[Advaita-l] 16 essential qualities of a Jagadguru

[V Subrahmanian]

Posting an article which my friend Sri Pramod Bharadwaj collected long back:

*16 essential qualities of a Jagadguru*

These days, every Sanyasi is referred to as Jagadguru – the world teacher.
However the qualifications required for a Jagadguru are as follows:

1. He is the knower of all Shastras and also the essence of other religions.

2. He exhibits love for all beings and treats them as himself.

3. He is filled with Vairagya and gives up all worldly pleasures and
luxuries.

4. He has no ego or desires. He is ever ready to give up his life for the
benefit of humanity.

5. The philosophy taught by him is not his own imagination. It is a
valuable wealth handed over to him through an illustrious Sampradaaya. He
is able to support the same with scriptural proofs.

6. His Darshana is able to effectively answer all doubts and allegations.

7. The Darshana taught by him does not only describe righteousness but also
shows the way to salvation. It describes the nature of Moksha and the means
to attain it.

8. The Moksha advocated is not something, which is obtained after death.
Thus, there is no scope for will guesses and imagination.

9. The Tatva advocated by him is possible to be experienced. Hence it is a
science and not a superstition.

10. He does not call himself as God or the messenger of God. He never
imposes his beliefs over others. However, he never hesitates to correct
mistakes.

11. His philosophy includes the essence of all other branches of
philosophy. It has suitable positions for Karma, Bhakti, Upasana and Jnana.
It does not contradict any of these.

12. Since the Lord is omniscient and omnipresent, he is Nirakara as well as
Sakara. Though he advocates Nirguna Manasa Puja, Sakara Vigraha Puja is
also acceptable to him.

13. He teaches Moksha Shastra to all beings.

14. He does not advocate any cultist symbols like Mudras etc. and follows
only the Sruti.

15. He never deviates from his philosophical stand. His Darshana allows
people of all faiths to co-exist peacefully.

16. He does not remain actionless after attaining his own spiritual
success. He is ever busy in Loka Samgraha.

Shankara Bhagavatpada is the very personification of these qualities and is
the Jagadguru in true sense. So are the holy saints in that tradition.

On Tat Sat