U kare andhakaarasya rukaaraha tannirodhakaha.
That is the definition of the Guru in our shaastras. Why do you need a nirodhaka, a remover of darkness? Why do you need somebody to bring you the light?
So, you can see everything. Whatever you can see with the light is what the senses give you and nothing beyond the perception of the senses. Many times, we even need some instruments to augment our senses like microscope, telescope etc so that we can see things beyond what our normal eyes can see. Similarly, we need some people to help us see that which is beyond. While this is a good definition of the word Guru, it is still a limited idea.
A telescope or microscope is good for a particular purpose but does not bring about any transformation within you whereas, a Guru is one who shows life in so many different dimensions. That is why one also approaches a Guru for day to day situations concerning family values, domestic situations or personal health.
In the shastric sense, a guru is one who brings about a transformation within oneself. That is why it is spiritual knowledge. The guru enables us to see something that is not only minute but very subtle and also beyond any means of perception. This subtle knowledge that ‘You are atman, you are Brahman, you have divinity within you,’ only a Guru can make you understand. Arjuna was looking for something and Krishna made him see deep and far beyond. Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are gurus who can show us what cannot be perceived or seen normally.
Only Sanatana Dharma has this concept of guru shishya. The closest thing in the West is the teacher-student relationship. The basic difference is that a guru is knowledge oriented and a teacher is teaching oriented. Teacher is only a cosmetic concept whereas a guru brings about internal transformation. Guru-shishya have a cosmic relationship whereas a teacher-student have a cosmetic relationship.
This guru shishya sambandha is something that can mould us into a different person and show us a different world. Once the guru opens our eyes and we attain this knowledge it is as if we were sleeping until now and have woken up to a wider, deeper reality. Just because we see that wider, deeper reality in the wakeful state, it doesn’t mean that when we go to sleep, we do not see the dream; but we see the dream as a dream and don’t get caught up in it. The one who attains this knowledge through a guru will continue to live in the world normally, follow the dharma of the world but at the same time will continue to see that something beyond, that something within. This is the transformation that will occur within himself. This is called enlightenment. In every situation, that person will see an altogether different paradigm whereas we cannot see that.
The relationship between the guru and the shishya is different from the relationship between a teacher and the student. The teacher and the student have a relationship with a quantitative difference. Quantitatively, the teacher knows more than the student. He also gives direction to the student as to where he can gain more knowledge and at one point qualitatively, they become equal or the student can even surpass the teacher.
In the case of the guru shishya it is a qualitative difference, not quantitative. The guru, by quality, is much higher than the shishya so while the shishya tries to get more knowledge and improve himself, he can still see how much more the guru has. Although you progress, you can see that the guru is far ahead and that inspires you to try to reach that far. It does not throw the shishya into desperation, “Oh, He knows so much. I don’t know.” It is a very inspirational thing. So, a guru has to be somebody who has that ability to inspire and also has vast knowledge and vast depth.
External knowledge can inflate your ego but an inward spiritual journey will dissolve your ego. Basically, everything external becomes unimportant and when it is unimportant why do I want to shine through them? So, I will no longer be enamoured by position, recognition etc. As one progresses under the guru there is less ego and more humility. This is one of the biggest yardsticks to measure one’s progress.
A guru is one who does not assume that he is the guru but the shishya will recognize him as the guru. Guru is important for the shishya but the shishya is not important for the guru. A Guru is one who has the experience that he is one with Brahman and is not an individual. One with Brahman means one with everybody else so there is no question of any ego or aggrandizement. He is very simple, very happy.
The guru also has more responsibility to pass on his Self-knowledge, the inner experience without ego. In the Upanishad parampara, there are so many who have given this extraordinary knowledge but we don’t even know their name. They have not claimed any authorship, they did not ask for copyright. They don’t even claim that they are giving the knowledge. In Ishavasya Upanishad, the teacher reveals profound knowledge about karma vidya and avidya. Teacher says, “I am not giving this knowledge. People who came before I did have given this knowledge and of that whatever I could understand and observe, I am passing it on to you.’ He is not taking any credit. He says they are the ones who are shedding light and that he is only directing that light to his student.
You can see the degree of humility deeply embedded in the guru. In the BG, Krishna says, “The more you learn, the less egoistic you become and the more shraddha and humility you develop.” Vidya vinaya sampanne - What is the wealth of knowledge? Vinaya. Humility. This is the deep spiritual connection between a guru and a shishya.
Written by
YOGASHREE N.V.RAGHURAM