity is the True Guru who is himself the resting place of the seeker.
16. The individual is a pitiable limited being. By a single statement, the Guru reveals that the individual is Brahman and breaks the bonds of worldly life.
17. He extracts the essence of the Vedas and speaks statements to the ears of the disciple like one who is feeding morsels of food to one’s own child.
18. That which is the essence of the Vedas, spiritual scriptures and the highest experience, are all one, and that is the form of the Guru.
19. He burns all remnants of doubts. He respects and protects one’s true "Self Religion" (Swadharma), and does not indulge in loose talk that is not in accord with the Vedas.
20. One who freely indulges in whatever the mind wishes is not liberated, but is like a beggar who is hungry for any objects that come along.
21. Such gurus do not advise their disciples to do spiritual practice, or to get their senses under control. Even if you could get three gurus like this for a fraction of a rupee, they should be abandoned as worthless.
22. The one who gives instruction on Self-Knowledge and prescribes control over the senses cuts ignorance at the root. He is a "True Guru."
23. Some gurus sell themselves for money, some are subservient to their disciples, and some become very pitiable due to excessive desires.
24. Some gurus agree with whatever whims appear in the mind of the disciple and accept the same whims in their own mind and embrace a lustful and passionate lifestyle.
25. The guru who makes himself a subordinate of his disciples is lower than the lowest. He is a robber and a deceptive rascal who is after money.
26. He is like an ill behaved doctor who takes away everything from the patient, and because of the hesitancy of the patient, the doctor ends up completely betraying him in the end.
27. The Sadguru is nothing like that doctor. He does not allow for there to be any notion of distance from God, nor does he allow for any bondage.
28. Where there is pure Knowledge of Brahman and where correct spiritual practice is taking place, that itself is the treasure of the Sadguru who shows the disciple how to see clearly.
29. Some gurus make a show of religion or whisper mantras into the ears of seekers, and this is all that they know. These poor fellows do not have closeness with God.
30. The one who is in accord with the threefold verification (that of the scriptures, the guru, and through actual experience) is the True Guru with good qualities. The one who desires liberation should surrender to only him, with respect.
31. There are some who give great explanations of non-duality but are captivated by sensual pleasures. One will not get true fulfillment from such a guru.
32. Some gurus let their mind wander while giving explanations, and their speech meanders like their mind. It will never happen that anyone will establish the correct intelligence from such a guru.
33. Some give explanations about powers and accomplishments, and the listeners develop desires for such things. While thinking about miracles and powers, the intellect becomes unsteady.
34. In the past, there were knowledgeable and detached devotees who were equal with God, and they had amazing power because of their yogic accomplishment.
35. Their powers were such that they believed that Self-Knowledge alone was useless. Like this, selfish desire for powers dwells in the mind.
36. Only when such extreme desires are snapped can one meet with God. Those who hold on to vain expectations are full of desire and only have knowledge of words.
37. There are many who only have word knowledgeable and have wasted their lives because they were crazed with lust. Those poor fools died thinking only of sensual gratification.
38. It is rare to find a saint who is totally without any remnant of desire and whose opinion is always very different from others.
39. The indestructible treasure of the Self is in all, but because the attachment to body-consciousness has not been cast off, many miss the correct path of God.
40. When one gets powers and becomes more powerful, they give more importance to the body. With that attachment, body-consciousness only gets stronger.
41. Giving up eternal happiness, those who desire powers are foolish. There is no other grief greater than that caused by desire.
42. Whatever is desired other than God is sure to bring many sorrows and creates many entanglements and downfall.
43. When the body comes to an end, one's power also goes away. The end result is that one has wasted life and turned away from God because of desires.
44. It is the Sadguru alone who instills the thought of desirelessness firmly in the intellect, and it is he alone who is able to take one beyond worldly life.
45. The main sign of the Sadguru is that first and foremost he should have pure Self-Knowledge and firmness of contentment in the realization of his "True Form."
