Guru Parampara - The Historical Vedas of Hinduism
What does the term “Guru Parampara” mean?
The guru paramparam, or the Advaita Guru-Paramparā, is the traditional list of divine, Vedic and historical teachers of the Advaita Vedanta. The Advaita Vedanta is a system of spiritual realization as per Indian tradition. The term Advaita refers to the idea that Brahman (or teacher) alone is ultimately real in philosophy. The concept of passing down knowledge, which is parampara, is something central to vedic philosophy. Within the philosophy of Guru Parampara, the passing down of knowledge is important to generations. Guru parampara as a representation of lineage is a unique tradition in the world in which a guru passes on his/her acquired knowledge to a chosen shishya(s), or disciple. In this case, Guru Parampara is more than just a simple list. Guru Parampara is a tradition of knowledge. The Guru Parampara also is closely connected to a special day in Hindu culture called “Guru Purnima’’. On this auspicious day, we thank our teachers for what they provide to us and celebrate traditions of the Guru Parampara.
History of Guru Parampara:
From medieval times, Advaita Vedanta influenced other Indian religions as well, and since the 19th century, it came to be regarded as the central philosophy of Indian religion. Even though being many years old, the tradition is still quite common today among scholars and brahmins. In several Indian religious and philosophical traditions, all knowledge is traced back to the Gods and to the Rishis who saw the Vedas. The successive rishis and teachers of various Indian traditions are honoured in Guru-paramparās, lists of teachers in the Guru–shishya traditions.
Our Gurus from Sringeri Lineage:
With regards to the Sringeri Temple, we have our own gurus called the Jagadgurus. These jagadgurus hold the utmost title of following the Guru Parampara tradition in the Sringeri lineage. Our current jagadguru is Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji. His particular prowess in passing on Hinduism is to remove negative emotions from the body and brain. Things like egotism and violence should be replaced while humbleness and prosperity should continue to exist. This is his brand of guru parampara where he can pass on his knowledge of inner peace to future generations.
How does the guru parampara help people today:
The tradition of guru parampara is what motivates one thing above all else: knowledge or Jnana. Remember, the whole history of Guru Parampara leads up to enlightenment from our gurus or teachers. Teachers have a role to play in which they enlighten the mind of students and help them prepare for their future careers. Every good teacher today, whether Hindu faith or not, follows the Guru Parampara traditions. Not only does the Guru Parampara tradition help to enlighten students but also helps for a bond between guru and student. This tradition is the living and learning relationship between the Guru and the student signifying the emotional, intellectual bonding between them. The guru’s teaching strategies do not just end with academic progress however as they oversee spiritual progress within students as well. Again, the Guru Parampara is something that is passed down between guru and student. The tradition can not just end in one string of enlightenment.
Thank you for reading my entry on Guru Parampara and the knowledge and importance the teacher has on the future of the student. No matter who you are you must seek to be a mentor and leader to others and use these values to help instill knowledge. This……. is Guru Parampara.
To learn about the Sringeri Jagadgurus visit — http://www.svbfcanada.com/SVBF/Jagadgurus.html
Bio: Tanay Hegde is a 13-year-old student who resides in Mississauga, Ontario. He has a strong passion for knowledge. He likes to gain knowledge by reading different resources (encyclopedias, articles), writing (essay writing and paragraph structure) and watching media (learning interpersonal skills from movies as well as being updated by the news). He is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities and contests (Spelling Bee Contests, International Math Contests and tennis). He plays and participates in Tennis tournaments all around Ontario. He also participates in various contests like Canadian National Math League and Mathematica Centrum. He is very close to the SVBF with many friends in the community. He has participated in a number of performances for Havyaka Sangha. In addition to that, he has many close friends in the SVBF community. Some of his strong passions are reading, writing, playing tennis, researching, reading Greek Mythology, coding and learning about politics.
