Gurus and Preceptors according to Indian Traditions..

Gurus and Preceptors according to Indian Traditions..

A dear friend was raising an issue as to who is a guru and whether the teacher of today was the Guru of Indian traditions..

I came across the definition of various types of Acharyas in Yajnvalkyasmriti and the list of Gurus as defined by Devala, the great author of Dharmasastras attributed to Him

स गुरुः यः क्रिया कृत्वा वेदमस्मै प्रयच्छति

उपनीय ददद्वेदमाचार्यः स उदाहृतः॥ ३४

एकदेशमुपाद्याय ऋत्विग्यज्ञकृदुच्यते

एते मान्या यथापूर्वमेभ्यो माता गरीयसी॥३५

याज्ञवल्क्यस्मृत्याम् ब्रह्मचारिप्रकरेणे

sa gururyaḥ kriyā kṛtvā vedamasmai prayacchati

upanīya dadadvedamācāryaḥ sa udāhṛtaḥ|| 34

ekadeśamupādyāya ṛtvigyajñakṛducyate

ete mānyā yathāpūrvamebhyo mātā garīyasī||35

yājñavalkyasmṛtyām brahmacāriprakareṇe

He is the guru who conducts or presides over all the Samskaras starting from Garbhadaanam to Upanayanam and also imparts Vedas to the Brahmachari..

The preceptor who conducts or presides over Upnayanam alone and teaches Vedas is called Aacharya..

A preceptor who imparts some parts of vedas, in a summary way,just to suit the occasion is called Upadhyaaya..

and the preceptor who presides over oblations to fire alone is called Ritvig..

These preceptors are to be respected in the order, Guru, Acharya, Upadhyaaya and Ritvig..

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But one's own mother is the greatest Guru and she gets precedence over all the four preceptors above..

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(From Brahmachariprakaranam of Yajnavalkyasmriti.. in fact this Smriti and its Mitakshari commentary form the basis for Hindu Law even in modern times..)

Sage Garga was the Guru for Krishna and Sage Vasishta was the guru for Rama.. they ensured that they presided over all the Samskaras of the respective incarnations..

According the the respected Dharmashastrakara Devala

उपाध्यायः पिता ज्येष्ठो भ्राता चैव महीपतिः मातुलः श्वशुरस्त्राता मातमहपितमहौ॥ ------- पित्तृव्यश्च पुंस्येते गुरवः स्मृताः। माता मातमही गुर्वी पितुर्मातुश्च सोदरा॥ श्वश्रूः पितमही ज्येष्टा धात्री च गुरवः स्त्रियः॥ देवलः

upādhyāyaḥ pitā jyeṣṭho bhrātā caiva mahīpatiḥ mātulaḥ śvaśurastrātā mātamahapitamahau|| -------- pittṛvyaśca puṁsyete guravaḥ smṛtāḥ| mātā mātamahī gurvī piturmātuśca sodarā|| śvaśrūḥ pitamahī jyeṣṭā dhātrī ca guravaḥ striyaḥ|| devalaḥ

the following are equal to Gurus among men

Upadhyaaya,(the family priest usually)

Father,

Elder brother,

the King,

the Maternal Uncle,

Father in law,

one who has taken care of us as a foster parent or one who has saved us from dangers,

the maternal and paternal grandfather,

father's brother

the following are gurus among women

mother,

mother's mother,

Guru's wife,

sisters of father and mother,

mother in law,

father's mother,

elder sister,

and the woman who was engaged to breastfeed the person when he was a child.