Satguru

In some eastern religions, a Satguru (or Sadguru) is a person who is considered to have achieved enlightenment, and who can help others to achieve the same. The word means "true teacher" in Sanskrit (सदगुरू), sat meaning "true" and a guru meaning "teacher". The title means that his students have faith that the guru can be trusted and will lead them to moksha, nirvana or inner peace. It is based on a long line of Hindu understandings about the importance of the guru.

Ancient and traditional sources

In the Guru Gita, Shiva says to Parvati:

• The body, the senses, the Prana, wealth, one’s own relations, the self, wife etc., all these should be surrendered to the Satguru. (38)
• One who cuts asunder, for the disciple, the eight kinds of attachment (doubts, pity, fear, shyness, censure, position in society, high birth and wealth), by the sword of mercy and bestows absolute Bliss is called Satguru. (57)
• Just as the ocean is the king of waters, the Param Guru(Satguru) is the King among Gurus. (179)
• A Param Guru is free from attachment, etc.; peaceful, always contented in Himself, independent, and one who considers the status of *Brahma and Vishnu like a blade of grass. (180)
• One who is independent at all times and places, who possess an unshakable mind and always blissful, who experiences the homogenous essence of the Self, such a one is the Param Guru. (181)
• One who is free from the feeling of duality and non-duality, who shines by the light of His self-realization, who is able to destroy the deep darkness of ignorance, and is omniscient, He is a Param Guru. (182)
• By whose mere Darshan, one attains calmness, cheerfulness, and peace and steadfastness, and peace of mind, such a one is Param Guru. (183)
• One who looks upon his own body as a corpse, and his Self as the non-dual Brahman, and who has killed the infatuation for wealth and women, such a person is a Param Guru. (184)
• Family traditions, wealth, strength, shastras, relatives, brothers, - none of these are useful to you at the time of death. Satguru is the only saviour. (188)

The Kularnava Tantra (XIV/65) states,

"It is very rare to find a Satguru who can give Shaktipat and rare to find a disciple worthy of receiving it. One gets such a Guru only as a result of past meritorious actions."

In the Upanishads, five signs of satguru (true guru) are mentioned.

In the presence of the satguru; Knowledge flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha aavirbhava); Abundance dawns (Samriddhi); All talents manifest (Sarva samvardhan).

According to Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a Hindu Satguru is always a sannyasin, an unmarried renunciate.

Related pages

• Guru
• Guru-shishya tradition
• Parampara
• Sampradaya