Editing Guru (section)

== Definition and etymology ==

The word ''{{IAST|[[wikt:guru|guru]]}}'' (Sanskrit: {{lang|sa|[[wikt:गुरु#Sanskrit|गुरु]]}}), a noun, connotes "teacher" in [[Sanskrit]], but in [[Historical Vedic religion|ancient Indian traditions]] it has contextual meanings with significance beyond what teacher means in English.<ref name="joelmlecko">{{cite journal | last=Mlecko | first=Joel D. | title=The Guru in Hindu Tradition | journal=Numen | publisher=Brill | volume=29 | issue=1 | year=1982 | issn=0029-5973 | doi=10.1163/156852782x00132 | pages=33–61 | jstor=3269931}}</ref> The ''guru'' is more than someone who teaches a specific type of knowledge, and included in the term's scope is someone who is also a "counselor, a sort of parent of mind (''[[Citta]]'') and Self (''[[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]]''), who helps [[Ethics in religion#Hindu ethics|mold values]] ([[Yamas]] and [[Niyamas]]) and experiential knowledge as much as [[Domain knowledge|specific knowledge]], an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who reveals the [[Meaning of life#South Asian religions|meaning of life]]."<ref name=joelmlecko/> The word has the same meaning in other languages derived from or borrowing words from Sanskrit, such as [[Hindi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Kannada]], [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]]. The Malayalam term Acharyan or [[Aasaan|Asan]] is derived from the Sanskrit word [[Acharya]].

As a noun the word means the imparter of knowledge (''[[jnana|jñāna]]''; also [[Pali]]: ''ñāna''). As an adjective, it means 'heavy,' or 'weighty,' in the sense of "heavy with knowledge,"{{refn|"Guru: a spiritual master; one who is heavy with knowledge of the Absolute and who removes nescience with the light of the divine."<ref name="tirha">Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, ''A Taste of Transcendence'', (2002) p. 161, Mandala Press. {{ISBN|1-886069-71-9}}.</ref>|group=Note}} heavy with spiritual wisdom,<ref name="lipner">[[Julius J. Lipner|Lipner, Julius J.]],''Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'' p.192, Routledge (UK), {{ISBN|0-415-05181-9}}</ref> "heavy with spiritual weight,"<ref name="cornille">Cornille, C. ''The Guru in Indian Catholicism'' (1991) p.207. Peeters Publishers {{ISBN|90-6831-309-6}}</ref> "heavy with the good qualities of scriptures and realization,"<ref name="hopkins">Hopkins, Jeffrey ''Reflections on Reality'' (2002) p. 72. University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-21120-0}}</ref> or "heavy with a wealth of knowledge."<ref name="varene">Varene, Jean. ''Yoga and the Hindu Tradition'' (1977). p.226. University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN|0-226-85116-8}}</ref> The word has its roots in the Sanskrit ''gri'' (to invoke, or to praise), and may have a connection to the word ''gur'', meaning 'to raise, lift up, or to make an effort'.<ref name=Lowitz>{{cite book|title=Sacred Sanskrit Words|first=Leza A.|last=Lowitz|page=85|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|year=2004|id=1-880-6568-76}}</ref>

Sanskrit ''guru'' is [[cognate]] with Latin ''gravis'' 'heavy; grave, weighty, serious'<ref>{{cite book |title=The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology|first=Robert K.|last=Barnhart|page=447|publisher=H.W. Wilson Co.|year=1988|isbn=978-0-8242-0745-8}}</ref> and Greek βαρύς ''barus'' 'heavy'. All three derive from the [[Proto-Indo-European root]] ''*gʷerə-'', specifically from the [[Indo-European ablaut#Zero grade|zero-grade]] form *''gʷr̥ə-''.<ref>{{cite book|title=''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language''|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|edition=4th|year=2000|isbn=978-0-395-82517-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_a1o7/page/2031 2031]|url=https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_a1o7/page/2031}}</ref>

=== Darkness and light ===
{{poem quote|
{{lang|sa|'''गु'''शब्दस्त्वन्धकारः स्यात्‌ '''रु'''शब्दस्तन्निरोधकः ।
अन्धकारनिरोधित्वात्‌ '''गुरु'''रित्यभिधीयते ॥ १६॥}}
The syllable ''gu'' means darkness, the syllable ''ru'', he who dispels them,
Because of the power to dispel darkness, the guru is thus named.
|[[Advayataraka Upanishad]] (100 BCE–300 CE)| Verse 16.<ref>[http://www.gayathrimanthra.com/contents/documents/Vedic-related/Advayataraka_Upanishad.pdf Advayataraka Upanishad with Commentaries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924020854/http://www.gayathrimanthra.com/contents/documents/Vedic-related/Advayataraka_Upanishad.pdf |date=2015-09-24 }}, Verse 16, Sanskrit</ref><ref>G Feuerstein (1989), Yoga, Tarcher, {{ISBN|978-0874775259}}, pages 240-243</ref>}}

