गुरु दक्षिणा (guru dakshinaa)
noun
A compound noun meaning the fee, gift, or tribute given to a teacher/mentor by a student, traditionally after completing their education. Rooted in गुरु (guru, 'teacher') plus दक्षिणा (dakshinaa, 'ritual gift/fee').
Sense
1
:
the traditional gift or fee given to a teacher/mentor
noun, feminine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This phrase comes straight out of the old गुरुकुल (gurukul) system, where a student lived with and learned from a guru for years, then offered दक्षिणा (dakshinaa) not as a bill but as heartfelt thanks -- sometimes money, sometimes a specific task the guru requested (the Mahabharata's Ekalavya story is the most famous, if sobering, example). Today Indians still invoke गुरु दक्षिणा (guru dakshinaa) loosely for any gesture of gratitude toward a mentor, teacher, or coach, even outside formal education -- for instance, a successful student donating to their old school.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat this as just a synonym for 'tuition fee' ( फीस (phiis) ), but गुरु दक्षिणा (guru dakshinaa) carries a sense of voluntary, respectful tribute rather than a fixed, contractual payment -- using it interchangeably with फीस (phiis) in a modern school context can sound off. 2) It is grammatically feminine ( दक्षिणा (dakshinaa) ), so adjectives and verbs agreeing with it take feminine forms, e.g. गुरु दक्षिणा दी (guru dakshinaa dii, 'gave [feminine] the guru's fee'), which learners sometimes get wrong by defaulting to masculine agreement.
Sample Sentences:
एकलव्य ने द्रोणाचार्य को गुरु दक्षिणा में अपना अंगूठा दे दिया।
Ekalavya gave his thumb to Dronacharya as guru dakshina.
(eklavy ne dronaachaary ko guru dakshinaa men apnaa angoothaa de diyaa।)
गुरुकुल में विद्या पूरी होने पर शिष्य को गुरु दक्षिणा देनी होती थी।
When his education was complete, the disciple had to give guru dakshina to the teacher.
(gurukul men vidyaa poorii hone par shishy ko guru dakshinaa denii hotii thii।)
क्या तुम अपने कोच को कभी गुरु दक्षिणा दोगे?
Will you ever give your coach a guru dakshina?
(kyaa tum apne koch ko kabhii guru dakshinaa doge?)
उसने अपने पुराने स्कूल को दान देकर गुरु दक्षिणा चुका दी।
He paid off his guru dakshina by donating to his old school.
(usne apne puraane skool ko daan dekar guru dakshinaa chukaa dii।)
गुरु दक्षिणा के रूप में उससे एक असंभव काम माँगा गया।
As guru dakshina, an impossible task was demanded of him.
(guru dakshinaa ke roop men usse ek asambhav kaam maangaa gayaa।)
अगर गुरु दक्षिणा माँगना जरूरी न होता, तो एकलव्य की कहानी कुछ और होती।
If demanding guru dakshina were not necessary, Ekalavya's story would have been different.
(agar guru dakshinaa maangnaa jaroorii n hotaa, to eklavy kii kahaanii kuchh aur hotii।)
गुरुजी, यह स्वीकार करें -- यही मेरी गुरु दक्षिणा है।
Teacher, please accept this -- this is my guru dakshina.
(gurujii, yah sviikaar karen -- yahii merii guru dakshinaa hai।)
गुरु दक्षिणा में उसने अपने गुरु का घर बनवा दिया।
As his guru dakshina, he had a house built for his teacher.
(guru dakshinaa men usne apne guru kaa ghar banvaa diyaa।)
शायद वह अपनी सफलता का कुछ हिस्सा गुरु दक्षिणा के तौर पर लौटाए।
Perhaps he will offer back some part of his success as guru dakshina.
(shaayad vah apnii saphaltaa kaa kuchh hissaa guru dakshinaa ke taur par lautaae।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
गुरु दक्षिणा
(guru dakshinaa)
(sg.f.oblique):
गुरु दक्षिणा
(guru dakshinaa)
(pl.f.direct):
गुरु दक्षिणाएँ
(guru dakshinaaen)
(pl.f.oblique):
गुरु दक्षिणाओं
(guru dakshinaaon)