ajay bhardwaj
Remember Eklavya episode in Mahabharata? After the Guru that he had chosen to learn from, Guru Dronacharya, declined to accord him the status of a disciple, undeterred he retraced from the Rishi”s ashram, installed his image at his cottage and worked assiduously hard to learn what he wanted to learn. Mind you, he did not think of going to another guru after receiving rebuff from the one whom he had cherished in his heart and mind.
In front of his Guru”s idol he would practise archery and achieved an acumen which threatened to excel that of Arjuna, who was Dronacharya”s most coveted disciple.
This is what Guru bhakti is all about. Complete submission to him. In thought, mind and action. And then Guru becomes a force that is no different from th Almighty.
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Gurur-Brahmaa Gurur-Vissnnur-Gururdevo Maheshvarah |
Gurure(-I)va Param Brahma Tasmai Shrii-Gurave Namah ||
Guru is Brahmaa, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Shiva, yet Guru is all three put together. This is the significance of a Guru or a Teacher in our culture.
It was on this concept that the Guru-Shishya tradition blossomed in ancient times of Bharat as it nurtured the education system and cultural ethos of the society. The rich tradition continued till it got dismantled in the wake of invasions and was subsequently blown to smithereens under the British Raj.
In the society, however, the Gurus continued to held in high esteem as they have been integral to the process of acquiring knowledge and wisdom. In fact, “Guru Purnima” is observed every year on the full moon day of the Ashadh lunar month that generally falls in July. The Hindus celebrate the day in honor of the great sage Vyasa, who is seen as one of the greatest Gurus in ancient Hindu tradition. The day is held in equal reverence by the Buddhists and the Jains as well.
Significantly, the Guru does not have to be essentially in a human form as Eklavya had also established ages ago.
The RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar set a glorious precedent on the Guru Purnima day in 1928 when he announced to the “swayamsevaks” that the “Bhagawa dhwaj” would be treated as a Guru in the RSS. The “swayamsevaks” were made to offer “Guru Dakshina” to the flag, which, he said, epitomised age-old culture of valour and sacrifice.
One may ask why does one need a Guru after all ? The simple answer is that the Guru helps and facilitates the process of acquiring knowledge. He is an instrument, a tool to open new vistas of knowledge for which, otherwise, one would have to toil too much.
In today’s parlance he is like a GPS system which guides and ferries you to the destination and saves you from getting misled. He keeps you focused and optimizes the use of energy for you. In many ways he is simply your friend, philosopher and guide. An indispensable anchor.
