The importance of Guru in ancient Hindu texts

The importance of a guru is extolled in the ancient texts of Hinduism.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.23) emphasizes the importance of
reverence for a guru stating that the teachings will illuminate those great
souls who have reverence for God as well as for a guru. In the Taittiriya
Upanishad (1.11.2), students are urged to treat their teacher a god
himself (acharya devobhava). The Guru Gita from the Skanda Purana
equates a guru to Shiva himself. In a conversation with Parvathi, Shiva,
who is the universal Guru, declares thus, “Apart from the Guru, there is
no other Brahman. O Beautiful One, what I say is true, it is the truth.” In
the same text he further states, “A Guru is Shiva himself, manifested as a
human.” A popular Hindu prayer declares, “The Guru is Brahma, the
Guru is Vishnu, the Guru is Siva. Indeed, the Guru is the Supreme
Absolute. To that Guru I offer my reverent salutations. “
The qualities of a satguru, the true guru

According to the Katha Upanishad (1.2.8), a guru is indispensable to

acquire the knowledge of Brahman, and that guru must know Brahman
as himself (ananya prokta). Without him there is no going further (gatir
atra nasti). In the invocations and prayers found in the Taittiriya
Upanishad, a teacher seeks the following from God or gods. They can be
considered the desirable qualities one may look for in a guru, a teacher
or an adept.

 Fame (yasah)
 Radiance of Brahman (brahmavarchas)
 Intelligence (medha)
 Immortality (amritasya)
 Vigorous body (vicarsanam)
 Sweetness in the tongue (madhumattama)
 Good hearing capacity
 Knowledge of the Vedas (sruti)
 Prosperity and material abundance
 Students of chaste conduct
 Pure mind
 Wealth of knowledge
 Right wisdom (sumedha)

A spiritual guru should be knowledgeable, self-realized, liberated

(jivanmukta), chaste, virtuous, austere, truthful, detached, free from lust
and delusion, and dedicated and devoted to God. He should be wise,
absorbed in God, selfless, egoless, humble, indifferent, but firm in
enforcing discipline through personal example. A true guru practices
renunciation in word and deed and remains the same to all the dualities
of life. He shuns fame, name, wealth, ownership, publicity, worldly
pleasures, luxuries and public attention.

rue gurus who have achieved liberation are drawn to teaching and
guiding out of compassion or as a service to God rather than to fill their
own coffers. Most importantly, they do not promote themselves or
attract attention to them or charge money to give you an audience. A true
guru, the liberated one, has no interest of his own, no selfishness, no ego
and no desire for name or fame. Only that guru should be considered
God in human form, who is egoless and whose identity is fully merged
into that of Brahman.

In his book, Guru Tattva, Swami Sivananda declares, “Mere study of

books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas and who
has direct knowledge of Atman through Anubhava can only be enrolled
as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or a liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual
preceptor. He is the Satguru. He is identical with Brahman or the
Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman.”

He also states, “Possession of Siddhis is not the test to declare the

greatness of a sage or to prove he has attained Self-realisation. Satgurus
do not exhibit any miracles or Siddhis. Sometimes they may exhibit them
in order to convince the aspirants of the existence of super physical
things, give them encouragement, and instil faith in their hearts. A
Satguru is endowed with countless Siddhis. He possesses all divine
Aisvarya, all the wealth of the Lord. The Satguru is Brahman Himself. He
is an ocean of bliss, knowledge and mercy. He is the captain of your soul.
He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your troubles, sorrows and
obstacles. He shows you the right divine path. He tears your veil of
ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your
lower, diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge and saves
you when you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara. Do not consider
him to be only a man. If you take him as a man, you are a beast. Worship
your Guru and bow to him with reverence.”

Frankly, nowadays you will not find many gurus who fit into this
description. It is therefore better to consider your personal God your
guru and seek his grace and guidance rather than taking risks and waste
your whole life in the service of a charlatan, unless you know certainly
that the guru whom you have chosen is really a self-realized yogi and
perfectly fits into the traditional descriptions of a satguru.
Prominent gurus

India has a very long tradition of gurus which may be 5000 years old or
more. In a few cases fathers and grandfathers acted as gurus to their own
children and family members and transmitted to them the knowledge of
the Vedas or of the Self. Often husbands acted as gurus to their wives
and taught them the secrets of lilberation. Some of the most prominent
teachers of ancient India were Vyasa, Vashista, Bharadwaja, Parasara,
Vishwamitra, Ashtavakra, Uddalaka Aruni, Yajnavalkya, Satyakama
Jabala, Angirasa, etc.

Many divinities also acted as teachers. Brahma was the most prominent
among them, as the original teacher and transmitter of all the Vedas. The
Tantra tradition recognizes Shiva as a great teacher and world teacher.
He is the teacher of Parvathi, who in turn transmits the secrets of
transcendental knowledge to chosen disciples. Vishnu, Krishna also are
considered universal teachers.

