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Revision as of 13:45, 11 August 2005 by RDF (talk | contribs) (Adding Surat Shabda Yoga example)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Satguru or Sadguru means true guru (Sanskrit sat=true), literally: true teacher. The title means that his students have faith that the guru can be trusted and will lead them to moksha, enlightenment or inner peace. It is based on a long line of Hindu philosophical understandings of the importance of knowledge and that the teacher, guru, is the sacred conduit to self-realization.
A popular etymology claims that the word guru comes from गुरु, Gu=darkness; Ru=light in Sanskrit, literally the one that takes you from darkness to light. Nowadays, in India, every teacher is called guru. In the West, its usage has extended into anyone who makes religious or philosophical statements and has followers because of this. In further extension it means simply expert.
In Hinduism guru is used interchangeably with satguru (. Traditionally the title "guru" is used in the context of a relationship between a teacher and a student, rather than an absolute. See Guru-shishya tradition.
In Surat Shabda Yoga, one who initiates followers into the path often is referred to as a Satguru or Sat Guru.