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In Hindu tradition a teacher, whether he gives spiritual or secular education, is worthy of great respect. The spiritual teacher, who is called a guru, is given the greatest respect and veneration by a student. The word “guru” means “the dispeller of spiritual darkness.” The word “guru” can also be used to mean a teacher of secular education.
A spiritual aspirant must have shraddha for his guru. In the present context the Sanskrit word shraddha has two meanings: (1) self confidence and (2) implicit faith in the words of the guru. The Bhagavad Gita says, “One who has shraddha attains knowledge,” meaning that a student must have the confidence that when guided by his teacher he will be able to succeed. He should also have implicit faith in the teachings of his teacher.
Various Upanishads, epics and legends stress the necessity for shraddha. The Chhandogya Upanishad tells a story of Satyakama to illustrate this. As a boy, Satyakama went to his teacher’s home to live and study. But his teacher Gautama did not give him any lessons. Instead, he gave Satyakama four hundred lean and sickly cows and asked him to take care of them. Satyakama had shraddha; he had implicit faith in his guru. Happily obeying the order of his teacher, the boy drove the cattle toward the forest. He lived in the forest for many years caring for the cattle until their number increased to a thousand.
Then strange things started happening. The bull of the herd approached Satyakama and, speaking in human language, reminded him to take the cattle back to his teacher’s home. The bull also gave Satyakama teachings about Brahman (God). On his way back Satyakama was given more teachings about Brahman by a fire which he lit one evening. Thereafter a swan and a loon also gave Satyakama similar teachings.
At last the boy arrived at his teacher’s home. As soon as Gautama set his eyes upon Satyakama he said, “My son, your face shines like one who is a knower of Brahman. Please tell me who taught you.” The boy replied, “I have been taught by beings other than men. But I also want you to teach me, because I have heard that the teachings of one’s own guru alone can lead a student to the supreme good.” Then the sage Gautama imparted to Satyakama the same knowledge which the boy had acquired from nonhuman sources. This story gives the message that the highest knowledge comes to a student who has shraddha for this teacher.
The great epic Mahabharata has a similar story about an outcaste Nishada boy, Ekalavya, who wanted to learn archery from Drona, one of the greatest Aryan teachers of martial art in ancient India. As it was against the custom of the Aryans to teach the secrets of warfare to outcastes, Drona refused to accept Ekalavya as his student. Nevertheless, Ekalavya mentally accepted Drona as his teacher. He built a statue of Drona in the forest, and with intense shraddha for his guru started practicing archery without anybody’s help in front of that statue. After a few years, by virtue of his shraddha, Ekalavya became such a great archer that he even excelled Prince Arjuna, who was the best student of Drona.
Not everyone can be a guru. Only a person with an exemplary life and high spiritual attainments can be a guru. Otherwise, he will not be able to help a student. The student has to follow the instructions of the teacher and sincerely strive to reach the goal of his spiritual life.
A true spiritual teacher must never charge any money for the guidance that he gives his student. A teacher who violates this sacred time-honoured tradition of Hinduism brings only disgrace to himself and his religion.