The word “Guru” can be split into two – “Gu” and “Ru”. Gu means darkness or ignorance. Ru means removal or dispel. The person who helps in the dispelling of ignorance is called Guru. There are several fields of knowledge. Math ignorance is removed by math Guru. Science ignorance is removed by science Guru. The ignorance about “who I am” is cleared by The Guru.
The person who teaches in order to remove the ignorance of what life is, who I am and what is death, what is knowledge and what is the source of happiness is the guru who teaches the Vedas. He becomes the embodiment of Vedas themselves as he has understood the Truth referred in the Vedas and hence he is a jnani- a knowledgeable person.
The definition of the Atman is the most abstract and difficult riddle. If the guru says “I have read the Vedas and am trying to understand the Vedas. Let us all have faith in the Ishta Devata and continue the search”, he is no Guru. A Guru is one who has understood the meaning of the Atman as well.
If the doctor prescribes a medicine and says “The Lord is all merciful. Hence you must have faith and you will get better” such a doctor is the worst that shall ever be found. The doctor curing the disease must have full knowledge of the disease, full knowledge of the patient, full knowledge of the side effects and the full knowledge of how to cure the disease. Only then he becomes the fit example of the word “doctor” because he doctors the patient out of their illness. Hence we find doctors “specializing” in a particular field, viz., the research goes on…
A Guru knows fully well the disease of ignorance, full knowledge of the person by his attitude and talk, full knowledge of the side effects by teaching him the Truth directly and a full knowledge of the cure namely the knowledge. Not only this, the method of cure is an approach that is based on the teachings of the Veda by a system known as “Guru-Sishya Paramapara”. Hence the mere understanding is not a sufficient condition to teach the Vedas. A jnani is one who has understood the Truth of the Vedas. He need not know the actual text of the Vedas. But a Guru is one who teaches the Vedas. A Guru is hence a jnani as well as one proficient with the Vedas.
Hence a Guru = (jnani + knowledge of the Vedas + knowledge of the method of teaching)
A seeker of Truth, the student of the Vedas must continue his daily chores and must attend to his Guru and study the scriptures with an open mind until he becomes a jnani. The faith in the Ishta Devata and the Guru must be 100% to study the Vedas.
