The Role of the Guru in Sanatana Dharma

By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

(Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.)

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 at 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 arts 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 conveyer 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 is 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 dark Age of Conflict (Kali Yuga), unfortunately, we more often than not encounter
unqualified and self-anointed individuals who claim to be gurus while usually falling very far
short of the true meaning of this term. A true guru is not merely a conning "miracle" worker
pretending to pull sacred ash out of his sleeve like a third-rate magician; nor is he someone who
merely gives comforting hugs but does not deliver philosophical truth that leads his disciples to
liberation; nor is he simply an actor who is professionally photographed looking toward the skies
above with a big toothy grin; nor is the guru someone who abuses his disciples sexually,
financially, emotionally or spiritually with the consequent excuse that he was merely practicing
some heretofore unknown form of "tantra". Rather, a true guru possesses an ability that no fake
spiritual teacher can ever pretend to have. The true and authentic guru personifies the Truth in
everything he thinks, says and does; and has the ability to help others achieve that very same
Truth. Truth does not cheat. Truth does not abuse. Truth doesn't need your money. Truth
liberates you.
Often unqualified pretender gurus 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 offence (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 in 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.

For more information on how to follow the path of Sanatana Dharma, please visit:
http://www.dharmacentral.com

About the Author

Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

(Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.)

Sri Acharyaji has been practicing and teaching Dharma for over 35 years. With a Ph.D. from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is the Founder-Acharya of the International Sanatana
Dharma Society and the Director of the Center for Dharma Studies.
Sri Acharyaji is currently recognized as one of the world's foremost scholars on the Yoga
tradition, Dharma and meditation, as well as being a truly authentic spiritual teacher.

With a very large international following, Sri Acharyaji is especially renowned for his highly
authentic approach to spirituality, his authoritative and scholarly method of teaching, and his
clear emphasis on serious spiritual practice and direct experience of self-realization. He has
lectured on Dharma at dozens of top universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, Rutgers, Cornell,
and Northwestern. He has also served as a consultant for such Fortune 500 companies as Ford
Motor Corporation and Lucent Technology.

Sri Acharyaji's teachings stress the achievement of enlightenment through the practice of
meditation, Yoga, and directly experiencing the presence of the Divine. Another overarching
aspect of Sri Acharyaji's teachings focuses on the importance of love, compassion and service
toward all living beings.

Whether speaking to an audience of thousands, or having a heart-felt discussion with only one
person, Sri Acharyaji vividly conveys a deeply moving sense of compassion, peace, humility,
and spiritual insight that has endeared him to thousands of students and admirers throughout the
world.

For more information about the International Sanatana Dharma Society and the teachings of Sri
Acharyaji, please contact us at www.dharmacentral.com.

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