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“Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu
Gurur Devo Maheswarah
Gurur Sakshat Parambrahmah
Tasmai Sri Gurave Namah"
Guru is a word composed of two letter, ‘gu’ meaning darkness and ‘ru’ meaning dispeller. Guru means dispeller of darkness. What is darkness? ‘Avidya is darkness. Who is this Guru who can dispel this darkness? One who has control over the ‘sanskaras’; who can travel within himself and outside; who has been endorsed with the vision of light; who can lose his consciousness with no fear of death – such a person is the Guru, the one who leads us towards light – ‘Atmajyoti’, the self.
Necessity for Guru
In most of Indian scriptures it is said that in order to attain the final realization it is necessary to resort to a guru. No matter who or what we are, Guru is a necessity in our life. We are all lost wanderers in the ocean of life. We need a direction, a goal and an aim to sustain us. To stop this inner turmoil, one needs a guru. It is he who has mastered the laws which govern the mind, body and spirit. He alone can show the way to transform the negative patterns of our mind which stand between us and our inner self (our inner guru).
The Role of the Guru
Swami Sivananda asks: "Do you realize now the sacred significance and the supreme importance of the Guru's role in the evolution of man? It was not without reason that the India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of Guru-Tattva. It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year, age after age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the Guru, adores it and pays homage to it again and again, and thereby re-affirms its belief and allegiance to it. For the true Indian knows that the Guru is the only guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death, and experience the Consciousness of the Reality."
Guru is the guiding light. He may be in the physical body, but his spirit soars high into realms unknown. His motives are selfless, his desires defeated he has no aims and aspirations. Although it may seem to the out looker that he is very involved and immersed in what he is doing, for him it is all Illusion (maya). He has the special ability to be a part of everything and yet remain outside as a witness. He can withdraw himself at any moment.
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