Guru Pornima

• गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः
  गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
  गुरुःसाक्षात् परब्रह्म
  तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नम: ॥
• Indian vedas, continue to be difficult yet fascinating at the same time. In spite of having recited this shloka since childhood, not many know the exact meaning that it does and could have.
• Guru, in the vedas, has been given the utmost importance and position. A huge many stories and chapters from the vedic scriptures wind and revolve around gurus.

This, to be honest, is the simplest vedic shloka based on gurus that almost each one of us knows, although not inside out. It compares the gurus with the trinity gods, bramha, the creator; vishnu, the preserver; and mahesh, the destroyer. He has been assigned the potential vested in the three gods altogether, and is in fact even more influential and powerful than them.

Guru has been furthermore called the ultimate god, whose form cannot be described and who cannot be assigned any attributes.

It has been stated that if someone were to meet god and his guru at the same time, then he or she is obliged to acknowledge the presence of his guru and prioritise him before god. The explanation is indeed striking. It has been said that it is the guru that introduces to us, the concept of education and god. Guru is the channel through which every individual acquires knowledge, may that be the that of sciences, or of and about god. Without the existence of the guru, none of us would have known god and acknowledged him. Thus it is an obligation on every individual to prioritise his guru over god, himself!

Guru, in my understanding, is the bridge between individuals and their final destination that they wish to achieve.

Someone who influences so many lives without expecting anything in return, guru has been called the being that has the perfect blend of the three gunas. The three gunas namely, sattva, i.e., constructive and harmonious; rajas, i.e., passionate, active, confused; and tamas, i.e.,destructive, chaotic and dark. He is said to have transcended and overcome the negativity and tamas and has the perfect proportion of sattva and rajas.

Bhagwad Gita, the collection of conversations between krishna and arjuna, reflects exactly what an ideal teacher is. Krishna, who helped arjuna steer his way through the war against his principles and family, was not just a friend to him, but was also his guru. The very force that kept arjuna going in a war against his own men, krishna was the guru that helped him distinguish between righteous and the wrong, between family and foes, and prioritise emotions and responsibilities correctly.

The key role of the guru is to help his disciples realise the righteous between responsibilities and emotions.

Being a guru is indeed a job of responsibility and discipline, and suffering resent. On this occasion of Guru Pornima, TEDxPICT would like to wish everyone a very happy Guru Pornima, on account of being a guru to each other one time or another.