A popular etymological theory considers the term "guru" to be based on the syllables ''gu'' ({{lang|sa|गु}}) and ''ru'' ({{lang|sa|रु}}), which it claims stands for darkness and "light that dispels it", respectively.{{refn|"[...] the term is a combination of the two words ''gu''(darkness) and ''ru'' (light), so together they mean 'divine light that dispels all darkness.'" [...] "Guru is the light that disperses the darkness of ignorance."<ref name="murray">Murray, Thomas R. ''Moral Development Theories - Secular and Religious: A Comparative Study.'' (1997). p. 231. Greenwood Press.</ref>|group=Note}} The guru is seen as the one who "dispels the darkness of ignorance."{{refn|"The etymological derivation of the word guru is in this verse from [[Guru Gita]]: 'The root ''gu'' stands for darkness; ''ru'' for its removal. The removal of the darkness of ignorance in the heart is indicated by the word "guru'" (Note: Guru Gita is a spiritual text in the [[Markandeya Purana]], in the form of a dialog between Siva and Parvati on the nature of the guru and the guru/disciple relationship.) [...] the meanings of ''gu'' and ''ru'' can also be traced to the ''Panini-sutras gu samvarane'' and ''ru himsane'', indicating concealment and its annulment."<ref name="dict">Grimes, John. ''A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English.'' (1996) p.133. SUNY Press. {{ISBN|0-7914-3067-7}}</ref>|group=Note}}{{refn|"Guru: remover of darkness, bestower of light'"<ref name="dict"/>|group=Note}}<ref name="krs">[[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti, J.]] ''The Awakening of Intelligence.'' (1987) p.139. HarperCollins. {{ISBN|0-06-064834-1}}</ref>

[[Reender Kranenborg]] disagrees, stating that darkness and light have nothing to do with the word ''guru''. He describes this as a [[folk etymology]].{{refn|Dutch original: "a. De goeroe als geestelijk raadsman Als we naar het verschijnsel goeroe in India kijken, kunnen we constateren dat er op zijn minst vier vormen van goeroeschap te onderscheiden zijn. De eerste vorm is die van de 'geestelijk raadsman'. Voordat we dit verder uitwerken eerst iets over de etymologie. Het woord goeroe komt uit het Sanskriet, wordt geschreven als 'guru' en betekent 'zwaar zijn', 'gewichtig zijn', vooral in figuurlijk opzicht. Zo krijgt het begrip 'guru' de betekenis van 'groot', 'geweldig' of 'belangrijk', en iets verdergaand krijgt het aspecten van 'eerbiedwaardig' en 'vererenswaardig'. Al vrij snel word dit toegepast op de 'geestelijk leraar'. In allerlei populaire literatuur, ook in India zelf, wordt het woord 'guru' uiteengelegd in 'gu' en 'ru', als omschrijvingen voor licht en duister; de goeroe is dan degene die zijn leerling uit het materiële duister overbrengt naar het geestelijk licht. Misschien doe een goeroe dat ook inderdaad, maar het heeft niets met de betekenis van het woord te maken, het is volksetymologie."<br />English translation "a. The guru as spiritual adviser: If we look at the phenomenon of gurus in India then we can see that there are at least four forms of guruship that can be distinguished. The first form is that of the "spiritual adviser." Before we will elaborate on this, first something about the etymology. The word ''guru'' comes from Sanskrit, is written as 'guru' and connotes philosophically 'being heavy' or 'being weighty'. In that way, the concept of guru gets the meaning of 'big', 'great', or 'important' and somewhat further it also gets aspects of 'respectable' and 'honorable'. Soon it is applied to the 'spiritual adviser'. In various popular literature, in India herself too, the word 'guru' is explained in the parts 'gu' and 'ru', as descriptions for light and darkness: the guru is then the person who bring the student from the material darkness into the spiritual light. A guru may indeed do that, but it has nothing to do with the meaning of the word, it is folk etymology."<ref name="kraneborg2002">Kranenborg, Reender (Dutch language) ''Neohindoeïstische bewegingen in Nederland : een encyclopedisch overzicht'' page 50 (En: ''Neo-Hindu movements in the Netherlands'', published by Kampen Kok cop. (2002) {{ISBN|90-435-0493-9}} Kranenborg, Reender (Dutch language) Neohindoeïstische bewegingen in Nederland : een encyclopedisch overzicht (En: Neo-Hindu movements in the Netherlands, published by Kampen Kok cop. (2002) {{ISBN|90-435-0493-9}} page 50</ref>|group=Note}}

Joel Mlecko states, "''Gu'' means ignorance, and ''Ru'' means dispeller," with ''guru'' meaning the one who "dispels ignorance, all kinds of ignorance", ranging from spiritual to skills such as dancing, music, sports and others.<ref name="joelmlecko"/> Karen Pechilis states that, in the popular parlance, the "dispeller of darkness, one who points the way" definition for ''guru'' is common in the Indian tradition.<ref>Karen Pechilis (2004), ''The Graceful Guru'', Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195145373}}, pages 25-26</ref>

In ''Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion'', Pierre Riffard makes a distinction between "occult" and "scientific" etymologies, citing as an example of the former the etymology of 'guru' in which the derivation is presented as ''gu'' ("darkness") and ''ru'' ('to push away'); the latter he exemplifies by "guru" with the meaning of 'heavy.'<ref name="wesr">Riffard, Pierre A. in ''Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion'' Faivre A. & [[Wouter Hanegraaff|Hanegraaff W.]] (Eds.) Peeters Publishers( 1988), {{ISBN|90-429-0630-8}}</ref>