Śiṣya

Disciple, student. Śiṣya designates the seeker who surrenders to the guru to receive spiritual instruction. The guru-śiṣya relationship is the axis of transmission in the Vedic and Tantric traditions: the śiṣya offers obedience, service (sevā), and faith ([[shraddha|śraddhā]]), and the guru responds with instruction, protection, and grace. In the Upaniṣads, the śiṣya approaches the teacher with fuel in hand (samit), symbol of readiness for sacrifice. The Haṭha-pradīpikā emphasizes that only the qualified śiṣya — fierce in practice, moderate in diet, devoted to the guru — can access the teachings of haṭha-yoga.