Across the world, there is often a gap between ideology and reality, and India is no exception. In India, many religious leaders—gurus and acharyas—dissatisfied with the ordinary lives of common people, promoted ethical and moral teachings as spiritual ideals. These ideals, seen as unattainable by the masses, were accepted as achievable only by saints or their revered gurus. Over time, these spiritual ideals became sacred doctrines, while the common people sought comfort by transforming them into rituals.
As morality gave way to ritual, followers began to worship their sectarian leaders, gurus, and acharyas as divine figures. After these leaders passed away, their followers would often declare them as incarnations of deities, attributing miraculous signs to their birth (such as being born with 32 teeth or special palm markings). Priests, predictably, played a key role in preserving and teaching these rituals, focusing on the proper arrangements of flowers, specific types of prasadam, and adherence to festival rules dictated by agamic traditions.
In this process, the emphasis shifted from genuine spiritual growth to the meticulous performance of rituals. People were more concerned with ritual precision—what to offer, how to arrange the ceremony—than with embodying the moral or spiritual lessons their leaders had once taught.
A true guru, however, would never be satisfied with being idolized as a god. Instead, a genuine teacher would inspire followers to live out their teachings in practical ways and to pass those teachings on to others. The guru’s goal would be for disciples not to worship them, but to embody the values they taught, even if they failed at times.
This kind of mentorship is only possible when a guru has a small group of disciples with whom he can spend substantial time, personally guiding them. However, as a guru becomes famous and gathers a large following—often considered the hallmark of an authentic guru or swami in India—it becomes impossible for him to provide personal guidance to every disciple. Instead, much of the teaching is delegated through a hierarchical system of subordinates. This is precisely what occurs in some renowned ashrams today.
I recall someone boasting to me about learning yoga from a famous modern yoga guru from South India. I asked if the guru had personally taught or guided him, and he replied, “No. During our two-week camp to learn yoga techniques”—note the brief duration, not to mention the high fees—”several subordinate disciples, ranked in hierarchy, conducted the classes, from beginner to advanced levels. On the final day, the guru made a brief appearance, gave a short talk, and blessed us, urging us to go and teach these techniques to others in need.”
Though this practice echoes the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara, where a guru passes knowledge to a few chosen disciples, who then pass it to future generations, it has never been commercialized to the extent it is today.
In this person’s mind, they had learned yoga directly from the famous guru. But the truth was far from that. I don’t blame the yoga teacher or similar swamis. They are often trapped by their own fame and the expectations that come with it. They are forced to live up to the image created around them, and eventually, every action, movement, or mannerism of theirs becomes something for others to mimic, rather than an avenue to truly grasp and implement their teachings.
[Mathigiri, December 15, 2005, Revised September 24, 2024, Gurukulam]
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Ritual Replacing Spirituality:
There is a wide gap between ideology and reality all over the world, and India is no exception. However, in India, religious leaders—gurus and acharyas—dissatisfied with the ordinary lives of common people, pushed their ethical and moral teachings as spiritual ideals. The common people, recognizing that these ideals were beyond their reach, accepted them as possible only for supernatural beings like saints or their gurus. Consequently, the spiritual ideals of religious leaders became scriptures, while the common people found solace in turning those ideals into rituals.
Once morality was replaced by ritual, people began to worship their respective sectarian leaders, gurus, and acharyas as gods. Particularly after their death, followers would claim that these leaders were incarnations of specific deities, even attributing miraculous signs to their birth (born with 32 teeth, special marks on their palms, etc.). Priests, as expected, taught how to perform these rituals with precision, emphasizing the importance of arranging specific flowers, offering particular kinds of prasadam, and following detailed rules for festivals according to agamic traditions.
In this system, the focus shifted from spiritual growth to ritual correctness. Followers paid more attention to how the rituals were performed—what flowers to offer, how things should be arranged—rather than striving to embody the moral or spiritual teachings of their leaders.
A true guru, however, would never be satisfied with being worshiped as a god. Instead, such a guru would encourage their followers to live according to their teachings in practical ways and inspire them to pass these teachings on to others. They would not want their disciples to worship them, but rather to strive to live out the ideals they teach, regardless of failures along the way.
This level of guidance is only possible when a guru has a small group of followers with whom he can spend considerable time, personally guiding them through life. However, when a guru becomes famous and gains a large following—often considered the authentic mark of a guru or swami in India—he can no longer dedicate individual attention to each disciple. As a result, many of his teachings are outsourced, passed down through a hierarchy of subordinates. This is exactly what happens in some well-known ashrams today.
Once, someone proudly told me that they had learned proper yoga from a famous modern yoga guru from South India. I asked whether the guru had personally taught or guided him, to which he replied, “No. During our two-week camp to learn yoga techniques”—note the brief duration, not to mention the high fees—”various subordinate disciples, ranked according to their hierarchy, would conduct the classes, from beginner to advanced levels. On the final day, the guru would make a brief appearance, give a small talk, and bless us, encouraging us to go and teach these techniques to others in need.”
“Though this is part of the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara in India, where a guru passes down his knowledge to a select few chosen disciples, who then pass it to the next generation, it was never commercialized to the extent it is today.”
So, in his mind, he had learned yoga directly from this famous guru. But the reality is far from that. I don’t blame the yoga teacher or such swamis; they are often trapped by their own growing fame and the expectations placed upon them. They must live up to the image that has been built around them. Over time, every act, movement, and mannerism of theirs becomes a model for others to imitate, rather than a means to truly understand and implement their teachings.
[Mathigiri, December 15, 2005], Revised on 24-9-2024, Gurukulam
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