Guru - Notes -finding a guru

In order to assess the difficulty in finding a guru a few quotations may be interesting

Multasthu mochayethoordwam na muktho mochakaha kadham? (kulaarnava 13th Chapter)
A liberated soul liberates; how can un liberated soul help liberate?

… na moorkho moorkamuddharet
- an unliberated cannot liberate another unliberated……

Guravo bahavasanti shishyavithaapaharakaha Durllabhoyam Gururddevi Shishyasanthaapahaarakaha
(There are many gurus who steal from shishyas. Indeed it is rare to find a Guru who is capable of wiping out the sorrows of shishyas)-Malinee tantra

In the same vein it is difficult to find shishyas who have the shishyalakshanas in full and I can say with full frankness that I have had the doubt about my eligibility to be a shishya a lot of times

Realizing Shakti-Notes 1

"In Lalita Sahasranamam, every one of the thousand names in a mantra in its own right -- apart from being a mere descriptive verbal arrangement. Mahamantras like Sri Gayatri and others are all mantra swarupas of one and the same ultimate power. They are to be initiated into by a competent guru.

"It must be clearly understood that a competent guru must guide that sadhaka in these practices, but -- in this secular age -- if he is very competent he does not advertise himself for our benefit.

"[The guru] is to be considered Siva -- Himself. [Also, the sadhaka must cultivate:] (1) an intense faith and surrender; (2) [familiarity with] sacred books, which are now very much available; (3) such help as we get from the teachings of great ones, like Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Sri Aurobindo; and (4) the company of devoted sadhakas [which is what we try to provide here in this Group!].

"In [his] commentary of Sri Soundaryalahari, Sri Laksmidhara Lolla promises that he will be the Guru of anyone who thinks about him in the path of Sri Vidya. To the intense devotee, the Divine Mother Herself acts as the great Guru and guides him if sincerely prayed for."

So ... Dr. Suryanarayanamurthy seems to believe that a living, human guru is not absolutely necessary. A deceased swami or the Deity Herself will also fill the role. An American Hindu author, David Frawley, was called this kind of a guru "right discrimination." Several Hindus of my acquaintance claim to be the devotees of gurus they readily admit never having met.