The ancient proverb goes, “Guru bina gati nahin,” which translates to “There is no progress without a Guru.” A city without streets, a king without a treasury, a merchant without a business, a face without a nose, a life without wisdom, and a life without a Guru are all considered the same. There are two aspects: one is to have a Guru, and the other is to play the role of a Guru. Why is there so much emphasis on the Guru in the East, especially for thousands of years? It is said that there is no freedom, no liberation, without the Guru.

What is the role of a Guru? What does a Guru do? Why do you need a Guru? When you ponder these questions, you come across some salient features. Life is a dichotomy; it is not simple. It is made up of opposites like pleasure and pain, happiness and suffering, greed and generosity, and dispassion and passion. Life is full of opposite values, and they pull you in different directions. When the complications in life become overwhelming, the mind can break down. It needs support; it needs guidance. Wisdom is essential, and a Guru is not just a body but wisdom and light. When one’s life and wisdom are inseparable, then you call him a Guru.

Have you observed that your wisdom remains intact when you are not involved in a situation? You give great advice when somebody else is in trouble, but when you are in trouble, you don’t get those ideas. This is because wisdom dawns when you are out of the mess. If there is wisdom, how can there be any mess?

A Guru is one who is out of the mess and watches the chaos. You must have heard about circuit breakers. When a surge of electricity comes to a circuit breaker, it just breaks and saves the apparatus by stopping the excess electricity from flowing. Similarly, a Guru plays the role of a circuit breaker. When the mind cannot handle a situation, the Guru comes in and saves the mind. Whatever you cannot handle, whatever appears to be too much, you give it to the Guru, so you remain sane and balanced.

A Guru is full of caring and compassion while being established in wisdom. Click To Tweet

When there is a compelling desire that overwhelms your mind, the Guru is there with unconditional love and support to help you manage it. You offer your desires and pain to the Guru. So, having a Guru means being able to smile all the time without worry, walk with confidence, be fearless, and have a vision. That is wisdom.

There is another aspect to being a Guru. To be a Guru is to be uninvolved yet full of love and compassion. Usually, where there is love, you are either totally involved and entangled, or you don’t care. But a Guru is different. A Guru is full of caring and compassion while being established in wisdom.

Can’t you play the role of a Guru to others in your life? If you have not played the role of a Guru to at least one person in your life, your life is not complete. Can’t you love someone unconditionally without expecting anything in return, not even a thanks? If not, then you are missing something. You are missing that expression of life, that divinity in you. It’s not that difficult to play the Guru. You give advice anyway, but you must also be wise. Just advising without being wise doesn’t mean anything. Wisdom is being centered and being in the knowledge.

Who am I? I’m not the body, but I am the spirit. I’m the light. I am love, I’m light, I’m compassion. This is wisdom. Don’t sit and wait for the future for this wisdom to dawn in you to become a Guru to someone. No, you have to know it is there already. You are in love already. You simply have to start playing the role to make life full. Both aspects are needed: playing a Guru, which is seva or service, and having a Guru, which means experiencing total relaxation and unity with the being.

May 13 marks the birthday of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and in 2026, he is celebrating his 70th year.