[Advaita-l] sadguru

[S.N. Sastri]

The sadguru who imparts knowledge of the Self, is given a very high place in
vedAnta. He is equated to God. SrI Sankara brings out the incomparable glory
of the sadguru in the first verse of his work 'SataSlokI'. The translation
of this verse is given below:

   There is nothing in all the three worlds that can be compared to the
Sadguru who imparts the knowledge of the Self. The legendary philosopher's
stone may perhaps be suggested as an apt comparison, because it has the
capacity to convert a piece of iron into gold, just as the sadguru converts
an ordinary disciple into an enlightened person. But this comparison cannot
stand because, while the sadguru makes the disciple another guru like
himself, the philosopher's stone does not have the power to convert a piece
of iron into another philosopher's stone like itself. Therefore the sadguru
is incomparable and even transcends the world in glory.

S.N.Sastri