A guru is a spiritual teacher, someone who leads a follower to wisdom and self-realization, imparts knowledge. A guru guides his disciple to divinity. The word guru is commonly used in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh traditions to indicate a religious teacher. The word originates in Sanskrit, and is formed by the syllables gu and ru. Gu indicates darkness, and ru indicates destruction. Thus, when translated directly, guru means ‘dispeller of darkness’ where unawareness is dark and spiritual knowledge, is light. In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna, in his youth, goes to the ashram of Guru Sandiipanii, to gain knowledge of both intellectual and spiritual matters. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna plays the role of guru to Arjuna, guiding him through his doubts regarding morality and duty. In the Ramayana, the guru-shishya relationship is demonstrated through the hero Rama and the monkey deity Hanuman. In the Guru Gita, Lord Shiva is the guru, while his female consort Parvati is the shishya. In the Hindu tradition, it is believed that one can attain moksha only through a Guru. Mantras given by a Guru when recited enlighten a human mind. The guru will guide the disciple in religious rituals and ceremonies with the goal of awakening the sleeping shaktis or spiritual knowledge. In many cases the guru is revered above the god, as the guru is the one who leads the disciple to the encounter with the god. In this section of holydrops.com members will share their knowledge about various spiritual gurus and saints.
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati (February 12, 1824 – October 31, 1883) was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer and the founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement, founded in 1875. He was the first man who gave the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" in 1876 which was later fu
Sai Baba of Shirdi (September 28, 1838 – October 15, 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian guru, yogi and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim devotees as a saint. Hindu devotees consider him an incarnation of Lord Shiva or Dattatreya. Many devotees believe that he was a Sad
Tulsidas was a great Awadhi bhakta (devotee), philosopher, composer, and the author of Ramcharitmanas, an epic poem and scripture devoted to the Hindu God Rama. Tulsidas was born in Rajpur, in the district of Banda in Uttar Pradesh, in Samvat 1589 or 1532 A.D. He was a Sarayuparina Brahmin by birth
Vallabhacharya (1479–1531) was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha advaita (Pure Non-dualism). Vallabhacharya accepted the 'Acharya' designation of Vishnuswami Sampraday (Rudra Sampraday) upon request of Bilvamangala Acharya, the last
Swami Shree Ramanandacharya, also referred to as Sant Ramanand or Swami Ramanand, was a Vaishnava sant, a Ramavat (devotee of Rama). He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramavat sect. His impact on the Ramavat sect was so much that the sect was named after him - the Ramanandi sect.He lived in t
ABOUT GURU :Vyasa is a central and revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa, (the one who compiled the Vedas) or Krishna Dvaipayana (referring to his complexion and birthplace). He is the author as well as a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata an
Kabir (also Kabira) was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic Al-Kabir which means 'The Great' - the 37th Name of God in the Qur'an. He was as is widely acknowledged born in Year 1398 A.D.(71 years before Guru N
ABOUT GURU :Rishi Vishwamitra is considered to be one of the most revered rishis (sages) of the ancient India. As per the holy Puranas, there have been only 24 Rishis in India who have the Gayatri Mantra. It is believed that Sage Vishwamitra is the first saint of the 24 saints, and Sage Yajnavalkya
Ramakrishna Parmahamsa is perhaps the best known saint of nineteenth century India. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in 1836, in a small town near Calcutta, West Bengal. As a young man, he was artistic and a popular storyteller and actor. His parents were religious, and prone to visions and spir
It is believed that Maharishi Patanjali was the avatar of Adi Shesha - the Infinite Cosmic Serpent upon whom Lord Vishnu rests. He is considered to be the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, along with being the author of a commentary on Panini's Ashtadhyayi, known as Mahabhasya. He is also supposed to be
