[Written on the occasion of Guru Pournima, observed today.]
In the West, “guru” has come to denote a tech wizard or business maven, a usage that is both mistaken and bereft of its original depth. In India, and in other regions shaped by Dharmic traditions, the word bears a far weightier significance. It invokes reverence.
The word traces to Sanskrit, where gu (darkness) and ru (remover) define the Guru as one who dispels darkness and lights the way. More than a teacher, the Guru is a mentor and guide, his role transcending mere instruction.
What, then, makes for a great Guru?
Let us consider a luminous verse uttered by Krishna near the close of his discourse in the Bhagavad Gita:
इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं मया।
विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु॥
Thus, I have explained to you this knowledge that is more secret than all secrets.
Reflect on it fully, and then act as you wish. – Bhagavad Gita 18.63
After leading Arjuna through realms of action, devotion, knowledge, and liberation, Krishna does something extraordinary. He does not demand obedience, nor does he proclaim, “I am God Incarnate. You must now submit.”
Instead, he steps back and grants Arjuna the dignity of choice: Reflect on it fully, and then act as you wish.
In these words lies the quintessence of the true Guru. He awakens but does not command, illumines the path but does not compel the journey. He trusts the disciple to walk forward or remain where he is, guided by his own light.
One might ask why Krishna did not offer this teaching earlier, during the long years Arjuna spent in the forest. Why now, on the cusp of battle? Because Arjuna had not asked then. Now, broken by doubt and lost in inner tumult, he turns to Krishna not for knowledge but for clarity he can no longer summon from within.
This, too, marks the true Guru. He offers his light in response to the seeker’s cry, not through imposition, and waits until the soul is ripe to receive.
Krishna reveals the terrain yet never strips Arjuna of the burden and privilege of freedom. For knowledge to ripen into wisdom, it must be tested in the furnace of personal discernment. The Guru can point, but it is the disciple who must walk the path.
That gesture at the end of Krishna’s teaching, when he withdraws and leaves the decision to Arjuna, is the final act of grace. The great Guru does not conquer the disciple’s will. He kindles it.
A Guru’s role is not to bind but to free. In Krishna’s restraint lies the signature of the Guru’s greatness.
RP, July 10, 2025