
In every generation, seekers search for someone who can help them see what they cannot yet see for themselves. In India, such a person is often called a guru. In other traditions, they may be known as a spiritual teacher, an awakened guide, or a master. Whatever the name, the role is the same: to point the way to truth and help the seeker recognise it directly.
For many Australians, the word guru carries images of faraway ashrams or distant Himalayan retreats. Yet right here in Melbourne, it is possible to meet a living guru who carries the clarity and stillness of one who has awakened, and who offers guidance in the midst of modern city life.
The Guru’s Role in Awakening
A guru is not someone who gives you something you lack. In the truest sense, the guru reveals what is already within you but hidden beneath layers of belief, conditioning, and identification with thought. Their role is not to create dependence but to encourage independence of knowing your own nature without relying on concepts or external validation.
The presence of a living teacher offers something books and lectures cannot. In their company, the mind often quiets naturally. Old questions lose their urgency. What remains is a direct sense of being, without the constant need to define or defend yourself.
Melbourne’s Unique Setting for a Guru–Seeker Relationship
Melbourne is a city where cultures meet, ideas mix, and people are open to new ways of seeing. It is also a city that moves quickly, full of deadlines, events, and responsibilities. For many seekers, the pace of life can feel like an obstacle to spiritual growth.
Yet a guru in Melbourne works within this very environment. The teaching is not separate from the world. It meets you exactly where you are and shows that awareness is not limited to quiet retreats.
The essence of the guru’s guidance here is integration. Enlightenment is not about withdrawing from the life you have. It is about seeing it without distortion, and living it with clarity and openness.
From the Seeker’s Perspective
Those who come to a guru in Melbourne arrive with many different motivations. Some are curious, some are facing a personal crisis, and others have been seeking for decades. Many have tried meditation, read spiritual books, and followed online talks, yet still feel something is missing.
Often, the first meeting changes their understanding of what they are looking for. Instead of being handed a complex set of practices, they are invited to notice what is already present. The guru may speak directly to their questions or may guide them into silence where the answers reveal themselves.
Rajiv Agarwal – A Melbourne Guru with Global Roots
Rajiv Agarwal’s journey as a teacher began long before he arrived in Australia. Born in India, he immersed himself in the spiritual traditions of Advaita Vedanta, Zen, and Buddhism. His search took him to the Himalayas, sacred towns like Ganeshpuri, and into the presence of awakened masters.
In his early years, Rajiv experienced profound states — bliss so deep it filled every cell, and moments where the sense of self dissolved entirely. Yet his path was not without struggle. He chased the idea of a perfect, permanent enlightenment, only to discover that this search was keeping him from seeing the truth already here.
When that search ended, the teaching began. Today, Rajiv is a guru in Melbourne who speaks not from theory, but from a life lived in the recognition of awareness. His role is not to be worshipped, but to guide others to see for themselves.
You can read more about his personal journey on his My Story page.
Meeting a Guru in Melbourne
Meeting a guru is unlike meeting any other kind of teacher. In Melbourne, Rajiv’s meetings — often in the form of satsang — are open, informal, and shaped by the needs of those present.
Some meetings are quiet, with long moments of shared silence. Others are lively with questions about life, thought, and the nature of self. The conversation may move from deeply personal matters to the most universal truths.
One participant may ask about handling stress at work, while another may speak about the desire for enlightenment. The guru responds not with fixed answers, but with pointers that lead the seeker to look directly at their own experience.
The Subtle Transmission of Presence
Beyond words, the most important element of the guru–seeker relationship is presence. In the company of a living guru, many find their mind becoming still without effort. There is a quiet recognition that the awareness they feel is not coming from the teacher, but is their own nature reflected back to them.
This silent transmission is not mystical in the sense of being unreachable. It is simple, direct, and available to anyone willing to be fully present.
Australia’s spiritual landscape is evolving. More people are seeking direct experience rather than adopting belief systems. Melbourne’s diversity and openness create a space where ancient wisdom can be shared in ways that are relevant to modern life.
A guru here is not removed from everyday realities. They live in the same environment as their students, understand the pressures of city life, and offer guidance that fits within that context. This relatability makes the teaching accessible without diluting its depth.
Becoming Your Own Teacher
One of the most liberating aspects of working with a Rajiv in Melbourne is realising that the ultimate goal is to become your own teacher. The guru points to the truth, but you must recognise it for yourself.
Over time, the need for external guidance decreases as your direct connection to awareness becomes stable. This is the sign of a true teacher — they are not interested in creating followers, but in helping you stand in your own understanding.
An Open Invitation
If the word guru brings to mind something ancient, foreign, or distant, meeting one in Melbourne may surprise you. There is no need to travel across the world or give up your life to begin this exploration.
Rajiv Agarwal invites seekers from all backgrounds to join satsangs in Melbourne and see for themselves what happens in the presence of a living teacher. Whether you are searching for clarity, peace, or the end of seeking, the opportunity is here, in the heart of the city.
You can also explore Rajiv’s meditation practices as a way to integrate awareness into daily life. These are not escapes from the world, but ways of meeting it more fully.
Awakening is not about going somewhere else. It is about recognising what is here. And sometimes, the clearest reflection of that truth comes from sitting with a guru who lives it every moment.