Bhaktisandesam / Who is a GURU ?

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All About the Hindu Spiritual Teacher

 

 

" Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes,

Vishnu sans his four arms

Brahma sans his four heads.

He is parama Shiva himself in human form "

~ Brahmanda Puran

 

Guru is the God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the 'guru' in Vedic

tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. 'Guru' is a

honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained

variously in the scriptures and ancient literary works including

epics. The English word 'guru' has its etymological origin in the

Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English

defines it as " Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect;

influential teacher; revered mentor " .

 

Aren't gurus more real than the gods? Basically the guru is a

spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of " god-

realization " . In essence, the guru is considered a respected person

with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an

educator from whom one receives the initiatory mantra, and one who

instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and

Manu Smriti regards the Acharya (teacher), along with the mother and

the father as the most venerable gurus of an individual. According to

Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama

Chintamani ten. According to his functions he is categorized as

rishi, acharyam, upadhya, kulapati or mantravetta.

 

The Guru's Role

The Upanishads have profoundly underlined the role of the guru.

Mundak Upanishad says to realize the supreme godhead holding samidha

grass in his hands one should surrender himself before the guru who

knows the secrets of Vedas. Kathopanishad too speaks of the guru as

the preceptor who alone can guide the disciple on the spiritual path.

 

Over time the guru's syllabus gradually enlarged incorporating more

secular and temporal subjects related to human endeavor and

intellect. Apart from usual spiritual works his sphere of instruction

now included subjects like Dhanurvidya (archery), Arthashastra

(economics) and even Natyashastra (dramatics) and Kamashastra

(sexology).

 

Such was the ingenuity of the all pervading intellect of the ancient

Acharyas that they perpetuated even shastra like thievery. Shudraka's

celebrated play Mricchakatikam tells the story of Acharya

Kanakashakti who formulated the Chaurya Shastra, or the science of

thievery, which was further developed by the gurus like

Brahmanyadeva, Devavrata and Bhaskarnandin.

 

From Hermitages to Universities

Gradually the institution of Gurukula or in-forest-hermitage, where

disciples learnt at the feet of guru for long years was evolved. The

great urban universities at Takshashila, Vikramashila and Nalanda

essentially evolved from these tiny gurukulas tucked away in deep

woods. If we have to believe the records of Chinese travellers who

visited Nalanda at that time, there were more than 1,500 teachers

teaching various subjects to more than 10,000 students and monks.

 

Legends of Gurus & Desciples

There were gurus as well as disciples of different hues to whom

references were made in scriptures and literary works. The most

popular legend is that of the amazing young tribal boy Ekalavya on

being rejected by the ace trainer Dronacharya, raised his statue and

with great dedication practised the art of archery and left behind

Arjuna, the master archer, who actually learnt the art under the

living guru. And the heartless guru asked for his thumb as

gurudakshina or fees, and made him inferior before his royal

disciple. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we meet an aspiring disciple

Satyakama, who refuses to tell lies about his caste in order to get

an admission in the gurukula of Acharya Haridrumat Gautam. And in the

Mahabharata we come across Karna who did not bat an eyelid while

telling Parashurama that he belonged to the Bhrigu Brahmin caste just

to obtain the Brahmastra, the supreme weapon.

 

The Lasting Contribution

From generation to generation the institution of the guru has evolved

various basic tenets of Indian culture and transmitted spiritual and

fundamental knowledge. Gurus formed the axis of ancient educational

system and ancient society, and enriched various fields of learning

and culture by their creative thinking. Herein lies the lasting

significance of gurus and their contribution to the upliftment of

mankind.

 

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Jai Shree Krishna !