In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores Adhikara and the importance of being properly prepared to receive and practice knowledge.

Adhikara is not a completely straightforward word to translate, but basically it means being fit or qualified to do something. If you have Adhikara to drive a car, for example, it means that you have been instructed, tested, and given a license. You have become qualified to drive.

Adhikara is a very important concept in Sanskrit because when someone is looking for a teacher, or when a teacher is looking for a student, there is always the question of Adhikara.

If you look in traditional texts such as Ayurveda and Jyotisha, you will often find lists of desirable qualities that should appear in a potential student. They may sound somewhat like the qualities described in something such as the Boy Scout oath: being brave, disciplined, responsible, and respectful.

The idea is that these qualities should already have been developed within the individual before taking on the responsibility of connecting with a vidya, a body of knowledge, and making oneself into a vessel or vehicle for that knowledge.

In the past, the concept of Adhikara was taken very seriously. Today, however, we live in a more commercial world where it can sometimes seem that anyone who has money and is available is considered a suitable student.

This is not the traditional understanding.

If you want to study something, you should carefully evaluate whether you truly have Adhikara for that subject. If you want to teach something, you should also know whether you have the proper qualification to teach it. Ideally, you should have a teacher who can evaluate whether you possess the necessary Adhikara.

This applies to Ayurveda, Jyotisha, Vastu, Tantra, and other traditional disciplines. It applies even more strongly to serious spiritual practices.

I am reminded of a story about Guru Maharaj Ram Vishwamradasi and someone I have known for many years who lived in Bombay. Around sixty years ago, this gentleman went to visit Guru Maharaj and expressed his desire to become his disciple.

Guru Maharaj was very direct. He said that he did not think this was a good idea. If this person became his disciple and then failed to do something Guru Maharaj instructed him to do, or did something Guru Maharaj had told him not to do, then he would be committing guru droha, an offense against the Guru.

In the past, and especially in relation to Guru Maharaj, this was considered an extremely serious matter.

Instead, Guru Maharaj told him, “Why don’t you be my devotee for the next twelve years? At the end of that time, we will evaluate again.”

When those twelve years had passed, there was no need for another evaluation. It had become clear, both to Guru Maharaj and hopefully to this individual himself, that he was not qualified to become Guru Maharaj’s disciple.

The truth is that there were very few people, perhaps only individuals such as Vimalananda, who could seriously have become Guru Maharaj’s disciples.

To become the disciple of any Guru is an extremely serious responsibility. To undertake the study of any genuine vidya is also a matter of great responsibility.

Everyone should carefully evaluate themselves and honestly consider the degree of their own Adhikara before taking on such a path.