guru

Meaning

Noun

1. In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
2. Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
3. An influential advisor or mentor.
4. A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

Verb

To act as a guru; to give wise advice

Concepts

guru

preceptor

teacher

master

spiritual guide

leader

mentor

sage

initiator

Brahman

elder

father

husband

king

holy master

intellectual

pundit

philosopher

thinker

cola

kola

Guru

spiritual father

spiritual leader

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡʊɹuː/

Etymology

From Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology based on the Advayataraka Upanishad (line 16) describes the syllables gu as “darkness” and ru as “destroyer”, thus ascribing the meaning of “one who destroys/dispels darkness” to the word.

Sentences

As such , the term " guru " is a controversial one .