The Guru–Shishya
Parampara: From Kailasa to Science Labs, the Moral Compass We Must Not Lose
Long before modern
observances like Teachers' Day came into being, in Bharat, our ancestors
set aside a day and dedicated the auspicious full moon day (traditionally
recognised as Vyasa Purnima, honouring Sage Ved Vyasa) to pay our humble
obeisance and profound reverence to the Gurus, who shape our lives. Learning is
one constant from cradle to coffin, in every one of our lives, and in this
journey of life, we come across one or the other who shape and guide us and mentor
us, who - in Indian age-old culture – should be considered as a Guru.
In the Indian cultural
ethos, a "Guru" is not merely a professional instructor bound by a
classroom wall or from the formal education system. Guru is the one who serves
as a guiding light in our journey—starting from the mother, our very first
Guru, to the father, family elders, academic mentors, and every individual
whose path intersects with ours to teach us righteousness, ethics, and truth.
This spirit is timelessly
captured in the profound verse from the Guru Gita, found within the Skanda
Purana, presented as a dialogue on Mount Kailash between Bhagwan Shiva and
Goddess Parvati: “Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara, Gurur
Sakshat Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.” Translated in English, the
sloka states "The Guru is the Creator, the Preserver, and the Transformer.
The Guru is the supreme reality made manifest. To that revered Guru, I bow in
deep humility.
Science, Sacrifice, and
the Ethos of Reverence.
In India, the Guru Shishya
Parampara and the sacred duty of the Guru (Teacher)—and the profound reverence
of the Shishya (disciple) for his Guru—did not end in ancient hermitages. It
transcended seamlessly into modern India's scientific laboratories and academic
corridors, as evidenced in the following classic examples concerning two
of the great scientists from India – both Nobelists, the winners of the Nobel Prize
in Physics – that remind us of the Guru-Shishya Parampara in Indian society.
1. Sir C.V. Raman: Duty of
Guru Over Accolades.
In 1954, when the first
Bharat Ratna awards were announced, Nobel laureate Professor Sir C.V. Raman
received an official invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive the nation’s
highest civilian honour. Yet, Prof. Raman sent a polite letter of regret. As
chronicled by our former scientist President, popularly called the People's President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Raman’s refusal was not due to ill health or
international travel or such other commitments of personal importance. It was
because the Bharat Ratna award ceremony coincided with the exact thesis
submission deadline of one of his devoted Ph.D. students. For Raman, his sacred
duty as a mentor (Guru) surpassed even the glory of receiving the Bharat
Ratna.
2. Subrahmanyan
Chandrasekhar: Dignity in the Face of Derision from Guru.
A Nobelist and a nephew
of Prof CV Raman, Astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar also embodied this
ethos through grace and humility. In 1935, when a young Chandrasekhar presented
his groundbreaking work on the "Chandrasekhar Limit" at the Royal
Astronomical Society, his senior contemporary Sir Arthur Eddington - whom S
Chandrasekhar considered as his Guru, although there was no such teacher
student relationship between the two - publicly ridiculed it as "stellar
buffoonery."
Though this unfair
critique derailed Chandra’s career in the U.K. and delayed his rightful Nobel
Prize recognition by nearly five decades, Chandra never spoke a bitter word
against Eddington. He continued to treat Eddington with utmost respect as a
mentor—reflecting an inner dignity akin to Ekalavya's unwavering devotion to his
Guru, Dhronacharya.
Later, while at Chicago’s
Yerkes Observatory, Chandrasekhar would drive over a hundred miles every week
just to teach an advanced class of only two students: T.D. Lee and C.N. Yang.
His selfless dedication as a virtue of a Guru, to his Shishyas (students) yielded
dividend when both students went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1957 at young
ages, decades before Chandra himself received his Nobel Prize in 1983.
3. Satish Dhawan: Quintessential
Guru for APJ Abdul Kala
When India’s first SLV-3
mission failed in 1979 under mission director Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, ISRO
Chairman Prof. Satish Dhawan faced the hostile press himself, shielding his shishya
(subordinate) from blame and humiliation. A year later, when the mission
succeeded, Dhawan stepped back and handed full credit to Kalam. Dhawan defined
leadership not as authority, but as protective, nurturing mentorship. Dr Kalam
has quoted this episode innumerable times, during his many lectures across the
country and beyond.
The Modern NEET Exam Crisis:
Standing Up for Rights Without Falling in Moral Decorum
Yet, as we look at our
society today, and the tragic events that unfolded during the NEET exam student
protest at Jantar Mantar, a painful contrast emerges.
During the Jantar Mantar student
agitations organised by the CJP for the NEET paper leaks, which spread across
the country, the nation witnessed a tragic and troubling breakdown in basic
civil discourse. While demanding accountability, transparency, and justice for
students is 100% justified, the nature of some protests crossed lines that
ought to alarm us all. Hearing young students and agitating crowds resort to
vulgarity, unrepeatable epithets, and aggressive gestures shows how far we are
drifting from our foundational moral compass. While the tough-handedness of the
police, which led to many students getting injured, can never be justified, but an
honest introspection will also reveal a disturbing trend, divorced from our age-old
traditions of respect for others.
In Indian culture,
fighting against injustice (Adharma) has always been encouraged - the Mahabharata
and Ramayana embody this spirit - but the means must match the nobility of the
end. Expressing anger does not necessarily require sacrificing dignity, nor
does standing up for rights justify mimicking, insulting, or using unspeakable
epithets in words and actions, which were seen in the protest not
just as a street outrage but stretched beyond this.
When we lose respect for
elders, teachers, and society at large, we do not just lose a debate—we strip
away the very values that have sustained our civilisation for millennia amidst
centuries of foreign invasions and foreign rule and colonialism. Agitation for
a righteous cause must itself remain righteous to earn a righteous and just
result.
Some may say my
generation is far divorced from modern society, enriched and empowered with AI, which the so-called Gen Z are a part of. And for them, knowledge is all-pervasive and
comes not necessarily from the so-called Guru, from their point of view, but
from modern Guru the AI, the Internet, Search Engines and WWW.
Therefore, one may ask whether we still need the Guru in the Age of AI?
The answer, in my opinion, remains an
unequivocal Yes, in my opinion.
Algorithms can supply
facts – which in itself is quite debatable when it comes to things political - but
they cannot transmit wisdom, integrity, compassion, morals or character. A Guru
is not a mere search engine for data nor an AI for answers; the Guru is a
catalyst who destroys ego, refines raw intellect, and instils morals, values
and ethics, besides enriching us with knowledge.
From Mount Kailash to
modern research institutes—where mentors like Prof. M.M. Sharma inspired
students like Mukesh Ambani and innumerable others, who later give back
generously to their alma maters—the core truth remains constant: A Civilisation
that honours its teachers, leaders, elders, and knows their moral boundaries honours its own future.
On this holy day of Guru
Purnima, let us not only pay tribute to those who teach us, but also pledge to
uphold the dignity, language, and moral conduct that our Gurus sacrificed so
much to bequeath to us.
Tasmai Sri Guruve Namaḥ.
Key words #GuruPurnima
#GuruShishyaParampara #IndianEthos #ValuesAndEthics #Education #Mentorship #CJPprotest #NEETprotest #Politicalclass
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