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Abstract
The Guru has been of great importance in Indian culture since the beginning. This word denotes a specific concept. The popular meaning of Guru is “to teach”. The word “Guru” is the combination of two words “Gu”+”Ru”. “Gu-” means darkness and “-Ru” means darkness eliminator. So, the literal meaning of Guru is “enlighter”. According to the encyclopedia of Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, the word “Guru” has been taken from Sanskrit language. This word has been derived from root word “Gree” signifying “swallowing and making someone understand”. The words “Gur”, “Guru” and “Guru Shabd” in Gurbani have been usedin the same way. It means “religious message and the priest who preaches”.
In Indian Religious literature, the great amount of importance has been paid to the concept of Guru. With the evolution of Bhakti movement, there have been changes in the nature of Guru. According to Indus Valley civilization, people were led by the monks practicing “yoga”. In Vedic period, Rishis and Munis enjoyed the repute of being called Guru. Purohits worshipping Brahma in Upnishad age were considered as Gurus. Mahatama Buddha in Buddhism, Teerthankara in Jainism and ShriKrishan in Bhagvad Gita, Ascetics possessing the knowledge of “yoga”, Experienced intellectual persons in Saints’ tradition have all been accepted as Guru. In Sufism, prophets, apostles have been given the status of Guru.