Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh
According to Indian philosophy, the Guru is the educational and spiritual guide for disciples. Knowledge cannot be attained without his cooperation, support and blessings. Sri Guru Gita presents the glory of Guru commenting that the Guru removes all the darkness (ignorance) and brings the light (knowledge and wisdom) in human life. Many texts describe importance of the Guru in detail, on the basis of which some of the most popular concepts are as follows.
Guru is equivalent to the Supreme Father Brahma (the creator of universe) because he creates knowledge in raw human mind. He is equivalent to Lord Vishnu (the sustainer) because he imparts the right direction to the thoughts. He is equivalent to Lord Shiva (the destroyer) because he destroys ignorance, psychosis, ill-fated thoughts and gives realization of the true path. Thus, the Guru shows the path of overall welfare of society. We bow to the Supreme Lord in the form of Guru. “(Gurustotram, Sri Guru Gita)”
Contribution of the Guru in shaping the society cannot be expressed in words. If the whole surface area of the earth is treated as ‘paper’, the wood of all the forests is transformed to ‘pen’, and the water of the seven seas (rivers) is transformed to ‘ink’, even then the (eternal) qualities of the Guru cannot be described. “(Kabir Dohavali)”
No matter how great a person may be capable, energetic and powerful; without the guidance of a Guru, he remains in doubt-confusion-dilemma throughout his life, due to lack of wisdom. Such a person cannot take proper decision to make proper use of his competence & capability in the overall interest of society. “(Shri Ramcharit Manas)”
It is not necessary that only a bhagava-dressed saint or a teacher imparting formal education can be considered a Guru, and that the knowledge can be obtained only by approaching him. With true devotion and faith in the mind, the Guru can be found anywhere in any form. Eklavya found the Guru in the clay idol itself. Dattatreya ji found twenty-four gurus in the nature and received guidance from them. Often parents and teachers, play the role of a Guru, and guide the children based on their knowledge, wisdom, experience and circumstances. Guru Gobind Singh called the holy book composed of the words of saints as the Guru. Certainly, good literature showing the right path to society, plays the role of a Guru by guiding the readers.
In modern digital era, sometimes a few programs displaying supremacy of good over evil, broadcast on All India Radio, Doordarshan and other digital platforms can also be beneficial. In fact these platforms have become quite common in modern education system. Sincere scholars keep enriching their knowledge continuously through these media. However, one should remain careful in extracting knowledge and acquiring wisdom from books and modern digital media. Firstly, in general the contents on these media platforms are offered to attract larger group of audience for earning more and more money, and not to guide the society. Secondly, these do not explain the difference between the right and wrong path, which is very important. Thirdly, these do not restrict the reader/ audience to follow the wrong path, as the Guru essentially does. Despite of this, an inquisitive and aware citizen can very cleverly get proper guidance from any means. The interpretation of contents in scriptures should always be made with regard to the given context, and that in the overall interest of the society in modern context.
In fact, there is no synonym for “Guru” in any language other than Hindi and Sanskrit. The word “teacher” in English has a very limited meaning, which generally refers to a tutor in the formal education system. The Indian community deeply understood the importance of Guru in ancient times, and to honor the Guru as a symbol, cultivated the tradition of celebrating ‘Guru Purnima’ a holy festival in the memory of Maharishi Ved Vyas ji, on the full moon day of the month of Ashadha (July-August) according to Indian national calendar. Maharishi Ved Vyas ji edited all the four Vedas, wrote eighteen Puranas and some other holy texts. All these texts are the source of knowledge and the basis of the grand old Indian culture. These illuminate the path of duty, making the human being aware of right and wrong, good and bad, and appropriate and inappropriate depending on the circumstances.
In the modern era of increasing population, changing economy and industrialization, the education system has got completely changed. Today the main objective of education is to make the students employable to enable them to earn more and more money. In addition, keeping the country in competitive race with developed countries by scientific and technological development is also an important objective. The curriculum has also got modified according to the new objectives of education. The importance of moral education has got faded. Confidence among the youth is deteriorating. Most of the youth are constantly striving to earn more and more wealth, dominance, power and recognition. As a result, corruption is increasing in the society. Insecurity and frustration are increasing. Human values– humility, devotion to duty, tolerance (patience), laboriousness, sensitivity, gratitude, integrity etc. appear to have lost the significance. It is very sad that the society, especially the (so-called) intelligentsia appears to have almost lost the ability to differentiate, between good and bad, right and wrong, merit and demerit, etc. from perspective of interest of the nation. Even people do not hesitate to openly support anti-national elements, and consider it a democratic right.
Continuous deterioration of human values over time and increase in psychosis is a normal human tendency. It can also be called thought pollution. It can be understood on the basis of scientific, psychological and mythological principles. If thought pollution continues to increase uninterruptedly, an increase of criminal tendency is bound to occur in society. For proper social development, it is necessary to control the growing thought pollution in society. For this, it is necessary to keep the conscience pure by taking guidance from the teachings of a competent Guru from time to time. There have been many saints and great personalities in the country, who have propounded the principles of life (human values and Dharma) on the basis of their experience and wisdom. In this context, the contribution of Maharishi Ved Vyas ji in the form of various texts is a unique gift to the society.
Festivals and rituals have a special significance in human life. They infuse new energy into the society. By organizing Guru-Pooja on the occasion of Guru-Purnima (or Vyasa Purnima), taking inspiration from the teachings mentioned in the scriptures, battery of the conscience can be energized to control the thought pollution, and induce positivity. Discussion on the contribution of Maharishi Ved Vyas and other great personalities, worship of the sacred scriptures, preparation of short notes on teachings focused on human welfare mentioned in these texts, and discussion on them with regard to modern social and national conditions can be the part of celebration. A resolve to imbibe the teachings in life while introspecting daily activities on the occasion shall definitely be quite useful. It is hoped that the Guru-Purnima festival will make the young generation aware of Indian culture, and will infuse a new consciousness in promotion of morality in the society.
(The author is Professor and Former Dean (Research & Consultancy) Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology, Longowal)
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