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| Can anybody help me with this., I just started going to another Yoga teacher (Individual)parallel to my normal classes (All 5 days after work). This is to get the certification.
She is a nice lady from India and Its very traditional teaching., Even I have to lay her rug, fold it after finishes etc. etc. And as I’m a girl I have to start Pranayama from Left side of the nose, which is, belong to the moon. Guy starts from right side, which is, belong to the Sun. (I have no problem with these as these things are not new in our culture)
My question is that I have to tell a prayer to worship the teacher before the lesson begins., As her language is Tamil she taught me the prayer in Tamil as follows:
Guru deva
Guruve thunai
Guruve Saranm
I don’t know Tamil language but
As how I understood is
Guru deva = Teacher is equal to the god (Quite true) – This is same as Sanskrit
Guruve Thunai – I don’t know the exact meaning
Guruve Saranam – must be surrender to the teacher
Can anybody tell me a Sanskrit prayer (Shloka) to worship teacher if you use any ?
Thanks a lot
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State | I usually think of The Teacher as one of the progenitors of yoga,
specifically Patanjali, who wrote it down for us, or Siva, who created it.
I don't think of it so directly as being the person present who is teaching
the class, although that person obviously deserves respect and gratitude
as well.
In terms of Sanskrit Prayers to the teacher, there are some well-known
ones to Patanjali
Yogena Cittasya Padena Vacham
Malam Sarirasya Ca Vaidyakena
Yopakarottam Pravaram Muninam
Patanjalim Pranajaliranato'smi
Abahu Purushakarum
Shanka Chakrasi Dharinum
Sahashra Shirasum Shvetum
Pranamami Patanjalim
Hare Om
And there are others addressing the god-like aspects of the teacher
(sorry, I am not qualified to explicate this verse)
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheswara
Guru Sakshat Para Brahma Thasmai Sri Gurave Namaha
So far as my physical teachers, I usually do namaste in an appropriate way.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | This mantra is the most popular for Guru. If you don't have a Guru you can make Ganesha your Guru and should be done before starting any other pooja. Sanskrit Mantra for Guru: Guru Ra Bramha, Guru Ra Vishnu, Guru Ra Deva Maheshwaraha, Guru Ra Sachaat Param Bramha, Tasamei` Shri Guruwe Namaha Meaning: Guru you are Bramha, Guru you are Vishnu, Guru you are Shiva, Guru you are the Supreme Soul, So, Guru I want to Pranaam (Namaskar` - Surrender) to you all the time. |
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| BG, could you please tell me from which texts you got this? (If you have taken it from any text)
Thanks a lot., I will continue worshiping my teacher in her language and as how she taught me ., But this is what I really wanted to know. Thank you so much guys.!
Sorry One more question, Is there a difference in worshiping a male teacher and a female teacher? or is it same? Just curious,,,
Edited by Thushara 2005-02-28 12:19 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Thushara - 2005-02-28 12:13 AM
BG, could you please tell me from which texts you got this? (If you have taken it from any text)
Thanks a lot., I will continue worshiping my teacher in her language and as how she taught me ., But this is what I really wanted to know. Thank you so much guys.!
Sorry One more question, Is there a difference in worshiping a male teacher and a female teacher? or is it same? Just curious,,,
These are things that I chant regularly. The first one, to Patanjali, can be found in
Iyengar's books (in English and Sanskrit (I think at the front of Light on Pranayama
and Light on the Yoga Sutras). I don't have a text reference for the second one,
but Cyndi has given a nice translation above (and fixed my Sanskrit grammar, too).
I hadn't really thought about the gender issue in this. I would start by wondering whether
the Sanskrit noun Guru carries a gender (the way it might in Latin).
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| Guru is used for both parties. its guru dev and guru devi. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Hi Thushara - love the teddy bear! We do the invocation to Patanjali as Bay Guy wrote it. There are some teachers who do the second one he posted as well. I want to learn that some day.
THe concept of "worship" toward a person wouldn't work well for most westerners, particularly the Bible Belt in the US, so it is usually described as an expression of gratitude to Patanjali and our other teachers. People sometimes get hung up on the "teacher is god" idea and forget that, in yoga terms, everyone is god and so everyone deserves our worship and gratitude. I remind myself daily that everyone I interact with is my teacher and try to honour (perhaps worship) the gift of teaching they give me. Some teachings are more difficult than others - I keep finding "teachers" who initially seem to be purposely trying to make my life difficult by doing annoying things like driving too slowly in front of me when I'm in a hurry  Maybe when I can learn to worship and honour those people they will stop teaching me!  |
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| Tourist,
Thanks for commenting about my yoga teddy. Some times its nice to have them closer... hmmm..
Anyway, I see your point about worshiping the teacher. I agree, in asian culture parents and teachers are treated as gods.. anyway things have changed here as well. Its that my new yoga teacher is very traditional but Im ok with that. |
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Worshiping the teacher
