What do guru's do?

Answer 1

"Guru" is a Sanskrit word which means "one who eliminates the dark". When we say "dark", we must understand what darkness is, how it prevails and what is its source. Before understanding darkness, we must understand light. Because a simple answer to "what is darkness?" is "absence of light is darkness". But the light we are referring here is not the light we see like sunlight or a bulb's lights. Otherwise every electrician in the town would have been the "Guru". The light we are talking here is the "light of knowledge." So a Guru is one who has the capability of extinguishing the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge. So, the one line answer to "What does a Guru do" is "A Guru illuminates our lives with knowledge". However, the answer to the question does not end here. Because, a true Guru is the one who has the capability of spreading the light of true knowledge. Now what is this true knowledge? According to Vedas only one thing is true in this creation and that is God. Other than God everything else is covered by illusion of Maya. So, we can say that darkness is Maya. Darkness is to be deprived from God. Darkness is the absence of God. The following equation can make it simpler: When, God=Light and, absence of light=Darkness thus, Darkness=absence of God. So naturally, a Guru is someone who has the presence of God in him, who has realized God himself, who is the light himself. Thus, Vedas further says a true Guru is the one who is a practical plus a theoretical man. Understand this way, if we want to cook Pasta what would we do? Get a cook book or catch someone who can cook Pasta. Getting a "101 ways to kill your Boss" or any other book will not help you cook Pasta and similarly bringing home a shoemaker or Britney Spears (I bet she cannot cook Pasta) or any other superstar who does not know what Pasta is, will also not help. It is very clear that you need someone who knows how to cook Pasta to teach you so. And only getting the cook or a guide will also not help. The cook book or the guide could be the world best but if you don't cook it practically, you will still be starving. Similarly, to attain the true light (God) we must get a person who can teach you how to attain God theoretically and also motivate you to work practically to attain God. Because, we cannot attain God just by sitting there and reading or writing this article. We need to get up, search the true God realized Guru, surrender to him, work as he instructs and then only we will attain true light, then only the darkness of ignorance will eliminate.