Gurur Brahmā Gurur Viṣṇuḥ: The Verse to the Teacher

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 19 September 2026

gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇur gurur devo maheśvaraḥ / gurur sākṣāt paraṃ brahma tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

The teacher is Brahma, the teacher is Vishnu, the teacher is Maheshvara; the teacher is verily the supreme; salutations to that teacher.

Source: Guru Gita and wider devotional tradition; often attributed to the Skanda Purana
Tradition: Devotional (bhakti), used across lineages
Traditional use: Recited before study, and on Guru Purnima.
Repetition: Usually once or three times.

In short

Usually attributed to the Guru Gita; the attribution to a specific Skanda Purana chapter is repeated widely but not well established.
It identifies the teacher with three deities and then with the supreme itself — a devotional claim, not a doctrinal one about any individual.
It is recited before study and on Guru Purnima.
Nothing in it asks a student to abandon judgement about a particular teacher.

What it says

Four identifications, escalating: the teacher as Brahma (who makes), as Vishnu (who sustains), as Maheshvara (who dissolves), and then sākṣāt paraṃ brahma — directly the supreme. It closes with a salutation.

This is devotional language about the function of teaching, not a licence for any particular person. Read it as a statement about what receiving knowledge is worth, and keep your judgement about individuals intact. Traditions that lost that distinction produced their worst abuses.

On the source

It is commonly cited as Guru Gita verse 46, and often attributed to the Skanda Purana. The Guru Gita circulates in several recensions with different verse numbers, and the Skanda Purana attribution is repeated far more confidently than the manuscript evidence supports. We list it as devotional tradition, best known from the Guru Gita.

How it is used

Once or three times before study, and widely on Guru Purnima. Not counted japa.

Our own dedication to the teachers of this tradition is on the honouring page.

Questions & answers

+ Is the guru mantra from the Skanda Purana?

That attribution is very common but not well established. It is best known from the Guru Gita, which itself exists in several versions with different numbering.

+ Do I need a guru to practise yoga?

The hatha texts strongly recommend a teacher, especially for breath retention. They do not require you to hand over your judgement to anyone.

Mantra recitation is a contemplative practice, not a treatment for any condition. Nothing here should be read as medical advice.