“Guru Brahma, Gurur Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara:
Guru Saakshaat Parabrahma, Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha:”
Says a sloka in Sanskrit, equating the Acharya or Guru to Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and the Parabrahma.
From ancient ages, the Hindu tradition has given great importance to Acharyas as they guide the students towards enlightenment. They remove the darkness from the minds of seekers, clarify their doubts and take the students in the right path.
With no books or manuscripts in the good old days, they form a vital link to the oral teaching tradition. Students are taught Vedas, Divya Prabandham, scriptures orally by the teachers and the tradition continues even today.
These teachers are viewed as the torch-bearers of the rich culture and heritage from generation to generation.
Without the blessings of a Guru or Acharya, no study is complete and fruitful. Even Lord Narayana has advocated the importance of Acharyas when he studied under the Sandipani Maharshi in Krishna Avatara. Even in Rama Avatara, Lord Rama followed the footsteps of his Guru Sage Vishwamitra.
In the Mahabharata, while teaching the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna Himself turned into a Guru to Arjuna, explaining the importance of Karma, Kaala, Prakruti, Jiva and Ishwara and dispelling the fear and darkness in his mind.
The importance of an Acharya is quite revealing in the lives of Azhwars who wrote the Naalayira Divya Prabandam in praise of Lord Narayana.
Noted among them is Madhurakavi Azhwar. He wrote only 11 paasurams out of 4,000 verses of Divya Prabandam. His ‘Kanninun Siruthambu’ (11 verses) does not contain any praise of Lord Narayana but it extols his Acharya Sri Nammazhwar. Madurakavi surrendered to the feet of Nammazhvar, supposed to be the incarnation of Vishvaksenar.
It is surmised that this work of Madhurakavi was the key that opened the famous Nalayira Divya prabandham. The verses in ‘Kanninun Siruthambu’ were chanted by Nathamuni to propitiate Nammazhvar and to get Nalayira Divya Prabandham from him.
Mathurakavi does not know anything except Nammazhvar and he considers him as the Lord and the ultimate.
