Guru Ashtakam
Guru Ashtakam: Mantra with Meaning Guru Ashtakam is an octet in the praise of spiritual Guru, composed by Adi Sankaracharya. Originally, Adi Shankara has written this in praise of his Guru Govinda Pada. He emphasizes that without deep devotion to the spiritual teacher, all our attainments are meaningless. In Hinduism, a Guru is a spiritual teacher who imparts the higher knowledge of the Vedas and the way of achieving liberation (enlightenment). But mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has direct knowledge of Atman (soul) through self-realization can only be enrolled as a Guru. A Guru is knowledgeable, self-realized, liberated, chaste, virtuous, austere, truthful, detached, free from lust and delusion, and dedicated and devoted to God. A Guru is the knower of Brahman. A Guru is God in human form. The words of a Guru are like the words of God. A popular Hindu prayer declares, "The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, the Guru is ...