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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== The word ''guru'', a noun, means "teacher" in Sanskrit and in other languages derived from or b...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Gurunanak_lg.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
The [[word]] ''guru'', a noun, means "teacher" in [[Sanskrit]] and in other languages derived from or borrowing words from Sanskrit, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi Hindi], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language Tamil], Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_language Bengali], Gujarati and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepali_language Nepali].
As a noun the word means the imparter of [[knowledge]] (''jñāna''; Also Persian: ''Dāna''). As an adjective, it means 'heavy,' or 'weighty,' in the sense of "heavy with [[knowledge]]," heavy with spiritual [[wisdom]], "heavy with spiritual weight," "heavy with the good [[qualities]] of [[scriptures]] and [[realization]]," or "heavy with a wealth of knowledge." 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'.
Sanskrit ''guru'' is cognate with [[Latin]] gravis 'heavy; grave, weighty, serious' and [[Greek]] barus 'heavy'. All three derive from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language Proto-Indo-European] root ''*gʷerə-'', specifically from the zero-grade form ''*gʷr̥ə-''.
A [[traditional]] etymology of the term "guru" is based on the interplay between [[darkness]] and [[light]]. The guru is seen as the one who "dispels the darkness of [[ignorance]]." In some [[texts]] it is described that the syllables ''gu (गु)'' and ''ru (रु)'' stand for [[darkness]] and light, respectively.[14]
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'.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1613]
==Definitions==
*1: a personal religious [[teacher]] and spiritual guide in Hinduism
*2a : a teacher and especially [[intellectual]] guide in matters of [[fundamental]] concern
:b : one who is an acknowledged [[leader]] or chief proponent
:c : a person with [[knowledge]] or expertise : [[expert]]
==Description==
A '''guru''' ([[Sanskrit]]: गुरु) is one who is regarded as having great [[knowledge]], [[wisdom]], and [[authority]] in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others ([[teacher]]). Other forms of [[manifestation]] of this principle can include [[parents]], school [[teachers]], non-human objects ([[books]]) and even one's own [[intellectual]] discipline, if the aforementioned are in a guidance role.
In the [[religious]] sense the term is commonly used in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hinduism], as well as in other Indian religions and [[new religious movements]]. Finding a true guru is often held to be a prerequisite for [[attaining]] [[self-realization]]. In contemporary India, the word guru is widely used with the general meaning of "[[teacher]]". In Western usage, the meaning of guru has been extended to cover anyone who acquires followers, though not necessarily in an established [[school]] of [[philosophy]] or [[religion]]. In a further Western extension, guru is used, or even misused from the original religious [[meaning]], to refer to a person who has authority because of his or her perceived [[secular]] knowledge or [[skills]], such as in [[business]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru]
[[Category: Religion]]
==Origin==
The [[word]] ''guru'', a noun, means "teacher" in [[Sanskrit]] and in other languages derived from or borrowing words from Sanskrit, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi Hindi], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language Tamil], Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_language Bengali], Gujarati and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepali_language Nepali].
As a noun the word means the imparter of [[knowledge]] (''jñāna''; Also Persian: ''Dāna''). As an adjective, it means 'heavy,' or 'weighty,' in the sense of "heavy with [[knowledge]]," heavy with spiritual [[wisdom]], "heavy with spiritual weight," "heavy with the good [[qualities]] of [[scriptures]] and [[realization]]," or "heavy with a wealth of knowledge." 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'.
Sanskrit ''guru'' is cognate with [[Latin]] gravis 'heavy; grave, weighty, serious' and [[Greek]] barus 'heavy'. All three derive from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language Proto-Indo-European] root ''*gʷerə-'', specifically from the zero-grade form ''*gʷr̥ə-''.
A [[traditional]] etymology of the term "guru" is based on the interplay between [[darkness]] and [[light]]. The guru is seen as the one who "dispels the darkness of [[ignorance]]." In some [[texts]] it is described that the syllables ''gu (गु)'' and ''ru (रु)'' stand for [[darkness]] and light, respectively.[14]
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'.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1613]
==Definitions==
*1: a personal religious [[teacher]] and spiritual guide in Hinduism
*2a : a teacher and especially [[intellectual]] guide in matters of [[fundamental]] concern
:b : one who is an acknowledged [[leader]] or chief proponent
:c : a person with [[knowledge]] or expertise : [[expert]]
==Description==
A '''guru''' ([[Sanskrit]]: गुरु) is one who is regarded as having great [[knowledge]], [[wisdom]], and [[authority]] in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others ([[teacher]]). Other forms of [[manifestation]] of this principle can include [[parents]], school [[teachers]], non-human objects ([[books]]) and even one's own [[intellectual]] discipline, if the aforementioned are in a guidance role.
In the [[religious]] sense the term is commonly used in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism Hinduism], as well as in other Indian religions and [[new religious movements]]. Finding a true guru is often held to be a prerequisite for [[attaining]] [[self-realization]]. In contemporary India, the word guru is widely used with the general meaning of "[[teacher]]". In Western usage, the meaning of guru has been extended to cover anyone who acquires followers, though not necessarily in an established [[school]] of [[philosophy]] or [[religion]]. In a further Western extension, guru is used, or even misused from the original religious [[meaning]], to refer to a person who has authority because of his or her perceived [[secular]] knowledge or [[skills]], such as in [[business]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru]
[[Category: Religion]]