From Darkness to Light: The Power of the Guru

The Guru is not merely a teacher — the Guru is a divine bridge between the seeker and the Supreme, the remover of ignorance, and the revealer of Truth. In the following verses, the eternal glory of the Guru is celebrated through sacred Sanskrit hymns, each illuminating a facet of the Guru’s grace.

1. Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu…
गुरु ब्रह्मा गुरु विष्णुः गुरु देवो महेश्वरः।
गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
guruḥ brahmā guruḥ viṣṇuḥ guruḥ devo maheśvaraḥ
guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: The Guru is verily Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer of ignorance. The Guru is the living embodiment of the Supreme Absolute. I bow to that revered Guru.

2. Akhanda Mandalaakaaram…
अखण्ड मण्डलाकारं व्याप्तं येन चराचरम्।
तत्पदं दर्शितं येन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
akhaṇḍa maṇḍalākāraṁ vyāptaṁ yena carācaram
tatpadaṁ darśitaṁ yena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: The Guru reveals the Supreme Reality that pervades the entire cosmos — the animate and the inanimate. I offer salutations to such a Guru who grants the vision of the Infinite.

3. Ajnana Timiraandhasya…
अज्ञान तिमिरान्धस्य ज्ञानाञ्जन शलाकया।
चक्षुरुन्मीलितं येन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
ajñāna timirāndhasya jñānāñjana śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: To that Guru who opens the eyes of one blinded by the darkness of ignorance with the ointment of divine knowledge — I offer my respectful salutations.

4. Sthaavaram Jangamam…
स्थावरं जङ्गमं व्याप्तं यत्किंचित् सचराचरम्।
तत्पदं दर्शितं येन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
sthāvaraṁ jaṅgamaṁ vyāptaṁ yatkiñcit sacarācaram
tatpadaṁ darśitaṁ yena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: That Guru who reveals the divine essence present in everything — from the immovable to the mobile, in all states of being — I bow to that Enlightener.

5. Chinmayam Vyaapi Yatsarvam…
चिन्मयं व्यापि यत्सर्वं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्।
तत्पदं दर्शितं येन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
cinmayaṁ vyāpi yatsarvaṁ trailokyaṁ sacarācaram
tatpadaṁ darśitaṁ yena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: To the Guru who directs our vision to the one Consciousness pervading all three realms — inert and active alike — I offer my deepest salutations.

6. Sarva Shruti Shiroratna…
सर्वश्रुति शिरो रत्न विराजित पदाम्बुजः।
वेदान्ताम्बुज सूर्यः यः तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
sarvaśruti śiro ratna virājita padāmbujaḥ
vedāntāmbuja sūryo yaḥ tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: I bow to that Guru whose lotus feet shine like the crown jewel of all Vedic knowledge, who is like the sun that dispels the darkness of ignorance through Vedantic wisdom.

7. Chaitanyah Shaashwatah Shaantah…
चैतन्यः शाश्वतः शान्तो व्योमातीतो निरञ्जनः।
बिन्दु नाद कला तीतः तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
caitanyaḥ śāśvataḥ śāntaḥ vyomātītaḥ nirañjanaḥ
bindu nāda kalātītaḥ tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: I bow to the Guru who represents the eternal, unchanging, and peaceful consciousness — beyond space, time, and sound — pure, subtle, and ever blissful.

8. Jnaana Shakti Samaaroopah…
ज्ञानशक्ति समारूढः तत्त्वमाला विभूषितः।
भुक्ति मुक्तिप्रदानेन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
jñāna śakti samārūḍhaḥ tattva mālā vibhūṣitaḥ
bhukti mukti pradānena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: The Guru who embodies the combined power of knowledge and realization, who is adorned with the garland of divine truth, and who bestows both material and spiritual liberation — to such a Guru, I bow.

9. Aneka Janma Sampraapta…
अनेक जन्म संप्राप्त कर्मबन्ध विदाहिने।
आत्मज्ञान प्रदानेन तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥
anekajanma saṁprāpta karma bandha vidāhine
ātma jñāna pradānena tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

Meaning: The Guru who severs the chains of accumulated karma from countless births by imparting the supreme knowledge of the Self — I salute that liberating Master.