The word Guru is composed of two sacred
syllables. Gu, which represents the darkness and
Ru, which represents light. Gu is maya and Ru is
the destruction of maya. Gu is the state which is
beyond the three gunas, and Ru is emptiness. The
Guru is he who gives the experience of darkness
melting into light, maya dissolving into clarity
and formation revealing wisdom.
Gukaaras tvandha | |
goo - kaa - rus tvun - dhu | |
Note: the 'v' is soft; the 'dh' is aspirated. Gukaaras means: the syllable GU | |
karash cha | |
ku - rush chu | |
Note: cha means 'and' | |
rukaaras | |
roo - kaa - rus | |
Note: rukaaras means: the syllable RU | |
teja uchyate | |
tay - ju ooch - yu - tay | |
Note: teja is a beautiful word meaning light. We'll see it again in verse 40 (where it means lights the flame of knowledge). | |
now glue.... | |
Gukaaras tvandha karash cha, rukaaras teja uchyate | |
Ajñaana graasakam | |
u - gnyaa - nu graa - su - kum | |
Note: whenever 'a' is placed before a word it gives it the opposite meaning; so here we have it before jñaana, which is knowledge – hence, ajñaana means ignorance. jñ ~ there are several correct ways to say this. It's acceptable to pronounce it like 'gnya' or as 'jnya', or even better yet, somewhere between 'gnya' and 'jnya'. |
|
brahma gurur eva | |
bru + (h) – mu goo - roor ay - vu | |
Note: brahma here actually means Brahman, the supreme consciousness. | |
na samshayaha | |
nu sum - shu - yu - hu | |
Note: this expression means 'without a doubt'. We also see it in verses 5, 73, 76, 82.
Here, the word ends with a visarga; our next to last vowel in samshaya was an 'a', which is pronounced like a dull 'u' sound. So we kind of bounce on that once again, ever-so gently and delicately... even more so than I do... |
|
Glue these... | |
Ajñaana graasakam brahma, gurur eva na samshayaha | |
Gukaarah | |
goo - kaa - ruh | |
Note: Gukaarah means: the syllable GU. The difference between the endings in this verse is just a grammatical thing. | |
prathamo varno | |
pru - t(h)u - mo vur - no | |
Note: remember the 'th' is not a sound like "that", but rather just indicates the t is with air. Also, no need to roll the 'r' in prathamo quite as much as I did. | |
maayaadi guna | |
maa - yaa - dee goo - nu | |
Note: mayaa is maya / illusion. In your pronunciation of maayaa, watch out not to make the vowel into a dipthong like 'ai'. Keep the maa clean as one sound, then the yaa clean as a second sound. |
|
bhaasakah | |
bhaa - su - kuh | |
... glue... | |
Gukaarah prathamo varno, maayaadi guna bhaasakah | |
Rukaaro | |
roo - kaa - ro | |
Note: Rukaaro means: the syllable RU. The difference between the endings in this verse is just a grammatical thing. | |
dvitiyo | |
dvee - tee - yo | |
Note: if you have trouble with the combination sound 'dvit', just start by saying 'du' and then 'vit', and say them more and more quickly until you squish them together into one sound. Dvi means two. As in two syllables, the second syllable. | |
brahma | |
bru + (h) – mu | |
Note: brahma here actually means Brahman, the supreme consciousness.
Let the 'h' be a subtle breath, so it's subtly different than a word like brama would be. |
|
maayaa bhraanti | |
maa - yaa bhraan - tee | |
Note: again, maayaa is illusion | |
vinaashanam | |
vee - naa - shu - num | |
...glue... | |
Rukaaro dvitiyo brahma, maayaa bhraanti vinaashanam | |
Gukaaram cha | |
goo - kaa - rum chu | |
gunaa titam | |
goo - naa tee - tum | |
Note: Guna means qualities or attributes. It is the three gunas of tamas, rajas and sattva out of which the entire manifest creation is built. Tita means beyond. | |
rukaaram | |
roo - kaa - rum | |
rupa varjitam | |
roo - pu vur - ji - tum | |
Note: rupa means form, as we saw in verse 3. Varjitam means beyond. | |
glue glue glue... | |
Gukaaram cha gunaa titam, rukaaram rupa varjitam | |
Gunaatita | |
goo - naa - ti - tu | |
Note: Guna means qualities or attributes. It is the three gunas of tamas, rajas and sattva out of which the entire manifest creation is built. Tita means beyond. | |
svarupam cha | |
swa - roo - pum chu | |
Note: sva means own; rupa means form. The own form of the guru is beyond the gunas. | |
yo dadyaat sa | |
yo dud - yaat su | |
guruh smrtah | |
goo - roo +(h) smrit - ah | |
Note: the 'r' in smrtah is the vowel form (and can be rolled just a bit). | |
and finally, glue this last phrase together... | |
Gunaatita svarupam cha, yo dadyaat sa guruh smrtah | |
Now repeat the entire verse all together: | |
Gukaaras tvandha karash cha, rukaaras teja uchyate; Ajñaana graasakam brahma, gurur eva na samshayaha. Gukaarah prathamo varno, maayaadi guna bhaasakah; Rukaaro dvitiyo brahma, maayaa bhraanti vinaashanam. Gukaaram cha gunaa titam, rukaaram rupa varjitam; Gunaatita svarupam cha, yo dadyaat sa guruh smrtah. | |
Gukaaras tvandha karash cha, rukaaras teja uchyate; Ajñaana graasakam brahma, gurur eva na samshayaha. Gukaarah prathamo varno, maayaadi guna bhaasakah; Rukaaro dvitiyo brahma, maayaa bhraanti vinaashanam. Gukaaram cha gunaa titam, rukaaram rupa varjitam; Gunaatita svarupam cha, yo dadyaat sa guruh smrtah. | |
The word Guru is composed of two sacred syllables. Gu, which represents the darkness and Ru, which represents light. Gu is maya and Ru is the destruction of maya. Gu is the state which is beyond the three gunas, and Ru is emptiness. The Guru is he who gives the experience of darkness melting into light, maya dissolving into clarity and formation revealing wisdom. | |