Importance of Guru
What is the importance of Guru in Indian dance or Guru writes in detail about disciple tradition?
Indian mythology and culture always consider Guru as supreme. The following verse is an example of this.
"Gururbrahma Gururvishnu Gururdevo Maheshwara"
"Gurursakshat Parabrahma Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah."
This indicates that the real God is Guru, who is superior to Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara. Similarly, in Indian dance also, Guru has an equal place. The Guru also enjoys a high status in society. Guru is the person who gives knowledge to the ignorant. He brings light into the lives of his disciples. Words cannot speak the greatness of a guru.
In India, the tradition of guru-disciple tradition, teachers, and disciples has been going on since the Vedas. Thanks to the devotion and dedication of some great gurus who have saved Indian art and preserved it till the present century. Guru is the Sanskrit word for 'great' which means a person who is greater than others, one who has the knowledge, one who is scholarly, good-natured, and loving, and who disciplines while teaching.
According to Indian culture, even kings obeyed Guru's orders as they were well experienced and their knowledge was the result of rigorous penance that leads the disciples on the path of truth and salvation. The Guru can be a religious teacher or a Kalguru, the path is the same. The dance has been preserved by the Guru tradition. There is often a misunderstanding that tradition or traditional is irresponsible and narrow. If the place of tradition is properly understood, the truth will be found to the contrary. For those whose ideas are limited and who lack creative imagination, everything is limited, including the scriptures. Such people are unable to see the depth and meaning of knowledge hidden behind the mere words of a particular art and scripture. But for those who have a truly creative imagination, there is always a focal point for the merging of the experience of the guru and personal experience with the scriptures that incorporate dance.
In the Guru tradition, knowledge spreads from the Guru to his disciple and has passed and spread over the centuries. In the old days, there were no schools or academies that taught dance. The student decided on his profession at a very young age and the parents sent him to that particular guru who is an expert. From that day the Guru is their patron. The disciple stays with him and learns the art and the disciple, in turn, helps the Guru and Guru Patni in the household work. The disciple was always in touch with the Guru so that he could have complete knowledge about the subject. In Al Ahmad Dakshina as a Guru, he served the Guru and could give whatever he wanted or ask the Guru what he wanted. All students were treated equally whether it was the king's son or the poor man's son. It did not matter because they all had to serve the Guru in the same way, eat the same food, and sleep together. The story of Lord Krishna and Sudama is the best example of this.
For the upliftment of society and to keep our discipline intact and to maintain our heritage and culture, our great gurus have sacrificed their lives. In this way, we are still able to preserve our ancient dance forms in spite of Muslim invasions and British rule.
By studying these ancient dance forms, young boys and girls are encouraged to follow our old heroes and heroines. They get the right type of entertainment and are also able to develop body and mental discipline. Thus the student of classical dance helps society by spreading our moral values and high views. A student visiting Gurukul to learn classical dance considers this as his profession. He follows the footsteps of his master and sets up an iceberg as a dancer. The Guru guides him as a father, showing his son the right path. On the day of Dussehra in South India, the disciples come to the Guru wherever they are, offer Dakshina and the Guru worships and takes his blessings. This occasion is known as Vidyarambham (beginning of dance). It is basically a sign of thanking the Guru for giving valuable knowledge and guidance. Even today the disciples of South Indian dance and music consider it as a ritual. According to our culture, the Guru leads a very simple life. The progress of students is the motto of Guru. He is a man who is interested in giving rather than taking. This is why the Guru has a respectable place in society. It is believed that the person who honors his gurus gets the fruits of that.
The best example of a guruship relationship is Eklavya who sacrificed his Guru's right thumb as Dakshina and Lord Krishna who went around the world to get Sandipani's son back as Dakshina. So we are proud of our heritage and Guru tradition, we students of Bharatanatyam should show respect to our great gurus- Chinnaiah, Ponnayya, Shivananda. In fact, who preserved this great art through the Guru tradition. Our reverence for the great Guru Late Meenakshi Sundaran Pillai as the greatest Guru in living memory has been studied by most senior contemporaries under him. Thanks to Rukmini Devi who laid a strong foundation for Gurukulvas, thus giving intensive training in all aspects of art. Siddhendra Yogi's strict gurukul has helped preserve the Kuchipudi dance. And to this day, they follow the same strict discipline imposed on them by Siddhendu Yogi. In addition to rigorous training in classical dance which includes a series of difficult physical exercises required to make the body soft and flexible, they have to study religious texts, Sanskrit as well as music both theoretical and practical.
The popularity of Kathakali and Mohiniyattam in the present day is credited to the Gurukul of Mahakavi Vallathol, who persuaded young boys and girls to study Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, and Bharata-Natyam. Free training is given. In his time, training started at 3.00 am and ended at 8.00 pm in the evening. A generation of young gurus and dancers have assured to continue the tradition with renewed vigor and inspiration.
I hope you found this article useful in understanding the Importance of guru.
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