Who is a Guru?
On the eve of Guru Purnima, let us understand who is a real Guru.
The birthday of Krishna Dwaipayan or Maharishi Ved Vyas falls on full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu month Ashadha. It is celebrated as Guru Purnima.
Maharishi Ved Vyas holds a special place in Hindu history.
Maharishi Ved Vyas wrote the Mahabharata, the world’s longest epic that includes the Bhagawat Gita. The epic was very long history of Bharat composed in verse form. Maharishi Vyas was composing it at such a pace that he needed a scribe. It is said Lord Ganesha was convinced to write it in a cave. You can read about the story here. Thus the Mahabharata was written in the cave is in Mana Village in Uttarakhand.
Maharishi Vyas also collected, classified and documented the entire Vedic literature available till that time. He wrote commentaries, expositions and analytical works—these works and his wisdom guide Sanatan Dharma even today. As a recognition of this immense contribution, his birthday is dedicated to all Gurus.
But who is a Guru?
Unfortunately, the term Guru has been diluted. Not every teacher is a Guru. In fact, many are definitely not Gurus.
Guru removes the blinkers on our inner divinity.
Think of us as a lamp with divinity as our flame. Now imagine that because of various reasons, our lamp’s shade is quite dark and opaque. Our flame does not burn bright, stifled for various reasons. The Guru removes all these impediments and lets our inner divinity shine bright.
Guru disciplines and amplifies the divinity
The second job of the Guru is to discipline, test and unshackle the potential of their student. The real Guru lets their students’ flame burn at its brightest. It means Guru needs to be more of a role model, coach and psychologist than a teacher.
Very importantly, Guru does not imprint her views on the student.
Most Gurus today tint the students’ lamp based on their own knowledge and understanding. Like the pictures below, today’s gurus put their views, their own limitations on the student. Such people are not true gurus. Since the students’ potential and capacity is circumscribed by the limitations of their guru, these students can never be greater than these teachers. The students of real Guru often become more powerful, more potent, greater than the Guru themselves.
Such a Guru deserves the same respect as God.
A Guru who gives so much for helping her student achieve her potential becomes very dear to the student.
गुरूर्ब्रह्मा गुरूर्विष्णुः गुरूर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरूर्साक्षात परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ।।
It says, Guru is Brahma (Creator), Guru is Vishnu (Preserver) and Guru is Maheswara (Shiva, the destroyer), in fact, Guru is Param Brahma (The one Isvar, the ultimate truth), I salute to that revered Guru.
Guru is the third important person you encounter.
As per Sanatan Dharma, the mother is the first Guru, the father is the second Guru and then comes your Guru. You also give your Guru Dakshina, a kind of fee that depends upon what the student can offer and what the teacher can demand.
To such Gurus of mine, I bow before you!