GURU As Embodiment of The Divine

My Guru has been visiting, which delayed my posting.  I apologize for the delay.  I wanted talk about the Guru principle as I understand it.  In Wikepedia "Guru" is defined thus:

Guru (Devanagari गुरु) is a Sanskrit term for "teacher" or "master", especially in Indian religions. 

The Guru principle is a relationship that forms when the student or aspirant asks for teaching, surrenders to guidance and is initiated by a spiritual master. The Guru is a most venerable individual, and should be honored and respected.

Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda states: "For, the true (disciple) knows that the Guru is the only guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death, and experience the Consciousness of the Reality."  The Guru is seen as the one who "dispels the darkness of ignorance".

The Guru will assess the applicant using the following criteria: the candidate is not attached to anything impermanent; he has no desire for wealth; he is at peace with himself, master of his senses, is compassionate, and has an open heart.   He must have pure intention and be willing to perform the purification actions (shuddhis) required of him by the Guru.  

This unusual relationship requires deep responsibility from both parties.  The student's responsibility is to do the practices the Guru instructs, and the Guru must be available to the student when he needs advice or instruction.  A Guru will sometimes accept some of the student's karma.  This means that the Guru may remove suffering from the student and accept it himself.  He does this out of compassion to help the student realize the truth of the teachings or further his progress on the spiritual path. The Guru's responsibility is to uplift and help the student. 

The bond between Guru and disciple is very strong and does not go away unless the student rejects the Guru.  If the student rejects the Guru, it is very painful for the Guru, because he has invested a lot of time, energy, and effort into helping that individual. He will deeply grieve.

One of the most important instructions the Guru will give to the student is that he accept the Guru as the embodiment of the Divine.  One can also look at it this way,  the Guru is the vehicle for the student to attain bliss in this body, in this lifetime.