Guru - Enlightener

Definition: Guru is a word which comes from:

• Gu - dark gooey attachment.
• Roo - a (liberating) ray of light.

Guru means enlightener or liberator. A guru gives spiritual guidance illuminating the path of the soul through darkness into light.

A succession of ten embodied gurus preceeded the everlasting guru of the Sikhs, the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib. The composition of Guru Granth are known as Gurbani, or the guru's word. The scripture provides divine instruction to dispel the effects of spiritual ignorance and illuminate the darkness of ego which shrouds the soul keeping it in a state of duality. The illumined soul guided by the guru's instruction comes to realize that it is one with Ik Onkar the creator and all of creation. The Sikhs method for realization is to recite Waheguru, their name for the ultimate supreme divine wondrous enlightener.

Pronunciation: Gu roo

Alternate Spellings: Guroo - See Gurmukhi Spelling of Guru