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In order to reach the zenith of
any human endeavor or field of knowledge, one must have a teacher, guide or a
mentor. If you want to be topnotch athlete, you would certainly need a capable
coach to train you and help you achieve your goal. Similarly, one who chooses to
tread a spiritual path seeking God realization needs a master or a guide
referred to as a Guru in Hinduism.
The word 'guru' literally means
the 'weighted one' i.e. the one who is heavily loaded with spiritual knowledge
or divine wisdom. It also means the one who leads his disciples from the
darkness of ignorance to spiritual enlightenment by imparting divine knowledge.
A guru is the one who guides his or her disciple to become a Jivamukta i.e. a
liberated soul that achieves salvation in his or her lifetime through
God-realization. In the modern world, however, the word Guru has acquired a
distorted, secular meaning- an expert or a highly knowledgeable person in any
field.
In ancient India, the guru served another
purpose. Having attained God-realization, he would set an example for his
disciples by living himself a life of simplicity, selfless-service and
discipline. He not only imparted moral values and spiritual knowledge to his
disciples, he himself practiced simple living and high thinking.
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