The Role of the Guru in Sanatana Dharma by Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.
"Many cannot even hear about the soul, and even after hearing about the soul, many cannot understand it; this is because it is hard to find an Acharya who is a genuine seer of the truth. Such a qualified Acharya is a great soul and is very rare. At the same time, realization of the truth can be had only by those disciples who carefully follow the qualified Acharya's teachings and become expert in the science of God. Such disciples are also very rare. Thus it is that only a few ever come to know the soul in truth." - (Katha Upanisad, 1.2.7.)
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The Role of the Guru in Sanatana Dharma
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
Founder-President
International Sanatana Dharma Society
tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah
"Just try to learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him
submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart
knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth."
(Bhagavad Gita, 4:34)
The concept of practicing spiritual life under the guidance of an authentic and
qualified guru, or spiritual teacher, has been central to the entire Dharmic
world-view from the beginning of time, down to our present day. So important has
the role of the guru always been in Vedic culture, that there is no Hindu
tradition or sampradaya (school of thought) in all of Sanatana Dharma that does
not offer the greatest of respect to the importance of the guru. The great
Vedantic text known as the Vedanta-sara paints the following dramatic picture in
order to convey the importance of having a guru in one's spiritual pursuit:
janana-maranadi-samsaranala-santapto dipta-sira jala-rasim iva
upahara-panbm sotriyam brahma-nistham gurum upasrtya tam anusarati
"Just as a person whose head is on fire runs to water, one who burns from the
flames of birth, death, old age, and disease in the holocaust of material
existence must run to a genuine guru for relief. Such a guru must be fixed in
the Absolute Truth and well-versed in the scriptures. One should approach him
with all that is needed for sacrifice and submit to him as a disciple, ready to
carry out his every instruction."
(Vedanta-Sara, 11)
In our present era, the term "guru" has become very well known even throughout
the non-Hindu world, in addition to being known within Sanatana Dharma. Indeed,
the very word "guru" has today become a part of the standard English lexicon
with such terms as "computer guru", "health guru", "economics guru", etc. being
employed in daily usage. While the use of the word has become widespread,
however, the sacrosanct importance of the station of guru is not as deeply
understood in contemporary society as it once was. In the following work, I will
be briefly explaining the traditional Dharmic understanding of the importance of
the guru in the life of the spiritual practitioner, as well as dispelling some
of the more common myths often wrongly associated with the principle of guru.
Interestingly, the very word "guru" itself is actually a somewhat generalized
term that simply means a competent teacher of any kind. Any skilled expert who
is authorized to teach a specific subject can be considered a guru in the most
general of senses. Thus, there can be a sitar guru, a martial arts guru, a
medicinal sciences guru, or a fine arts guru. When the word is used in the
overtly spiritual sense, however, then we are talking about a guru of a
categorically different nature. The spiritual guru is specifically designated as
a "sadguru" or a teacher of Truth. It is the sadguru, the conveyor of Truth, who
serves as the underlying model of any and all other types of gurus.
It has always been universally recognized that one can only learn a specialized
field of important knowledge from a qualified and well-trained teacher, an
expert on that particular subject who has both theoretical knowledge, as well as
the acquired experience necessary to bring that knowledge to life. If one were
to study to become a medical doctor, for example, it is understood that the only
way to truly understand medicine is to go to a recognized school, and learn
under the instruction of very experienced professors who themselves are
recognized doctors trained and authorized to teach. If we attempt to learn to
become a doctor by merely reading books on our own without the benefit of such
expert guidance, we will be doing both ourselves and our later patients the
greatest of disservices. Rather than curing our patients, in fact, we will most
likely harm them due to our not having learned medicine from a living authority.
Similarly, it has been universally recognized in our Hindu tradition since the
most ancient of times that if one wishes to understand and make progress in the
realm of spirituality, one must also seek guidance under the most able spiritual
professionals available. Such a spiritual professional is the guru.
According to the Bhagavata Purana:
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasum sreyam uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam
"One who is searching for the Ultimate Truth must surrender unto a spiritual
master, a guru. A guru knows the inner meaning of the Vedas, is fixed in the
Absolute Truth and is expert in the shastra, the revealed scriptures."
(Bhagavata Purana, 11.3.21)
Of all types of gurus, the scriptures (Shastras) of Sanatana Dharma have
recognized the Acharya as the most important form that the principle of guru can
take. Acharyavan puruso veda, "Only one who has an Acharya can know the Truth."
(Chandogya Upanisad, 6.18.2) It is only under the guidance of an Acharya who
knows the Truth that a seeker can in turn know Truth.
