Guru Vandana
Encyclopedia
Guru Vandana means “Reverence for the Teacher” – it is the thanksgiving from a student to a teacher, expressing his or her gratitude. The Guru Vandana program provides a platform for students to honor their teachers for imparting knowledge and wisdom to them.
is as old as humanity itself. Primarily, the word Guru means a 'teacher' and as such it is a universal concept based on the idea of transmitting knowledge from a person, who knows something, to an ignorant student or disciple. In an extended view, a Guru can also be a priest, a rabbi, a master, a school teacher, even a father or a mother.
Guru does not mean a teacher imparting formal training but a person who contributes to the overall development and learning of an individual.
Guru transforms his disciple through his presence and spiritual knowledge. According to RamaKrishna Prarahamsa Spiritual knowledge can not be attained completely by reading books. But for obtaining complete spiritual enlightenment Guru’s presence is a must. Only when there is a strong bond between Guru and Shishya spiritual enlightenment might takes place.
Origins of Guru Shishya Parampara
Thus our great sanathana darma tradition has been enriched by the GURU-SISHYA relationship. Lord Rama's greatness lay in His relationship with His most loyal disciple HANUMAN
who taught the essence of Ramanamamritim. Lord Krishna
gave us the Bhagavad Gita
, thanks to his devoted and most trusted disciple Arjuna
. Saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa gave to the world Swami Vivekananda
who in turn gave to the world the Ramakrishna Mission
, embodying the soul of India. Saint Thyagaraja, an avatar of Sage Valmiki, composed hundreds of soulful Krithis in praise of God. Two Krithis, in particular, refer to the GURU'S role in guiding the seeker on the right path. Guru leka in 'Gowrimanohari' raga is a Krithi in which the Saint of Thiruvaiyar sings how one who is trapped in the jungle of desire, can come out of it with help of the right Guru
. Saint Thyagaraja says however learned and good a person might be, life would be meaningless without the guidance of a Satguru
. In another Krithi, Sri Naradamuni Gururaya ganti in Bhairavi
raga, Thyagaraja explains how Satguru Smaranam helps one in getting rid of ignorance.
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) had conducted the program in Houston in which over 30 teachers and a principal were honored by students. Children from Houston Balagokulams area picked up their favorite teachers. Acharya Premchand Sridhar of Arya Samaj Houston presided over the program. The program started with Sridhar lighting the lamp and it was followed by cultural programs and with the explanation of Hindu Concept of Gurus. After the felicitation of teachers Veda Vrinda group chanted the section of the Taittariya Upanishad known as the Vedic Commencement Address. Columbus chapter of HEF is planning to conduct similar program in October 2008.
Guruvandana is also performed by disciples to spiritual masters. During GuruVandana program GuruGita is recited by disciple to honor his guru. GuruGita forms section of Skanda Purana
. In Bangalore
Guruvandana was offered to Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. Despite rains lots of people gathered in Malleshwaram to felicitate their Spiritual Guru. In ISskon temples Guruvandana is performed for spiritual Guru Srila Prabhupada throughout the year.
GURU
The concept of GuruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
is as old as humanity itself. Primarily, the word Guru means a 'teacher' and as such it is a universal concept based on the idea of transmitting knowledge from a person, who knows something, to an ignorant student or disciple. In an extended view, a Guru can also be a priest, a rabbi, a master, a school teacher, even a father or a mother.
Guru does not mean a teacher imparting formal training but a person who contributes to the overall development and learning of an individual.
Guru transforms his disciple through his presence and spiritual knowledge. According to RamaKrishna Prarahamsa Spiritual knowledge can not be attained completely by reading books. But for obtaining complete spiritual enlightenment Guru’s presence is a must. Only when there is a strong bond between Guru and Shishya spiritual enlightenment might takes place.
Origins of Guru Shishya Parampara
Thus our great sanathana darma tradition has been enriched by the GURU-SISHYA relationship. Lord Rama's greatness lay in His relationship with His most loyal disciple HANUMAN
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
who taught the essence of Ramanamamritim. Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
gave us the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
, thanks to his devoted and most trusted disciple Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
. Saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa gave to the world Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
who in turn gave to the world the Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
, embodying the soul of India. Saint Thyagaraja, an avatar of Sage Valmiki, composed hundreds of soulful Krithis in praise of God. Two Krithis, in particular, refer to the GURU'S role in guiding the seeker on the right path. Guru leka in 'Gowrimanohari' raga is a Krithi in which the Saint of Thiruvaiyar sings how one who is trapped in the jungle of desire, can come out of it with help of the right Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
. Saint Thyagaraja says however learned and good a person might be, life would be meaningless without the guidance of a Satguru
Satguru
Satguru does not merely mean true guru. The term is distinguished from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on...
. In another Krithi, Sri Naradamuni Gururaya ganti in Bhairavi
Bhairavi
Bhairavi is a fierce and terrifying aspect of the Devi virtually indistinguishable from Kali, except for her particular identification as the consort of the Bhairava.-Symbolism:...
raga, Thyagaraja explains how Satguru Smaranam helps one in getting rid of ignorance.
In modern times
AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) had conducted the program in Houston in which over 30 teachers and a principal were honored by students. Children from Houston Balagokulams area picked up their favorite teachers. Acharya Premchand Sridhar of Arya Samaj Houston presided over the program. The program started with Sridhar lighting the lamp and it was followed by cultural programs and with the explanation of Hindu Concept of Gurus. After the felicitation of teachers Veda Vrinda group chanted the section of the Taittariya Upanishad known as the Vedic Commencement Address. Columbus chapter of HEF is planning to conduct similar program in October 2008.
Guruvandana is also performed by disciples to spiritual masters. During GuruVandana program GuruGita is recited by disciple to honor his guru. GuruGita forms section of Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
. In Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
Guruvandana was offered to Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. Despite rains lots of people gathered in Malleshwaram to felicitate their Spiritual Guru. In ISskon temples Guruvandana is performed for spiritual Guru Srila Prabhupada throughout the year.