After Satsangs/Courses in casual conversations, participants (from the Public and Satsang team itself) wondered aloud and expressed to me to explain the difference between a Guru and a Teacher/Acharya. Answers are usually those I picked from various sources but mainly heard in person as a faculty & Disciple of Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji of the Art of Living during His Satsangs/Courses that I have been privileged many times to have been part of.

Acknowledging the fact that none of the following quote is mine (at best, I am just a connoisseur of knowledge that I have been blessed to have heard and digested), I decided to compile the following as a ready reckoner for myself (and for others). Read on…

Initiation is called “Diksha”. In Sanskrit “Di” means intellect. “Ksha” means the horizon or the end. “Diksha” means transcending the intellect. Education is called “Shiksha”, the horizon of discipline – total discipline. Discipline is needed for education. “Diksha” is needed for meditation. A Teacher gives “Shiksha”. A Guru gives “Diksha”. A Guru takes you beyond intellect to the Realm of Being. It is a journey from the Head to the Heart.

Blossoming beyond the intellect is “Diksha”. If you do not go beyond the intellect, you will not smile, you will not laugh. Once “Diksha” happens, you are happy, blissful and contented; and thirst for knowledge is quenched. Totality of Discipline is “Shiksha”; Totality of Intelligence is “Diksha”

A Teacher gives you knowledge; A Guru raises your levels of Awareness to the peak

A teacher takes responsibility of your growth; A Guru makes you responsible for your growth

A teacher gives you things you do not have and require; A Guru takes away things you have and do not require

A teacher answers your questions; A Guru questions your answers

A teacher helps you get out of the maze; A Guru destroys the maze

A teacher requires obedience and discipline from the pupil; A Guru requires trust and humility from the pupil

A teacher clothes you and prepares you for the outer journey; A Guru strips you naked and prepares you for the inner journey

A teacher is a guide on the path; A Guru is a pointer to the way

A teacher sends you on the road to success; A Guru sends you on the road to freedom

A teacher explains the world and its nature to you; A Guru explains yourself and your nature to you

A teacher makes you understand how to move about in the world; A Guru shows you where you stand in relation to the world

A teacher gives you knowledge and boosts your ego; A Guru takes away your knowledge and punctures your ego

A teacher instructs you; A Guru constructs you

A teacher sharpens your mind; A Guru opens your mind

A teacher shows you the way to prosperity; A Guru shows the way to serenity

A teacher reaches your mind; A Guru touches your soul

A teacher gives you knowledge; A Guru makes you wise

A teacher gives you maturity; A Guru returns you to innocence

A teacher instructs you on how to solve problems; A Guru shows you how to resolve issues

A teacher is a systematic thinker; A Guru is a lateral thinker

A teacher will punish you with a stick; A Guru will punish you with compassion

A teacher is to pupil what a father is to son; A Guru is to pupil what mother is to her child

One can always find a teacher; But a Guru has to find and accept you

A teacher leads you by the hand; A Guru leads you by example

When a teacher finishes with you,you graduate; When a Guru finishes with you, you celebrate

When the course is over you are thankful to the teacher; When the discourse is over you are grateful to the Guru