Guru Shishya Parampara : "Shishya"

The vision the future holds is the student...for he shall apply his learning and wisdom to foresee the future and take the righteous actions. He is the stone from the quarry that needs to be sculpted by not a chisel, but by the sweet words of the guru's wisdom. The disciple or "Shishya" meaning 'chela' in sanskrit is more of a devotee to the Guru and his wisdom. It was a bondage wherein the disciple had to surrender himself to the learned Guru abiding the principles of 'Brahmacharya'. If the disciple could make himself the ideal student to his guru, he would be taught the very secrets to excel in diverse fields. Since, the Vedic age was an age of self-realisation or spirituality, the main education imparted to the student was that of the secret of life and death, of soul and body, and of mortality and immortality. Not only were the teachings religious, it was based on sound ethics which suited the clan of the disciple. While Brahmins were taught of the religious practices, the Kshatriyas were taught 'Raajaneeti'(laws of ruling) and 'Shastra-Vidya'(weaponry). Directly or indirectly, the wisdom of the Guru would reach all sections of the society, through the Shishyas as its carriers. So, the motive of the guru was not just train 'Shishyas' but to breed a new set of 'Gurus' who shall lead forward the society. The student was highly disciplined, determined and devoted. The guru was selfless and always hoped that the student excelled him in the field.