What is a True Guru ?गु शब्दस्त्वंधकारस्यात रु शब्दस्तन्निरोधक : अन्धकार निरोधत्वात गुरुरित्यभिधीयते। (अद्वय तार्कोपनिषद १ ६ )

The word "guru " has now been adopted by the English language as well ,and so we use  here terms such as Marketing guru ,Economics guru ,Finance guru ,etc .However ,when you refer to the true Guru ,you are enquiring about the spiitual connotation of the word as described in the scriptures .The meaning of the word "Guru "is :

गु शब्दस्त्वंधकारस्यात रु शब्दस्तन्निरोधक :

अन्धकार निरोधत्वात गुरुरित्यभिधीयते। (अद्वय तार्कोपनिषद १ ६ )

"The syllable "gu" means "darkness" ,and "ru"means "to destroy ".Hence ,one who dispels our nescience and brings to us the light of true wisdom is the Guru .

यहाँ शब्दांश (सिलेबल ) "गु "का अर्थ "अन्धकार "(अज्ञान अन्धकार )है तथा "रु "का शब्दार्थ "विनष्ट 

"करना है। अर्थात जो हमारा अज्ञान नष्ट करे तथा हमें ज्ञान के आलोक में लाये ,ज्ञानोदय करे हमारा 

वही गुरु है। 

The true Guru  must have two qualifications .Firstly ,he or she should possess theoretical knowledge of the scriptures -this is called Shrotriya (श्रोत्रीय ).Secondly ,he or she should have realized that knowledge and be seated in the Truth -this is called Brahm Nishth (ब्रह्म निष्ठ ).Hence, a true Guru is one who is both -Shrotriya and Brahm Nishth.

In these ,the second criterion is most important ,i.e .the Guru must be God -realized .Only one who has attained God can help others attain Him .If one is a beggar himself ,how can he give money to others ;if one has no knowledge himself ,how can he teach others ?If one has not attained the Bliss of Divine love ,how can he give it to others ?

Hence , a Guru who has attained God is the true Guru ,and such a Spiritual Master is called "Sadguru ,"or One who is seated in the Truth."

जो स्वयं भगवान् को प्राप्त हो चुका है वही सच्चा- सच्चा गुरु है ,ऐसा 

अध्यात्म दक्ष शिक्षक ही सद्गुरु है जो स्वयं सत्य में अवस्थित है 

,स्थापित है। 

ब्रह्म ,गुरु ,जीव ,माया ,संत और भगत इन सबको मिलाकर ही भगवान् 

(पर्सनल गाड )बनता है। गुरु और ब्रह्म दोनों समकक्ष हैं ,

बराबर हैं ,न इनमें कोई छोटा है न बड़ा। 

Reference Material :Spiritual Dialectics -by Swami Mukundananda 

Radha Govind Dham 

XVII /3305 ,Ranjit Nagar

New Delhi -110-008

India 

www.jkyog.org

श्रीमद भगवदगीता चौथा अध्याय :श्लोक चौदहवाँ 

न मां कर्माणि लिम्पन्ति , न मे कर्मफले स्पृहा 

इति मां योअभिजानाती ,कर्मभिर न स बध्यते 

मुझे कर्म का बंधन नहीं लगता ,क्योंकि मेरी इच्छा कर्म फल में नहीं रहती है। इस रहस्य को जो व्यक्ति भलीभांति समझकर मेरा अनुसरण करता है ,वह भी कर्म के बंधनों से नहीं बंधता है। 

भाव यह है जो कोई  सर्वप्रमुख होना चाहे ,वह सबसे पीछे होकर सबका सेवक बने। सारे कर्म प्रार्थना सहित -मात्र व्यक्तिगत लाभ के लिए न करके किसी अच्छे उद्देश्य और जनकल्याण के लिए करने चाहिए। 

Activities do not taint me ,nor do I desire the fruits of action .One who knows me in this way is never bound by the karmic actions of work .

God is all pure ,and whatever he does also becomes pure and auspicious .The Ramayana states:

samaratha  kahun nahin doshu gosain,rabi pavaka sursari ki 

nain.

समरथ काहुना दोषु गोसाईं ,रबि पावका सुरसरि कि नाईं 

"Pure personalities are never taited by defects even in contact with impure situations and entities ,like the sun ,the fire , and the Ganges." The sun does not get tainted if sun light falls on a puddle of urine .The sun retains its purity ,while also purifying the dirty puddle .Similarly if we offer impure objects into the fire ,it still retains its purity -the fire is pure ,and whatever we pour into it it also gets purified .In the same manner ,numerous gutters of rainwater merge into the holy Ganges ,but this does not make the Ganges a gutter -the Ganges is pure and it transforms all those dirty gutters into the holy Ganges .Likewise ,God is not tainted by the activities he performs .

Even Saints who are situated in  God-consciousness become transcendental to the material energy .Since all their activities are effectuated in love for God ,such pure hearted Saints are not bound by the fruitive reactions of work .The Shrimad Bhagvatam states :

             yat pada pankaja paraga nisheva tripta 

             yoga prabhava vidhutakhila karma bandhah 

              saviram charanti munayo ' pi na nahyamanas 

              tasyechchhayatta vapushah kuta eva bandhah 

"Material activities never taint the devotees of God who are fully satisfied in serving the dust of his lotus feet .Nor do material activities taint those wise sages who have freed themselves from the bondage of fruitive reactions by the power of Yog .So where is the question of bondage for the Lord himself who assumes his transcendental form according to his own will ?"