Many saints and scholars of ancient India were also great teachers. For
example, Makandeya, Shankaracharya, Abhinavagupta, Gorakhnath,
Ramanuja, Madhava, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Basaveswara,
Raghavendra, etc., were well-known spiritual teachers of their times,
besides being great devotees and men of wisdom. In modern times,
Veerabrahmendra Swami, Shirdi Baba, Ramana Maharshi, Swami
Narayan, Lahari Mahasaya, Yogananda, Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo
initiated numerous aspirants into their paths and contributed to the
revival of Hinduism.

Gurus who left this world are commemorated both on their birth and
death anniversaries. Guru Purnima is a popular Hindu festival, during
which God is worshipped as a guru, or gurus are worshipped as God.
Guru in Hindu spiritual tradition

Etymologically, a guru (gu + ru) is the one who brings light and wisdom
(ru) into the dark, cavern hearts (gu) of the bound souls. He is the
liberator, who illuminates the minds and hearts of the ignorant. In many
Hindu traditions a guru is equated to God himself. The Hindu ethical
system insists that gurus should be treated with utmost respect, after
parents.

A guru’s word is inviolable. He is the door keeper of the secret

knowledge, which is hidden in the scriptures. He has the right to choose
his students and initiate them into the transcendental knowledge
according to his discretion. No one can benefit from his teachings
without paying him their dues (guru dakshina).

Paying respects to a guru, touching the feet of a guru, serving the guru
and taking care of his personal needs, praising and appreciating a guru,
seeking the blessings of a guru, remembering and meditating on the
name of a guru are part of Hindu spiritual tradition. Some guru
traditions hold that their gurus have the power to wash away sins,
neutralize past karma, pass on spiritual energy to chosen disciples, or
grant them liberation. Meditating upon a guru's name or guru's image
are encouraged in many traditions to seek the guru's blessings (guru
anugraha).

Just as in today’s world the reputation of professionals depends upon the

school or the university where they study, in ancient India the reputation
of students depended upon the gurus who initiated them into the study
of the scriptures. No one would become a guru, unless they were chosen
by their teachers and given the permission to teach on their behalf. The
order in which the instruction of a spiritual teacher passed from one
teacher to another through success generations is known as gurukrama.
The initiation process and strict discipline among the initiates ensured
the purity and continuity of the teachings.
Do you require a guru for your spiritual practice?
This is a difficult question. The answer to it depends upon which sect of
Hinduism you follow. In some Shaiva traditions, for example, individual
effort (anavopaya) is considered inferior to the grace of Shiva
(sambavopaya). Since a guru is considered an embodiment of Shiva, the
grace of a guru is equal to the grace of Shiva. In such traditions, the
guidance of a guru is considered necessary. In Vira Shaivism emphasis is
placed both on individual effort and reverence to a guru and a high priest
(jangama).

Thus, in Hindusim the relationship between a guru and his students

varies from tradition to tradition. Overtime, the role of a guru has also
changed. In olden days, there were no printed texts. If students had to
learn anything about liberation or their Dharma or about the hidden
teachings of a sacred text, they had to seek the help and instruction of a
teacher. Nowadays most of the texts with numerous commentaries are
available in public domain and within easy reach. Therefore, to acquire
the knowledge of the scriptures, you may not need the assistance of a
guru.

However, if you are intent upon liberation or if you lack conviction in

your own methods of spirituality, you may need a guru. In that case, you
have to find one who is reliable, truthful and a self-realized yogi. Finding
such a person in today’s world is a difficult task. Even if you find one,
you may not find enough opportunities to meet him personally or receive
instruction or initiation from him because he may be surrounded by too
many envious people who do not want anyone else to enter his inner
circle, or he may be too busy to take care of your spiritual needs.

Your primary goal should be liberation. If you are intent upon it and
serious about it, a solution will happen on its own. Instead, if your
primary goal is to find a guru so that you will have mental peace, or a
psychological crtuch to feel secure, loved and supported, or if you look
for a guru to know your future or fulfil your worldly desires, you may run
into trouble or may not find what you are looking for.

Therefore, unless a guru manifests in your life, you may consider

alternatives and focus your effort on self-purification. You should also
remember that if a guru is God in human form, so are you. You are also
an aspect of Brahman and possess the same soul and the same potential
to achieve the highest wisdom. Hence, your satguru (Shiva) is already in
you as your very Self (Isvara). To see him you do not have to cross the
oceans or stand in a long queue or pay an entrace feese to listen to his
speech. If you learn to contemplate upon him and establish your mind in
him, you may not require any external guru.

The tradition says that it is better to have a guru for your spiritual
journey, but does not insist that you should have one in physical form. In
Hinduism, there is a provision to consider a sacred scripture, a deity or
your very Self as your guide and guru and develop a mental and intuitive
connection with them. With the help of contemplation, austerities, and
self-purification, you can strengthen your faith in your personal guru of
the subtle realm and seek his help either to introduce you to a satguru or
lead you towards light, knowledge and immortalty. It is also possible that
if you have accumulated enough merit in your past lives, you will begin
your journey from where you left, as the Bhagavadgita declares that
there is no loss in the effort.