Guru and Shishya

The relationship between Guru and Shishya-(teacher and student) is an extremely complex one and at the same time a beautiful one. Everything that one knows in this world has been taught to him by some teacher or the other. The teacher need not be a highly knowledgeable philosopher like Socrates, Plato or extremely disciplined and talented like Dronacharya, but as small as an ant or as inanimate as a stone. One might be fascinated as to what an ant or a stone can teach us in life? Well, the ant never gives up, it is forever busy and it teaches us to always keep ourselves active. The stone never to overreact to situations in life and being as non reactive as a stone can help avoid so many nasty situations.

So everything in life has a lesson to teach us. That means there is nothing useless in this whole wide universe. All things material, beautiful and seemingly ugly creations have something to impart to us. To put it better each and every object in this universe is our Guru!

Fine we have identified who our Guru is-everything we see, feel, smell, hear and sense and even nonsense. Isn't it too hard to digest? How can everything be our teacher? I hate person B, I hate eating this particular food! Oh I hate the smell of garbage. I hate cockroaches and mice. How sweet smelling is this rose? How foul smelling is this dead lizard?

The primary lesson to learn from our surroundings is Acceptance AND Respect! From childhood we have been groomed to accept and respect our school teachers. Though we curse them behind their backs we still try to act respectful in front of them. The school teacher is only a symbol. While we are forced to obey and respect the teacher we must force ourselves to respect everything in nature.


Each person born into this world is a Shishya and must follow a highly disciplined and orderly life. Each moment is a lesson, an opportunity to learn. The basic tenet of a student as the Upanishads say is self control and very very important-humility and shedding of ego. Ego acts as a curtain and prevents a person from gaining true knowledge. Ego=Ignorance. The mind of a student should be tuned to listen and ever open to learn. It must never doze off at any moment. Alertness and Awareness are two more characteristics of the student. Learning, Retention and Adoption, Application of the things learnt in day to day life is the function of the student.


What about the Guru? Being a Shishya is far easier than being a Guru. When a Guru accepts a person as his student, he takes responsibility for his(the student's) entire life. The Guru has certain powers over his student but that should not go over his head. Power comes with responsibility. Since the student looks upto his Guru for guidance, the Guru should possess all the qualities-like humility, self control, alertness and awareness in  extreme proportions to the student. At the same time the knowledge should be imparted in the right manner, at the right time having no partiality and in the right spirit. Being a Guru is indeed lying on a thorn bed for whatever sins a student commits the Paapa (the demerits) all goes to the Guru.

Though the whole universe itself is our Guru, yet it is so difficult to accept it. The universe itself is filled with contradictions and it will surely confuse the small learners like us with our impermanent and finite thinking.  We must choose one main Guru to lead us in life. Sometimes it can be one Guru to overcome every situation in life. The following table acts as a reference as to whom to regard as our Guru. The choice of our Guru is like choosing the right boat to cross the river.

Born into this world-Parents are our first Gurus.
At school and college- True friends, good books and caring, impartial teachers.
Citizen of the country- Leaders (may be king or prime minister/ President).
Throughout life- Religious and Spiritual Books/ Leaders. For example: Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Jadadguru Sri Kanchi Shankaracharya Swamigal, Pope for Catholics and so on.