Guru Vandana means “Reverence for the Teacher” – it is the thanksgiving from a student to a teacher, expressing their gratitude. The Guru Vandana program provides a platform for students to honor their teachers for imparting knowledge and wisdom to them.
Guru
The concept of
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
is as old as humanity itself. Primarily, the word Guru means a '
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and as such it is a universal concept based on the idea of transmitting knowledge from a person, who knows something, to an ignorant student or disciple. In an extended view, a Guru can also be a priest, a rabbi, a master, a school teacher, even a father or a mother. Guru does not mean a teacher imparting formal training but a person who contributes to the overall development and learning of an individual. The syllable ''gu'' means darkness, the syllable ''ru'', he who dispels them, because of the power to dispel darkness, the guru is thus named.
Guru transforms his disciple through his presence and spiritual knowledge. According to
RamaKrishna Prarahamsa Spiritual knowledge can not be attained completely by reading books. But for obtaining complete spiritual enlightenment Guru’s presence is a must. Only when there is a strong bond between Guru and
Shishya can spiritual enlightenment occur.
Origins of
Guru Shishya Parampara
Thus our great
sanathana dharma tradition has been enriched by the Guru-Sishya relationship.
Lord Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
's greatness lay in His relationship with His most loyal disciple
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
who taught the essence of
Ramanamamritim. Lord
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
gave us the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
, thanks to his devoted and most trusted disciple
Arjuna
Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
. Saint
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
gave to the world
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
who in turn gave to the world the
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the ''Ramakrishna Movement'' or the ''Vedanta Movement''. The mission is named after and inspired by th ...
, embodying the soul of India. Saint Thyagaraja, an avatar of
Sage Valmiki, composed hundreds of soulful Krithis in praise of God. Two Krithis, in particular, refer to the gurus' role in guiding the seeker on the right path. Guru leka in 'Gowrimanohari' raga is a Krithi in which the Saint of
Thiruvaiyar sings how one who is trapped in the jungle of desire, can come out of it with help of the right
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
. Saint Thyagaraja says however learned and good a person might be, life would be meaningless without the guidance of a
Satguru
''Satguru'' ( sa, सत्गुरु), or ''sadguru'' ( sa, सद्गुरु), means the 'true guru' in Sanskrit. The term is distinguished from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on ...
. In another Krithi, Sri Naradamuni Gururaya ganti in
Bhairavi
Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava.
Etymology
The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is the ...
raga, Thyagaraja explains how
Satguru Smaranam helps to free one of ignorance.
In modern times
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) had conducted the program in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
in which over 30 teachers and a principal were honored by students. Children from Houston Balagokulams area picked up their favorite teachers. Acharya Premchand Sridhar of Arya Samaj Houston presided over the program. The program started with Sridhar lighting the lamp and it was followed by cultural programs and with the explanation of Hindu Concept of Gurus. After the felicitation of teachers Veda Vrinda group chanted the section of the Taittariya Upanishad known as the Vedic Commencement Address.
Guruvandana is also performed by disciples to spiritual masters. During GuruVandana program
GuruGita is recited by disciple to honor his guru.
GuruGita forms section of
Skanda Purana
The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...
. In
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
Guruvandana was offered to
Sankaracharya
Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; te ...
of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. Despite rains, a crowd gathered in Malleshwaram to felicitate their Spiritual Guru. In
ISKCON
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
temples Guruvandana,
written by the great vaisnava acarya
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, is performed for spiritual Guru
Srila Prabhupada throughout the year.
In other religions
Apart from Hinduism Guru-Shishya concept is followed in other religions like Jain, Sikh, Buddhism. In fact the word Sikh has origins from Sanskrit 'shishya'. Jains celebrate Guru Vandana as part of their rituals.
References
Kanchi seer felicitationGuruvandana in Houston{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202940/http://www.hssus.org/content/view/207/1/ , date=2016-03-03
Hindu philosophical concepts