WHEN an aspirant becomes voluntarily affiliated with a Master, he is said to have become a disciple. But if this affiliation is merely formal, it does not constitute true discipleship. Discipleship is vital relation The relationship between disciple and Master is utterly different from the legal relations which create rights and liabilities through verbal transactions or formal agreements. Discipleship is one of the fundamental features which characterise the life of the advanced aspirant, and it does not come into existence through any artificial procedure. It arises out of the basic laws of spiritual life. It is therefore much more significant than the mundane relations which arise within the context of ordinary social life as a result of incidental associations or temporary contracts. Many of these mundane relations do not enter into the spiritual fabric of the life of the aspirant but remain superficially attached to his being. Thus it is not of any great consequence whether you purchase a thing from one shop-keeper or another as long as you pay the price for it; and it is immaterial whether you travel by one ship or another so long as you arrive at your destination. Even such transactions are no doubt inwardly determined by sanskaric ties and karmic laws, and therefore are not entirely devoid of spiritual significance. But