In Hinduism, a guru is a personal spiritual teacher. In ancient India, knowledge of the Vedas (a body of liturgical literature) was transmitted orally from guru to pupil. The rise of the bhakti movement, which emphasizes the love of devotees for a personal god, further increased the importance of gurus, who were often looked on as living embodiments of spiritual truth and were identified with the deity. Gurus prescribe spiritual disciplines to their devotees, who follow their dictates in a tradition of service and obedience. Men or women may be gurus, though generally only men have established lineages.
He has been a guru to many young writers. She's a self-proclaimed financial guru. Fitness gurus call it the hottest new exercise trend of the year.
Recent Examples on the WebJackie Aina is a personable YouTuber, makeup guru, entrepreneur and U.S. Army veteran by the way, who is usually trending for the right reasons.Essence, 9 Aug. 2022 President Jimmy Carter himself hired a deregulation guru, Alfred Kahn, to deregulate at least one industry—airlines. French Hill And Amity Shlaes, WSJ, 29 July 2022 But Whetstone — a powerful public relations executive married to former British prime minister David Cameron’s policy guru Steve Hilton — had bigger ideas. Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, 11 July 2022 Pop Mech’s military guru, Kyle Mizokami, has been covering the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine with an eye on the tech used by all parties in the war. The Editors Of Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 29 June 2022 The housewares guru, now 55, has since built a nearly $100 million worldwide design business, written a book, and been a judge on HGTV. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 23 June 2022 The mystery deepened when Becton, as is his right, sat out voluntary conditioning and on-field walkthrough sessions which began on April 18 to work with an offensive-line guru, Tony Manyweather, in Dallas. J.p. Pelzman, Forbes, 16 June 2022 There is also an essay from author/ culture critic Michael Arceneaux about the problematic legacy of the recently deceased, controversial relationship guru Kevin Samuels. Jem Aswad, Variety, 13 June 2022 To ensure a slick rink, the NHL’s ice guru, Dan Craig, was on the case. Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press, 30 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
ultimately from Sanskrit guru, from guru, adjective, heavy, venerable — more at grieve