46. Over and above this, he has strong dispassion, an attitude of non-attachment to the world, and especially, his conduct is stainless with regard to his True Nature.
47. In addition to this, going on around him there is listening to discourses on Self-Knowledge, narrations about God, and explanations of Supreme Truth at all times.
48. Where there is the investigation into the True and the false there is upliftment of the people. Additionally, many people get support from the nine types of devotion.
49. The listeners should recognize that a sign of the Sadguru is that he emphasizes the nine types of devotion, as well as that one have an established spiritual practice.
50. Where one is found who has the pure Knowledge of Brahman inside, and loyal devotion on the outside, many devotees get contentment there.
51. Without the support of devotion, spiritual attainment is baseless. Without some spiritual discipline one merely becomes misbehaved.
52. Recognize the signs of Self-Knowledge, dispassion, devotion, acting in accord with the realization of one’s True Nature, spiritual practice, narration of stories about God, explanations about God, listening, reflection, appropriate morality, justice, and appropriate behavior.
53. If even one among these qualities is lacking, then the whole spiritual life looks like it has missed the mark. Therefore, all of these qualities will shine in the Sadguru.
54. He is a protector of many, he has concern for many, and he has many powerful ways to protect them.
55. Those who seek spiritual attainment only stray from the path without spiritual practice (sadhana), therefore it is important to be prudent and gain Self-experience.
56. Those who give up appropriate behavior and worship have the appearance of being corrupt and non-devotional. Let their greatness go to hell. Who wants it!
57. Where discipline in one's actions and worship are lacking, corruption becomes established. Such a person is ridiculed among the people, and even householders laugh at his conduct.
58. If the guru is of a lower caste, it becomes awkward and he is thought of as an intruder in a gathering where Brahman is being discussed.
59. In a gathering of brahmins, they cannot take sacred water or prasad from a guru of a lower caste. If someone were to take it, it is as if they have become unclean.
60. If one does not accept the sacred water and prasad from the guru, that shows the lower caste of the guru, and the devotion of the people to the guru is suddenly spoiled.
61. If one shows respect to the guru of a lower caste then those of the brahmin caste get angry, and if the proper respect is shown to the brahmins, then an awkward situation is created with the guru.
62. Such difficulties occur on both sides and negative situations arise. For this reason, one with a low caste should not have the status of guru.
63. In spite of all this, if one takes a liking to such a guru, then let him keep that relationship to himself. To disrupt an assembly of many people would only create a bad reputation.
64. Now, let these thoughts be. One should have a guru of one’s own caste. If not, then awkward situations will definitely be created.
65. All of the best qualities that have been described are attributes of the Sadguru. Still, I will tell some some other things which will help you recognize the Sadguru.
66. There are some gurus who give mantras, some who teach technical knowledge, some who teach methods of spiritual rituals, some who teach gymnastics, and some who are called the "Guru of the Royal Family."
67. There are some traditional family gurus, some who are considered as gurus, some who are teachers of knowledge, some who are teachers of harmful knowledge, some who are false gurus, and some who are gurus who give the punishment to the various castes of people.
68. One guru is the mother, one is the father, one is the guru of the king, one is the guru of the Gods, and one is the guru of the world, who is accomplished with all sorts of knowledge.
69. Like this they are many types of gurus. Other than those already described, there are many more types of gurus. Listen and give some thought to their descriptions which I shall tell now.
70. One is a guru who teaches in dreams, one gives initiations, one says that idols are the guru, and one says that oneself is one's own guru.
71. Whatever business or occupation is pursued there are just as many gurus. If one gives thought to this, it can be seen that there are many of them.
72. Let it be like this. There are many types of gurus who teach many different opinions. Know that the one who gives liberation, the Sadguru, is totally different from all of these.
73. The listeners should understand that where there is Pure Knowledge accompanied with the many good qualities and the kindness that has been described, these are the attributes of the Sadguru