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Hinduism: Sources of Wisdom and Authority

The Guru and the Parampara

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 2

Overview

Recall questions on the meaning of guru, why a living teacher is needed alongside scripture, the guru-disciple relationship and what a parampara is.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why do Hindus hold that a living teacher is needed as well as scripture?

Key term

What is a parampara?

Key term

In what sense is a guru sometimes treated as divine?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the literal sense of the word guru?

    Model answer

    It carries the sense of weight or gravity, and is explained as the one who dispels darkness and leads the pupil to light.

  2. 2

    Why do Hindus hold that a living teacher is needed as well as scripture?

    Model answer

    Scripture is difficult and self-deception is easy, so a teacher who has realised the truth is needed to interpret it and correct the pupil.

  3. 3

    Describe the traditional relationship between guru and disciple.

    Model answer

    The pupil lives in obedience and service to the teacher, receiving teaching personally over years rather than through study alone.

  4. 4

    What is a parampara?

    Model answer

    An unbroken line of transmission in which teaching passes from guru to disciple across generations.

  5. 5

    Name two forms of authority a guru exercises.

    Model answer

    The guru gives initiation with a personal mantra, and rules on how scripture and duty apply in the disciple's life.

  6. 6

    Who are the Shankaracharyas?

    Model answer

    They are the heads of the monastic seats traditionally traced to Shankara, whose rulings carry weight far beyond their own institutions.

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