Whatever the Guru Prescribes is Sadhana

Let me tell you in a nutshell what paramartha is. It is, in essence, going through worldly life without having a sense of attachment for any worldly thing or matter. We remain unaffected by pleasure and pain when we realize that what we call our prapancha really belongs to God, who gave it us. This can be easily achieved by constantly keeping on the lips the nama given to us by the sadguru.
That person alone can be called a sadguru who himself has and will lead us to, a permanent sense of contentment. This applies to all sadgurus in all places at all times. Do not attach value to his look and physique, but judge him by his teaching. The sadhana he prescribes should be carried out diligently. To do so is, indeed, paramartha. If you make an alteration in the prescribed thing, it will only mean that your ego still persists, and anything done egoistically is doomed to failure. So first bury your ego and place complete trust in the sadguru.
True paramartha does not consist in empty prattle or lofty preaching to others; it is for one’s own sake. In fact, the less known it is to others the better. Public esteem is of no use, actually harmful. To be misled into feeling false greatness is injurious to our purpose.
One person opens a confectionery shop, another may sell coal. What difference does it make, so long as the business is profitable? Similarly, worldly status is of no count; what matters is the advancement in paramartha.
Any worldly situation can be put to use in paramartha, so long as our approach is same and steady. Control of mind coupled with strong devotion is what is of real consequence.
Paramartha, in fact, is easy to achieve. The fun is that it is neglected, not seriously attempted, merely because of its very simplicity. Remember that prapancha is by no means an impediment to paramartha; it can, in fact, be turned into a good aid. All that a sadhaka has to do is to accept his duties as prarabdha and carry them out to the best of his ability, and apply the mind devotedly to God. Let Him be ever in your heart, His name on your lips, and the body employed in doing your duties in prapancha: this, is, in essence, paramartha.

Obey the Sadguru Implicitly

A pure motive is that which looks for neither return nor reward. That is what true devotion must be. Building temples, worshipping, and similar service, japa, and such other things, do not of themselves constitute true devotion if there is the least thought of any return. It should all be for its own sake. With most people devotional duties are merely routine, mechanical acts, carried out by practice, or because of tradition; they should spring from genuine, burning love for God. Action without genuine feeling is as useless as feeling not put into action. We try to carry out whatever is prescribed by the scriptures or the sadguru without imbibing the spirit of them. Such things, therefore, fail to wear out the ego; on the contrary, they feed and fatten it. We should, therefore, implicitly and honestly, carry out the sadhana prescribed by the sadguru. Merely doing something out of the way is of no avail.
Spiritualism does not mean giving up normalcy of conduct; it simply means not getting mentally or emotionally involved in worldly matters. What did Arjuna do? He took Lord Krishna not only as the chariot-driver, but as a guide and mentor; and wherever He took the chariot, Arjuna simply shot arrows at the target indicated. So, too, should we do; we should hand over the reins of our life and being to the sadguru, and thenceforward do nothing more than obey him.
Remember that one who expects nothing from the world, neither money nor recognition, will always stand distinguished from the rest. When we pick up a coin, we have both the obverse and the reverse in hand; so, when we take up prapancha, following paramartha becomes obligatory. Paramartha pre-supposes faith in God; this the sadguru grants and confirms by giving us nama. chant the name given by the sadguru. It is essential that we repeat this nama with perseverance and faith. Paramartha is brought to fruition by ceaseless nama-smarana; it gives contentment in prapancha, and fulfils the very purpose of human life.

True Service to the Guru

What after all, is the object of meditation, prayer, religious mortification, rules, sacrifices, etc. ? The attainment of God, or guru. If He Himself comes to you, where is the need for all the effort of sadhanas? Not only is all that not required but, if undertaken, it may only lead to pride of doership, which will actually injure the purpose. Now that you have submitted to guru, accept with gladness whatever happens, treating everything as his doing and will. See my hand in everything that happens, everything you do.
What do you think is real devotion to the guru? It does not consist only in bodily service, but, in implicit obedience to him. Of those who come to me, most have in their mind some worldly object –like financial betterment, a child, cure from illness, and so on. In effect, they come not to serve but to be served. You should come not for having a worldly desire fulfilled, but to seek the true fruition of human life. Occasionally I may grant a little of what a disciple desires, but it may be only like beguiling a child with candy to make it take a medicine.
That you ascribe omniscience to me is only superficial; if it were earnest, you would take care to do nothing underhand or sinful. Only he who has completely identified himself with me can really feel that I am truly omniscient. Surrendering yourself to the guru implies, nay, necessitates, that your mind completely merges with mine; if you achieve that you are in effect with me even if you are physically away, at a distance. I would like you to be free and frank with me, like a child with its mother. Open your heart to me. What trouble and expense you undergo to come here to meet me! And yet, when you return ‘home’, you go with empty hands; and it is this that pains me most. What you have really to pick up from me is love for God; and this is what you cannot obtain elsewhere.
Shri Gondawalekar maharaj

What the Sadguru Does for the Disciple as told by Gondawalekar Maharaj

What does the guru do in reality? He asks you to wipe the dust off the face of the mirror, to cleanse the mind; he makes us aware of our misconceptions and mistakes. If a man dreams that he is drowning in a tank, he shouts for help; he becomes quiet when he is woken. The guru wakes us up from our painful dream of ignorance and makes us aware of the Reality.

Only he can be said to have truly found a sadguru who feels that he has reached the end of his quest and that there is nothing more to be achieved. A man in good worldly circumstances may feel there is nothing more to be desired, but there is no real respite for a mind which continues to hover over and hanker after one worldly thing and another.
The guru, after all, is what the disciple thinks of him. If the disciple approaches him in unreserved surrender, he takes the disciple under his unreserved guidance and protection. The guru is, indeed, the divine name Incarnate. True sadhana consists in obeying him implicitly, literally.
No saint lives in the body for all time. What is important about a saint is his yearning for God. Many people do meet a saint, but derive no benefit because they fail to understand the importance of association with him. Duty performed selflessly leads eventually to complete annihilation of all expectation. The sadguru indicates to us what our duty is.
You may own a motor car, but, if it is without a proper driver, it may run into trouble. Even a simple bullock cart cannot be driven by a raw novice, even if he owns it. Man conducts his worldly affairs without proper guidance, and lands himself into trouble. If you place the sadguru at the helm, he steers you safely, clear of all obstructions. All you have to do is to keep yourself constantly absorbed in consciousness of God, and rest carefree with trust in the sadguru; then you will be protected by him from danger. You will come to realise that whatever you are destined to get will automatically come — no more, no less; and this will eventually destroy all desire to have or not to have. Thereby you will realise that everything happens by divine will and dispensation. This will give you complete contentment. But all this can only happen if you are pure at heart.

Gondawalekar Maharaj