The Guru Gita (Song of the Guru) is a Hindu scripture that is said to have been authored by the sage Vyasa
The verses of this scripture may also be chanted
The text is part of the larger Skanda Purana
There are several versions of the Guru Gita, varying from around 100 to over 400 verses
Another view is that Guru Gita is part of Viswasara Tantra
In the Siddha Yoga tradition, the Guru Gita is considered to be an “indispensable text”; few other traditions also share that view
Muktananda chose 182 verses to create a unique version of the Guru Gita, which has its own melody for chanting
The text of the Guru Gita describes a conversation between the Hindu God, Lord Shiva and his wife, the Hindu Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru and liberation
Shiva answers her by describing the Guru principle, the proper ways of worshiping the Guru and the methods and benefits of repeating the Guru Gita
The text gives an etymology of the word Guru, where the root gu stands for darkness, while the root ru stands for light
The term Guru is therefore explained as the remover of darkness, who reveals the light of the heart