The sadguru is a spiritual teacher. The Acharya, moreover, is considered to be a
sadguru who has attained a much higher stage of personal spiritual development,
and who thus has more responsibility in the realm of Dharmic leadership. An
Acharya is a spiritual preceptor who represents a living lineage (sampradaya) of
Sanatana Dharma, and who embodies the teachings of Dharma in his own life, thus
teaching the world by his own personal living example. While every Acharya
fulfills the function of a guru, not every guru can be considered an Acharya.
More than merely being a teacher in the formal academic sense, however, the
Acharya guru is recognized as also being someone who possesses divine qualities
due to his own years of practice and inner realization, and who thus perfectly
personifies the fruit of spiritual teachings in his own life.
acinoti yam sastrartham
acare sthapayaty api
svayam acarate yasma
acharyas tena kirtitam
"An Acharya is one who fully understands the conclusions of the revealed
scriptures. His own behavior reflects his deep realization, and thus he is a
living example of divine precept. He is therefore known as an Acharya, or one
who teaches the meaning of the scriptures both by word and deed."
(Vayu Purana)
The qualified and authentic guru is not merely someone who teaches the Truth
verbally, but who also lives that Truth perfectly, and who then reflects that
Truth to his students in a living and dynamic way.
In the present Age of Conflict (Kali Yuga), unfortunately, we often encounter
unqualified and self-anointed individuals who claim to be gurus while often
falling very far short of the true meaning of this term. Often such unqualified
persons do not possess the prerequisite qualities, training, and characteristics
necessary to call themselves a guru in the authentic and scripturally-based
sense of this term. The scriptures of Sanatana Dharma have given us very clear
and unambiguous guidelines of many of the most important qualities necessary in
order to recognize whether or not a person is in fact an authentic and qualified
guru. Some of these guidelines are outlined in the Bhagavad Gita:
duhkhesv anudvigna-manah
sukhesu vigata-sprhah
vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah
sthita-dhir munir ucyate
"One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated
when experiencing pleasantness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger,
is called a sage of steady mind."
(Bhagavad Gita, 2:56)
Thus, the sadguru (true guru) is inwardly detached and transcends the sufferings
of this world, accepting material pleasure and pain, suffering and pleasantness
with equal demeanor. It is as a result of the true guru's transcendent status -
and the consequent calm, peace, and gravitas that the guru exudes at all times -
that the true guru has the ability to help his student to similarly transcend
the darkness of ignorance.
More, the true guru exhibits certain necessary inherent qualities that are a
reflection of the fact that he is presencing the Divine in his own life. Again,
the Bhagavad Gita gives us several lists of these important transcendental
qualities of the true guru, or the liberated sage, including the following
important characteristics:
"The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence,
cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of
sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence,
truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to
faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and
steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from
envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities, O son of
Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature."
(Bhagavad Gita, 16:1-3)
In this way, the guru personifies the fruit of a sattvic (spiritually positive)
lifestyle and of years of meditative practice.
A true guru is known, not merely by how much charisma they may possess, or by
what cheap supposed miracles they seemingly perform, or by how popular they have
become with the gullible masses due to well-formulated PR and marketing
campaigns. Rather, true gurus are known by whether or not they personify the
qualities of a guru that are clearly outlined in the scriptures of Sanatana
Dharma. Any person who claims to be a true guru, but who does not exhibit all
the qualities of a true guru that are revealed in the scriptures of Sanatana
Dharma, is a false guru and must be immediately rejected as a charlatan if the
student is going to make any progress toward the goal of transcendental
realization.
It is precisely because the true guru both personifies the very highest
philosophical teachings (siddhanta), as well as the moral and yogic behavior
described in our scriptures that the guru has the ability to deliver us from
ignorance to wisdom, from darkness to the light, and from bondage to freedom.
According to our scriptures, when we find ourselves in the presence of such an
authentic guru, it is almost as if we are in the very presence of God Himself;
because like God, the sadguru has the ability to show us Truth, and to thus set
us free. In the Bhagavata Purana, Sri Krishna confirms this in His instructions
to His great devotee Uddhava:
acharyam mam vijaniyam
navamanyeta karhicit
na martya buddhyasuyeta
sarva-deva mayo gurum
[Krishna told Uddhava] "Know the Acharya as My very Self. I am the Acharya.
