Who is a true guru

In the Indian tradition, a guru is venerable fig who shares the cognition and potentialities acquired by him with his disciples

In the Shantiparva, section 108, Yudhishthra asks Bhishma, “Which among the dharmas is the superior most?” Bhishma replies that the worship of the guru and implicit devotion to him has nary parallel. While the parents are instrumental successful giving commencement to this body, Bhishma argues, the guru done his teachings makes america divine and immortal. Advayataraka Upanishad 16 splits the word ‘guru’ into ‘gu’ and ‘ru’. The Sanskrit syllable ‘gu’ means darkness, and ‘ru’ means the powerfulness to dispel darkness. So, guru is the 1 who dispels the acheronian of worldly arsenic good arsenic spiritual ignorance.

According to Bhaagvata 11.22.10.29, the guidance of a guru is indispensable due to the fact that the intellect is clouded by ignorance, and covered by nescience from eternity. It cannot flooded its ignorance connected its own. ‘To region eternal ignorance, it needs cognition from a God-realised saint, a guru who is simply a brhamagyani — knows the Absolute Truth.’ In the Indian tradition, a guru is much than a teacher. He is simply a venerable fig who shares the cognition and potentialities acquired by him with his disciples, and who successful his relation arsenic a counsellor moulds their social, motivation and ethical values. He is an exemplar for his students, and an inspiration for society.

Katha Upanishad 1.2.8 regards the guru ‘as indispensable to the acquisition of knowledge’. Guru Amar Das, the 3rd Sikh Guru, says cognition volition person nary instauration without a guru, and Guru Granth Sahib successful Ang 751 asserts that without seeking guidance from a guru, 1 cannot attain existent spiritual cognition oregon loving devotion to the Almighty.

Shankaracharya emphasises that ‘until you surrender to a guru, you cannot beryllium liberated from the worldly energy’. He goes connected to the utmost of saying: ‘He who has an acharya — a guru, unsocial knows.’

In the Guru-gita of Skanda Purana, Parvati asks Shiva, “In what mode does an embodied psyche go Brahman?” Shiva answers: “By having religion successful the guru, by beckoning to his teachers, by meditating upon him, by worshipping him and surrendering oneself to him. The guru successful the Guru-gita is the 1 who opens the ignorant man’s eyes and makes him wise. He is ever immersed successful the eventual bliss, helium bestows ultimate happiness, helium is axenic contented personified, helium is escaped from duality and the 3 gunas, and helium is 1 and eternal. He is to beryllium recovered successful one’s ain heart.”

A idiosyncratic who has go passionless (vitaraga) qualifies to beryllium called a guru if helium has attained Brahmajnana. According to Taittriya Upanishad 3, a guru is ever successful hunt of students who are keen to learn, and motivates them by ‘pointing the way’ and persuading them to ‘struggle, observe and acquisition the Truth that describes the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the universe’.

In his Upadesha Sahasri 1.4-1.5, Shankaracharya says the work of a existent guru is to region ‘the causes of non-comprehension successful the students’ and impresses connected them the value of pursuing the Yamas, Niyamas, and humility successful life. “A existent guru,” according to Swami Vivekananda, “should recognize the tone of the scriptures, person a axenic quality and beryllium escaped from sin, and should beryllium selfless, without tendency for wealth and fame.”

— The writer is erstwhile prof of philosophy, Delhi University