Guru is the term used for a spiritual Master who teaches and guides a disciple. To explain the importance of the Guru in our life through this web page, we have tried to incorporate some extracts from the Holy Gita in it.
The purpose of Guru is to remove ignorance and to give knowledge (Gyan) about God. The word Guru has also been derived from the word 'Gu', which means darkness and 'Ru' means to remove. Thus, a Guru removes the darkness of our ignorance about God and thus makes us enlightened.
Because of one's own good luck or actions in their previous birth(s), when one attains a human birth, it is every human must attain the highest state of "Moksh" or liberation by obtaining true knowledge (Gyan) from a spiritual Guru; because only with true knowledge (Gyan) one can attain the highest state of liberation.
Guru is a highly revered entity in Hinduism and dispels the darkness of ignorance and through his compassionate nature, guides the individual on the path of enlightenment. The disciple will show unconditional love and will surrender to him wholeheartedly. This article attempts to precisely elucidate the importance of the Guru through various aspects.
The Guru is considered the embodiment of God and his main role is to imbibe in the individual, a sense of devotion and unconditional love for God. He also appears to continue the line of transmission of divine knowledge from one generation to another. The guru represents the Divine Light manifested in a physical form with a specific purpose. His form exhibits paternal love for the devotee, His compassionate nature, various mediums of bestowing grace on the disciple, etc.
This Holy text is like a tree bearing fruits full of nectar granting liberation to those who wish to attain it.
Guru is the one who leads you from the forest of ignorance to the destination of light. He is the invaluable treasure, which is attainable only through a fortunate birth. He is the one who instills the true knowledge of Brahman and takes you to the realm of happiness (Ānand) and bliss after you have experienced the darkness of ignorance. The word Guru means Govinda or one who holds the wheel of life in his hands. Guru Sadguru has been defined as that Lord, which holds sway over our mind and body. The Guru is beyond senses, he is above any description. He appears in front of us only when we receive his grace through our unrelenting efforts.
He should always be worshipped by applying our willpower, by following his commands, by keeping our mind on Him with respect and reverence, by performing Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. We should aspire to attain the lotus feet of Guru.
A guru is a very important person in the life of a devotee, because without the Guru, how can the disciple realize God? The best guru is one who teaches you the methods of realizing God. The guru imparts divine knowledge to the disciple and by this, we realize ourselves as the infinite Supreme Soul. Thus, the Guru is our Father, Mother, Teacher, and very close Friend. The guru guides us in spiritual matters and keeps us on the right path. Without the Guru, we cannot attain self-realization and cannot find peace of mind.
"God is infinite and unfathomable, but his holy name is very sweet and charming. The Guru makes the holy name of God resound in the heart of his sishya. The Guru reveals God to his disciple. Without the Guru, the mantra remains mere words on paper. They lose their power and life. So it is said that one who wants to taste the sweetness of sugar should put it in the mouth and suck it. So it is said that one must implore a superior human being to show him, God. The Guru has created this world, but he has not assumed a human form to live among men as their equal. The true Guru creates an exalted soul, a divine being, to whom he reveals himself" (Guru Gobind Singh in Dasam Granth page 598).
During the simplest of explanations of the word Guru, it is usually said that a Guru is a living Master who can help us in our spiritual evolution. That is true.
However, let us be clear. A Guru is not just a monk, a sadhu, or a swami in saffron robes, with long, twisted matted hair and a divine smile on his face.
The Guru is not just someone standing on the elevated dais of a temple. Nor the one who has been anointed as a Guru by his or her Guru. The Guru is not even the one who is holding some sort of an important position in religious rituals and leading them in the name of God. Such Gurus do exist but they are few to dispel our doubts about Gurus being those who represent certain religions.
A Guru can be anyone – your mother, your father, your best friend, your spouse, or your worst enemy.
Satguru means a true Guru. Sat means truth and Guru means one who dispels darkness. Truth is light and light is eternal. So, Satguru is he who dispels the eternal darkness of ignorance from the mind and takes us towards the light of knowledge.
The Guru is the doorway to liberation. He is the divine energy that helps us to cross the ocean of life, the relative world which is full of sufferings, and reach the shore of blissful thoughtlessness, i.e. liberation. To reach liberation, one has to control one’s senses and study the scriptures honestly. One has to first renounce sense-objects through self-discipline and then use one’s intellect in understanding the scriptures, for guidance in life.
It is very important to have regular spiritual practices to get initiated into the path of spirituality. In fact, from the very beginning, as soon as we accept the existence of a Supreme Being, we should try to unite with Him. He can be our Guru whether we feel Him as existing within us or outside us. Lord Krishna said in Bhagavad-gita :
The thirst for liberation has led to the creation of different sects of Yoga, such as Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga. Lord Krishna also says in Bhagavad-gita:
One can choose a Guru from among any of the following: Parama Guru, Ishwar, Sadguru, Pitamaha (the grandfather), Acharya (teacher), Acharya-Dev (teacher’s teacher), and Dayalu (loving friend). In every case, one must treat his Guru as a representative of God.
It is said that we should be respectful towards the Guru whom we have chosen to worship. If we respect and serve our physical Guru, then it is sure that our inner Guru will also bless us. For instance, if a child has a good tutor, then this teaches him good qualities and helps him to become a good citizen. So, too, if a person has a good Guru, he can live in peace and experience God in his daily life.
The Guru is the medium through which grace is bestowed on the seeker. To realize the purport of the Guru mantra, it is essential to understand the meaning of a Guru. Here we have a list of essential points that will help you realize what a Guru is:
• Satguru realizes God and can therefore show others the way to realize God.
• Satguru realizes God directly without any intermediary.
• Satguru is one who has realized God and has been vouchsafed divine knowledge (Jnana) about Reality.
• Satguru is one who has realized God and has been vouchsafed divine bliss (Ananda).
• Satguru is one who has realized God and has been vouchsafed divine power to bestow upon others the realization of God.
The Guru is not merely a human being but a divine one. He is the embodiment of grace, mercy, compassion, and love. As such a Guru’s blessings or grace is of paramount importance in our life.
A Guru’s grace is indispensable for a disciple to be enlightened and this is because:
- A Guru is an expert in his field and has knowledge which he can pass along to his disciples. It is true that knowledge per se cannot enlighten one, however, a Guru who is endowed with divine knowledge and also with the ability to transfer it to his disciples can open the flood-gates of wisdom for his disciple. Knowledge is the key ingredient of enlightenment and hence a Guru who transfers this essential ingredient to his disciple facilitates the latter’s spiritual growth.
- A Guru has experienced various levels of enlightenment and has spiritual powers or siddhis as a result of this attainment.
