The parents and the teacher are Supereme (for the student).

The teacher is the trinity comprising Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva for the students. In fact he is supreme to whom we offer our salutations.

In India, guru- acharyas (the teacher- preachers) are always looked upon as great scholars and respected as being equal to God and parents since they impart knowledge and teach wisdom to the disciple. In olden times the great sages and rishis used to be the gurus who were well versed in matters of life, philosophy and administration. The disciples, even if they are from royal families, used to go to the concerned ashram (hermitage) stay there for years, serve the guru as a member of his family and acquire knowledge in every aspect whether it is martial art, fine art or shastra and return to their respective places as fully equipped persons.

Dance Gurus: The disciples of the fine art of dance were also taught in the same system. They used to go to the respective gurus village or house, live with him in gurukul (teacher’s residence) and acquire knowledge. That is why it is called parampara (tradition). Since the disciples, as the descendents of that guru, carry forward the gharana (tradition) The term guru- shishya parampara implies all that and even more like the continuation of the traditional heritage and style.