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Article #4: Gurus in Hinduism

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The importance of finding a guru who can agamic streams), that a guru is one's
impart transcendental knowledge (vidya) spiritual guide on earth. In some more
is one of the tenets of Hinduism. One of mystical traditions, it is believed that
the main Hindu texts, the Bhagavad Gita, the guru could awaken dormant spiritual
is a dialogue between God in the form of knowledge within the pupil. The act of
Krishna and Arjuna a nobleman. Not only doing this is known as shaktipat.
does their dialogue outline many of the In Hinduism, the guru is considered a
ideals of Hinduism, but the discussion respected person with saintly qualities
and relationship between the two who enlightens the mind of his or her
considered to be an expression of the disciple, an educator from whom one
ideal Guru/disciple relationship. In the receives the initiatory mantra, and one
Gita itself, Krishna speaks of the who instructs in rituals and religious
importance of finding a guru to Arjuna: ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and Manu
Acquire the transcendental knowledge from Smriti regard the teacher, along with the
a Self-realized master by humble mother and the father, as the most
reverence, by sincere inquiry, and by venerable gurus (teachers) of an
service. The wise ones who have realized individual.
the Truth will impart the Knowledge to Some influential gurus in the Hindu
you. (Bhagavad Gita, c4 s34) tradition (there have been many) include
In the sense mentioned above, guru is Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Chaitanya
used more or less interchangeably with Mahaprabhu, and Shri Ramakrishna. Other
"satguru" (literally: true teacher) and gurus whose legacy of continuing the
satpurusha. Compare also Swami. The Hindu yogic tradition grew in the 20th
disciple of a guru is called a chela. century were men like Shri Ram Chandra,
Often, a guru lives in an ashram or in a Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, Shri Ramana
gurukula (the guru's household) together Maharshi, Sri Chandrashekarendra
with his disciples. The lineage of a Saraswati (The Sage of Kanchi), Swami
guru, spread by worthy disciples who Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda and A. C.
carry on that guru's particular message, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. See also
is known as the guru parampara or the list of Hindu gurus.
disciplic succession. In Indian culture, someone not having a
In the traditional sense, the word guru guru or a teacher (acharya) was once
describes a relationship rather than an looked down upon as being an orphan, and
absolute and is used as a form of address as under a sign of misfortune. The word
only by a disciple addressing his master. anatha in Sanskrit means "the one without
Some Hindu denominations like BAPS a teacher". An acharya is the giver of
Swaminarayan Sanstha hold that a personal gyan (knowledge) in the form of shiksha
relationship with a living guru, revered (instruction). A guru also gives diksha
as the embodiment of God, is essential in initiation which is the spiritual
seeking moksha. The guru is the one who awakening of the disciple by the grace of
guides his or her disciple to become the guru. Diksha is also considered to be
jivanmukta, the liberated soul able to the procedure of bestowing the divine
achieve salvation in his or her lifetime powers of a guru upon the disciple,
through God-realization. through which the disciple progresses
The role of the guru continues in the continuously along the path to divinity.
original sense of the word in such Hindu The origin of concept of "guru" can be
traditions as the Vedanta, yoga, tantra traced as far back as the early
and bhakti schools. Indeed, it is now a Upanishads, where the conception of the
standard part of Hinduism (as defined by Divine Teacher on earth first manifested
the six Vedic streams and the tantric from its early Brahmin associations.






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