A Spiritual Guru, who lives according to the teachings of the scriptures, and inspires us also to live that way, is called an Acharya.
What is the meaning of the word Guru?
Gu means darkness and Ru means light.
So Guru is one who removes the darkness of sorrow, confusion, fear, hatred and ignorance by the light of love & knowledge.
Why do I need a Guru or an Acharya? Why can't I directly learn from the internet or by reading books or listening to CDs?
Beacause CD players, computers or books cannot understand us or love us no matter how much we love them. For that, I need a Guru, who can understand me and hep me understand myself better.
Need of a Guru:
- Even if we have to learn maths, swimming, dancing or any skill, we need a teacher. Then how can we learn the art of living without a teacher?
- Lord Ram studied under Guru Vashishtha and Lord Krishna studied under Guru Sandeepany. Sri Adi Sankaracharya studies under Guru Swami Govindapaadacharya. Swami Vivekananda studied under Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. Swami Chinmayananda studied under Guru Swami Tapovanji Maharaj. Dr. Abdul Kalam was inspired by Guru Swami Sivananda. If the gods, saints & leaders also need a Guru, how can we be without one?
What exactly does the Guru do?
- The guru teaches us those important lessons of life which help us discover our Infinite potential
- The guru helps us decode the teachings of the scriptures in a way that we will understand them
- The guru connects us with ourselves and with god
- The guru encourages and inspires us whenever we fail or feel low
- We all have god who protects us, parents who take care of us, friends who love us, relatives who help us. But the guru is all this rolled into one. The Guru takes care of us like a selfless parent, loves us like a dear friend, helps us like a close relative, protects us like the compassionate lord himself and inspires us at every moment as a teacher.
What does the Guru want?
- The guru wants nothing from us
- He has found god and has no more desires for anything at all
- He does not demand anything, but only wishes that we live happy and inspired lives
" Keep Smiling for me!" - Swami Chinmayananda
Why then do we offer Gurudakshina?
- Gurudakshina is an offering or gift of gratitude which the students gives out of love
- Gurudakshina is not a fees. What the Guru does for us can't be paid for. It is invaluable.
Why Seva of the Acharya?
- When we serve the guru, we learn to surrender our ego. Obedience is the first rule of the Guru - Sishya relationship. So when we obey the guru, our ego becomes lesser and lesser, we learn to surrender and accept. Such people can transform into extra-ordinary personalities very easily because lesser our ego, faster is our learning.
- When we serve the guru, the guru makes us do things we never thought we could. Thus our hidden potentials are discovered.
- For instance, when Hanuman decided to serve Ram, Ram made him jump across the ocean and fly to Lanka. Hanuman himself never knew he could do such a thing, but Ram knew!
- When Swami Chinmayananda was is Swami Sivananda's ashram " Divine Life Society" at Hrishikesh, one day Sivadandaji called Swami Chinmayananda to the front of the whole class and asked him to give a speech. Swami Chinmayanand did not know how to give a speech nor what to say. He just stood and fumbled, but could not speak at all. Then Sivanandaji asked him to prepare for it and speak the next day. Swami Chinmayananda did so and in few years, became one of the greatest orators in the history.
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