Although the guru system has come to be ingrained in the secular traditions of knowledge, many of the original ideas regarding the guru’s godlike status persist. A respectful term of address to one’s guru adds the word deva ‘god
’ to form the honorific gurudeva. Other compound words incorporating guru suggest the degree to which the guru concept permeates Indian culture. The Oxford Hindi–English Dictionary defines gurujan as “venerable or eminent persons; elders.
” Members of the...
