Role of a Mentor in Life

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is the process where an expert transfers his/her knowledge and wisdom to a novice with the intention of enabling growth and success in life. Mentoring has been recognized worldwide as one of the most essential tools for success. All those who have experienced great heights in their professional or personal life attribute their success to specific mentors. 

A great number of world-famous individuals were mentored by either famous personalities or those who became famous on account of their mentees’ accomplishments. For example, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the freedom fighter of India and the political Guru of Mahatma Gandhi, had mentored him to better understand the issues of average citizens of India. It was this knowledge that enabled Gandhi ji to lead the movement of truth and non-violence, the efforts of which resulted in him being honored as the Father of the Nation. In the business world, the highly successful Warren Buffet was instrumental in impelling the philanthropic activities of Bill Gates. Interestingly, the two men did not hit it off initially but much later in life. Mr. Buffett is known to have challenged Mr. Gates in thinking of issues related to poverty and health inequities at the global level. In the high-tech industry, Mark Zuckerberg had been mentored by Steve Jobs in the process of establishing Facebook. In the entertainment world, Oprah Winfrey was mentored by Maya Angelou, both great influencers who have impacted the world in unique ways. 

In the spiritual world too, mentorship is highly valued and coveted. Swami Vivekananda ji’s Guru was Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa ji, both of whom are well-known divine personalities. Similarly, Jagadguru Kripalu ji Maharaj and his senior disciple Swami Mukundananda ji are shaping the modern world with the depth and breadth of spiritual devotion that is unparalleled in modern-day times. 

All the above examples reflect the important role of a mentor in life. This role cannot be understated because mentorship is an individualized process based on the needs and goals of a mentee. The focus is not just on supporting, guiding and enabling the mentee to accomplish their goals in life, but also on establishing a deep relationship that is instrumental for success. Swamiji says that the mentor is someone who possesses the knowledge, skills and wisdom needed to enable the mentee to successfully manage obstacles toward the goal. 

What are the Benefits of Mentoring? 

In his book, 7 Divine Laws to Awaken Your Best Self, Swamiji has beautifully explained the Law of Mentorship (the 7th law). It states that “Having a good mentor in any field helps us set goals, shorten the learning curve, receive encouragement, stay focused, avoid pitfalls, and much more (p. 141).” Some benefits of mentoring include but are not limited to critical aspects for a successful life (see image below). 

 Many countries and cultures around the world have recognized the important role the mentor plays in the lives of people who want to progress in any area of focus. Whether we refer to the mentor as a guide, coach, tutor, teacher, sensei or Guru, the person shares critical knowledge based on a history of life experiences. S/he advises, encourages, challenges, offers constructive feedback, and shows the path to success by preventing fatal mistakes that a mentee may make without sage advice. This is the reason that it is very important to select a mentor with great care and consideration. 

What are the Qualities of an Effective Mentor?

Swamiji has described the qualities of a good mentor in 7 Divine Laws to Awaken Your Best Self (pp. 141-142) and Golden Rules for Living Your Best Life (pp. 262-263). This graphic summarizes the main points.

 

What is the Role of a Mentor or Guru on the Spiritual Path?

Most novice spiritual aspirants have no knowledge regarding the essential aspects of spirituality. The Guru guides us in a variety of ways to find meaning in life and enables us to live our life to the fullest potential. Here are the most foundational aspects of life that can be understood and practiced only under the guidance of a Guru. 

 

The knowledge of God is not easy to understand. Thus, we must begin the beautiful spiritual journey with a leap of faith because our material minds will not be naturally drawn to God. Here is where the Guru plays a very important role – to make us capable of absorbing and applying divine knowledge to transform our lives. However, to benefit from divine knowledge, we must truly want a Guru from the heart and establish our faith in him, in the knowledge that he imparts, and in the sadhana practice that he endorses. We must be willing to accept with humility that we do not know how to accomplish the goal of life and do not understand how to apply the knowledge in our daily lives. 

As is exemplified in the Bhagavad Gita, we must seek the Guru’s guidance in the same manner as Arjun implored Shree Krishna to be his Guru. Even through the external context may be different, it is to win the internal war in the material mind and intellect for which we need divine guidance: 

कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभाव:
पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेता: |
यच्छ्रेय: स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे
शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् || 7||

kārpaṇya-doṣhopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛichchhāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-chetāḥ
yach-chhreyaḥ syānniśhchitaṁ brūhi tanme
śhiṣhyaste ’haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

I am confused about my duty, and am besieged with anxiety and faintheartedness. I am Your disciple, and am surrendered to You. Please instruct me for certain what is best for me (BG 2.7)

If you are fortunate to have already found a Guru, then it is very important to develop an attitude of servitude in your association. Even Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, who were avatars themselves, sought tutelage from a spiritual Guru to establish the tradition of the descending form of divine knowledge. They were humble and reverent even though they were omnipotent themselves. As Shree Krishna told Arjun:

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन, परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं, ज्ञानि नस्तत्त्व दर्शिन: || 34||

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā
upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ

Learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him with reverence and render service unto him. Such an enlightened Saint can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth (BG 4.34).

To read more about the purpose of a Guru and guidelines for recognizing, choosing, and associating with a Guru, please refer to the July 2022 issue of Samarpan. 

In conclusion, this month's issue on the Role of a Mentor in Life is dedicated to our Guru, Swami Mukundananda ji, for His unwavering support to all of us as we fumble on this path, only to be uplifted by His inspiring words and deeds. For dedicating His life to disseminating divine wisdom worldwide and enabling us to transform from within, we express our sincere appreciation to Swamiji through this very humble prayer:

प्रथमं सद्गुरुम वन्दे, श्री कृष्णं तदनन्तरं
गुरुः पापत्मनां त्राता, श्री कृष्णस्त्वामालात्मना

prathamam sadgurum vande, shree krishnam tadanantaram
guruh paapatmanaam trata, shree krishnastvamalaatmna

I first offer my respectful obeisance to my Gurudev and then to the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna. While Shree Krishna embraces the pure-hearted, my Gurudev is so merciful that he offers shelter even to the spiritually destitute