Guru-Shishya Tradition: India’s Gift to the World

India is the cradle of many cultures and traditions. In this country, developed the concept of the ” four Ashramas” of life, which are- Student (brahmacharya), Conjugal life (Grihastha), Retired (Vanasprastha) and Renunciate (Sannyasa). In the first Ashrama as a student, a person learns the skills and develops the abilities to fend for himself for the coming three stages. The student solely relied upon his teacher to educate him and make the best out of his faculties in the first stage of his life.

Gurukul: The Ancient Form of School

Ancient India was the land of great minds. The Teacher-student relationship was a holy one. The teacher did not charge for his teachings, and the student obediently followed. In ancient India, the concept of ‘school’ or ‘pathshala’ did not exist. It was the ‘Gurukul’ where the students went to gain knowledge.

If we break down the word ‘Gurukul,’ we get two words, ‘Guru,’ which means ‘teacher,’ and ‘kul,’ which means ‘family.’  The students lived, played, and studied in the teacher’s house and were the teacher’s family. The teacher or the Guru would bring up the students as his own children. Teacher equipped them with all the worldly and spiritual knowledge to carve them as better and abler human beings.

The connection between the student and the teacher was a deep and spiritual one. It was a relationship where the teacher was the giver, and the student had an open mind without prejudice. Humility, acceptance, and obedience were the norm when it came to the students (shishya).  This tradition still holds the place in our society and it is from here that the true essence of giving, accepting and surrendering has spread across the Globe.

The Teacher: Next to Divinity

Till date, India and Indian culture places the teacher next to God. In the Gurukul method of learning the responsibility of bringing up a child was entirely on the teacher. It was he who taught the child to discriminate the right from the wrong and gave him all the essential knowledge.

Knowledge, as we all know, is the sacred gift of God to humans. And it is the teacher who transmits knowledge that he has learned, to his students. The teacher has the power to make this world a better place by shaping minds to hold wisdom.

Role of Teachers in Our Lives

We Commemorate Dr Radhakrishnan’s birthday on Teacher’s Day. It is a day that we reserve to show our gratitude and respect to all teachers in our lives. In India, even though the structure and curriculum have changed, but when it comes to the bare essence, we still consider our Gurus/teachers next to the divine.

We learn to be strong and up-right following the guidelines of our teachers. We inculcate values, morals, and ideals from them. They are the guiding lights of the world. They are the soul who teaches humans to be humane in mind, body, and spirit!