"To know that brahman as the self, that fully qualified mumukshu should take firewood and take refuge of one who has listened to the Vedas and who is established in brahman only". (Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12). Here the qualifier "only" should be applied to everything. Only for the knowledge of brahman, only taking firewood, only the refuge of a teacher, and definitely take refuge. He should surrender himself totally, this is what is meant by taking refuge. If his words indicate that the teacher means everything to him, but in his mind the word is everything, then this is not taking refuge in the teacher.
One should have complete devotion for the teacher. In other words, the teacher, the beloved, the self and the teaching, all these should be aligned, they should become one.
The first point in taking refuge in the teacher is that one who does not have faith cannot take refuge of a teacher. One who has doubt in the heart, will give sorrow to that very same heart. If there is not one person upon which you have unshakeable faith in this world, then the state of your mind is extremely sorrowful and pitiable.
One who does not understand and also does not have faith in someone else, such a person of doubt is destined for destruction (Gita 4.40). If one does not have doubt and lack of faith in the mind, then this is purity of mind.
The second obstacle in taking refuge in the teacher is self pride (abhimaana). The supreme self is without pride (maana shoonya), it means it is without measure (maapa shoonya). It does not have distinctions of space, time and object, it is self complete. And we have pride in us. When do we have pride? When we make our pride or measure that we are a brahmin, a scholar, Hindu, wealthy, good at penance, and so on. This body measuring three and a half hand lengths becomes our measure. But the shruti says that one who considers brahman different from himself becomes degraded. How can a mountain fit in a sack of rubber? Similarly, if one wants to capture Ishvara with pride, then he will never come. If Ishvara is to be met, he will be met with the removal of pride. Pride is ostentation. This will be removed only through the refuge of he teacher.
The Shreemad Bhaagavad prescribes specific medicines for specific mental conditions. For instance, lack of will kills lust and renunciation cures desires. But later it says that devotion to the teacher is the panacea for all mental conditions.
That is why taking refuge of the teacher is necessary. A seeker of the essence of the self should take the refuge of the teacher for the knowledge of brahman which frees all bonds and liberates.
"Upaseedet" means face to face, this is how he should approach the teacher. In other words, not surreptitiously, not secretly, this specifies the behaviour. When the teacher is sitting in good health, at that time. Not when you are free but the teacher has gone to the bathroom. Your attitude should be "I will do what the teacher says". Your convictions, your beliefs may possibly be incorrect. If you are not planning to heed to teaching of the teacher, why go to the teacher in the first place?
"Upaseedet" means being face to face with the teacher while following the proper decorum. One must not go empty handed to the teacher. One should go to the teacher with something that symbolically represents one's faith, as well as with something that is of use to the teacher. If there is a ritual fire or a kitchen in the house of the teacher, the student should present firewood to the teacher. If the teacher is a monk, the student should take something that is useful or some food to the teacher. The meaning is that whatever is useful to the teacher should be presented to him in a spirit of service.
The second aspect of "upaseedet" is that the goal should be clear and without taint. I remember one thing now. Prior to becoming a monk, I had gone to Swami brahmaanandaji Mahaaraaj in order to request him to initiate me into monkhood. At that time he had told me "do this, stay like this, eat this, do not eat this" and so on. Then, after two or three years, I reached a place while walking. When I reached the Kumbha Mela (fair) and saw a sign board, I did nto care for anything and immediately rushed inside and said to him "I am here now!". So then, "upasanna" means that "To attain freedom from bondage, to free myself of the inferiority of inertness, to free myself of death, to gain the knowledge of the essence, now I have come!". "Upaseedet" means "I have now come, I am ready".
"Guru upasadana", "guru upasatti", all these phrases mean the same thing : presenting oneself in front of the teacher in order to gain freedom from bondage.
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