Never envy the Acharya; never blaspheme him or consider him to be an ordinary
man. Because the Acharya channels the infinite, He is greater than the sum total
of all the finite. Thus, he is more important than all the gods."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.17.27)
Further, Sri Krishna explains in the same sacred text that to even view the
liberated Acharya as an ordinary man, and to not offer one's due respects to
such an exhalted guru, is considered by Him to be a great offense
(guru-maha-aparadha):
yasya saksad bhagavati
jnana-dipa prade gurau
martyasad-dhim srutam tasya
sarvam ku-jara-saucavat
"The guru must be considered to be like the Supreme Lord Himself, because he
bestows the light of transcendental knowledge upon his disciples. Consequently,
for one who maintains the material conception that the guru is an ordinary human
being, everything is frustrated. His attempts to make progress in spiritual life
- his Vedic studies and scriptural knowledge, his penances and austerities, and
his worship of the deity - are all as useless as the bathing of an elephant who
rolls in the mud after his bath."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.17)
Confirmation of these Vedic instructions on the nature of sadguru is found
throughout the length and breadth of the Hindu scriptures. For example, in the
Padma Purana it is explained that: gurus nara-matir yasya va naraki sam, "One
who thinks that the guru is an ordinary man is said to live in ignorance." In
this way, we see that the totality of the scriptures speak in one, unified and
authoritative voice on the importance of the guru and the unique role of the
guru is the life of one who claims the desire to know Truth.
Later in this same conversation, Uddhava replies to Sri Krishna's instruction in
the same vein:
naivopayanty apacitim kavayas tavesa
brahmayusapi krtam rddha mudam smarantam
yo'ntar bahis tanu-bhrtam asubham vidhunvann
acarya-caittya vapusa sva-gatim vyanakti
[Uddhava said to Sri Krishna] "O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in
spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if
they were endowed with the lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in two features -
externally as the Acharya and internally as the Paramatman, the Supreme Self -
to deliver the embodied living beings by revealing to them your devotional
service and teaching them how to approach you on the path of divine love."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.29.6)
In addition to explaining both the nature and the qualities of the sadguru, the
scriptures also explain that it is likewise very important to understand the
important qualities that must be present in a sincere and qualified student. In
the Katha Upanishad, for example, we read the following:
sravanayapi bahubhir yo na labhyam
srnvanto 'pi bahavo na vidyum
acharyo 'sya vakta kusalo 'sya labhda
acharyo jnata kushala nushishtam
"Many cannot even hear about the soul, and even after hearing about the soul,
many cannot understand it; this is because it is hard to find an Acharya who is
a genuine seer of the truth. Such a qualified Acharya is a great soul and is
very rare. At the same time, realization of the truth can be had only by those
disciples who carefully follow the qualified Acharya's teachings and become
expert in the science of God. Such disciples are also very rare. Thus it is that
only a few ever come to know the soul in truth."
(Katha Upanisad, 1.2.7.)
To find a sincere and worthy student is thus explained as being just as
difficult as finding a qualified and worthy sadguru. The highest attainment of
transcendent Truth, and the personal spiritual liberation (moksha) that results
from such a realization, is the most difficult goal to realize. Thus, Krishna
states in the Bhagavad Gita:
Manushyam sahasreshu
Kashchid yatati siddhaye
Yatatam api siddhanam
Kashchin mam vetti tattvatah
"Of many thousands of men, one will attempt to reach perfection; and of the few
who reach this goal, only a rare soul will perhaps know Me as I am."
(Bhagavad Gita, 7:3)
When a sincere student and a qualified sadguru finally do find each other, and
unite in the eternal process of spiritual exchange the guru sharing his
insight, instruction, and empowering presence with the student; and the student
learning and growing spiritually with humility, sincerity, openness and
eagerness we then witness the perfect conditions necessary for the celebration
and living of Truth. If you are seeking Truth, then seek the guidance of one who
has seen the Truth. Seek the sadguru.
The Author:
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) is an American who has
been practicing Sanatana Dharma for over 35 years. He has a Ph.D. in Religious
Studies.
His primary websites are:
http://www.dharmacentral.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drmoraleslist/
http://www.youtube.com/DharmaNation
http://www.dharmacentral.com/forum
© Dr. Frank Morales, 2009
NOTE: If this page was accessed during a web search you may wish to browse the sites listed below where this topic or related issues are discussed in detail to promote global peace, religious harmony, and spiritual development of humanity:
www.adishakti.org/www.al-qiyamah.org/
www.adi-shakti.org/ Divine Feminine (Hinduism)
www.holyspirit-shekinah.org/ Divine Feminine (Christianity)
www.ruach-elohim.org/ Divine Feminine (Judaism)
www.ruh-allah.org/ Divine Feminine (Islam)
www.tao-mother.org/ Divine Feminine (Taoism)
www.prajnaaparamita.org/ Divine Feminine (Buddhism)
www.aykaa-mayee.org/ Divine Feminine (Sikhism)
www.great-spirit-mother.org/ Divine Feminine (Native Traditions)
"Now, the principle of Mother is in every, every scripture - has to be there." Shri Mataji, Radio Interview 1983 Oct 01, Santa Cruz, USA
