Who's A Guru?

All About the Hindu Spiritual Teacher

Guru Dronacharya & Ekalavya

  "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".

More Real Than Gods

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   Smritiand 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 Chintamaniten. 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. MundakUpanishad says to realize the   supreme godhead holding samidha grass in his hands one should surrender himself   before the guru who knows the secrets ofVedas.   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) andKamashastra (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 asgurudakshina   or fees, and made him inferior before his royal disciple. In theChandogya 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.

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.