GoKirtan, Sati Ethnica
Gurudev
Mantra
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुर्गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः। गुरुः साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥
gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇur gurur devo maheśvaraḥ / guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
"The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is Maheshvara; the guru is the Supreme Brahman itself. Obeisances to that guru."
Meaning
A well-known verse from the Guru-gita that traditionally honours the teacher as divine. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition the guru is not considered God: the Gurv-ashtakam (verse 7) says he is honoured equally with Hari because he is the Lord's most confidential servant. "Gurudev" is an affectionate address to the spiritual master who leads from the darkness of ignorance to light.
