Introduction:

Busy street

The Way of A Street Corner Guru






The Indian Epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are inspirational and powerful stories. The Ramayana and Mahabharata can also be referred to as Itihāsa (History) or Mahākāvya (Great Composition), because of their history and importance. These two stories provide the earliest epics of Indian culture. What makes these stories even more special is their immortal lesson and positive example. The epics were passed down in the form of an epic poem, and their example provided the people with answers to the struggles they faced in everyday life. I felt a particular appreciation for these lessons, which came in many forms. One learns about humility and duty from the overarching plot. There are side stories like the story of Vali and his mistakes, where we see redemption. For me, there were lessons even in a simple sentence such as, "He filled his heart with a fear of loss and hope to gain in equal parts, and thus paralyzed him." This phrase comes from a battle scene in the Ramayana. I believe that perhaps one of the greatest opportunities in this class is to pay close attention to the example of our heroes and heroines. These stories help explain the morality of a people, and may even teach us something about ourselves.


In order to demonstrate this, I have written a frametale that ties our stories together by following the path and teachings of a modern guru. The guru is a very important person in Indian Epics, offering guidance for those who are seeking peace. The guru is often considered a pivotal part of realizing your true self. Examples of the importance of relationships between two people are seen in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, like Rama and Hanuman, or Krishna and Arjuna. Often times our great heroes are found seeking the guidance of a guru, or teacher, or friend to help them see the way.

The term "guru" has specific meaning. It's origin is in the root "grv" which means "heavy". This is the same root that we derive the english term "gravity" from. Thus, a guru discusses issues that are heavy, or weighted down by their importance and value. There is a play on the sound created by the word guru as well. It sounds like one is combining "Gu" which means darkness, and "ru" signifies the destroyer of said darkness. In light of this soundplay the guru helps us to destroy the darkness in our lives, and light the way for our best qualities to direct us. It is very clear how important the guru is in the epics, and how their teaching helps guide our heroes in their incredible example.
So our story will follow four normal individuals. We will witness four people who feel like they are surrounded by darkness, and without a light to show them the way. We will see them be brought some peace by our street corner guru. Our guru will encounter people who need him most, and he will tell them a story about what they need to hear most. He will depict some of the key stories in the great Indian Epics, such as the story of how Rama became the warrior he was, or of the Squirrels that help build the bridge to Lanka, and when Lakshmana gave comfort to Rama when the rain almost crushed his spirit.  Finally, we learn from Rama's greatest mistake. Each time, we will witness how the positive example shown in the epics can change a person's life, if spoken from a peaceful guru in the most necessary of times. So let's begin, and see if perhaps we are one of the people who needs to hear the story of our street corner guru.



Image Information: The image was taken from a travel site called Virtual Tourist. It is Guangzhou.
Page Information: The researched information on this page was taken from Wikipedia. Both by researching the history of Indian Epics and the guru.

The Street Corner Guru

Be Somebody

Tommy learns that anyone can make a difference just like the squirrels who helped build the bridge to Lanka.

Act!

Evelyn, a single mother, is discouraged by the rainy season overshadowing her life. She learns to overcome her despair like Rama.

Forged by Fire

John is almost crushed by the pressures of graduation, and has to learn about Rama's path to manhood.

The Next Day

All of the characters unite to thank our guru for his wisdom in their time of needs. But they find another story, about their impending failures and need for resilience.

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