[Advaita-l] Shankaracharya on 'Guru'

[V Subrahmanian]

Gurupūrṇimā is a day to rededicate ourselves to the Guru-tattvam that alone
is the guiding principle in our quest of the truth. Shankara pays the
richest homage possible to the Guru in the opening verse of his Śataślokī:

दृष्टान्तो नैव दृष्टः त्रिभुवनजठरे सद्गुरोर्ज्ञानदातुः
स्पर्शश्चेत् तत्र कल्प्यः स नयति यदहो स्वर्णतामश्मसारम् ।
न स्पर्शत्वं तथाऽपि श्रितचरणयुगे सद्गुरुः स्वीयशिष्ये
स्वीयं साम्यं विधत्ते भवति निरुपमः तेन वाऽलौकिकोऽपि ।।
शतश्लोकी १
dṛṣṭānto naiva dṛṣṭa: tribhuvanajaṭhare sadgurorjñānadātu:
sparśaścet tatra kalpya: sa nayati yadaho svarṇatāmaśmasāram
na sparśatvaṃ tathā’pi śritacaraṇayuge sadguru: svīyaśiṣye
svīyaṃ sāmyaṃ vidhatte bhavati nirupama: tena vā’laukiko’pi
- śataślokī 1
*Translation:*

In all the three worlds one is not able to see anything that illustrates
the role of a Sadguru (a true spiritual preceptor), one who bestows
enlightenment to the disciple. The philosopher’s stone is considered to
have the wonderful property of converting iron that it touches into gold,
instantly. But the philosopher’s stone can at best convert iron into gold,
and not into another philosopher’s stone (that is itself). But the Sadguru
transforms the disciple, who surrenders at the Guru
<http://www.narayanashramatapovanam.org/component/seoglossary/2-glossary/2-guru>’s
holy feet, into one like Himself. Hence this is a transformation which far
excels the other one, and therefore it is not anything worldly. Thus the
Guru is incomparable in this regard. Truly, the spiritual role which the
Guru plays in the life of a seeker is indeed supra-worldly.


भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम्