Sacred Transmission in the Vedic Lineage
In the Vedic lineage, particular attention is paid to the transmission of spiritual knowledge through an unbroken chain of teachers, where every guru is not merely a teacher but a living embodiment of sacred wisdom. According to this concept, the transmission of knowledge occurs precisely through a process of succession: it is the presence of an authentic chain of traditions that guarantees the genuineness and strength of spiritual knowledge. As noted in one source, "In the 'mentorship tradition', a certain deity or holy sage imparts sacred knowledge to the corresponding 'first teacher', and thereafter this knowledge is transmitted along the line of succession from one guru to another" (source: link txt).The particular significance of this idea lies in the fact that a new guru is recognized only if they belong to an already established chain of succession, which confirms their authority and connection to divine knowledge: "The main condition for recognizing a new guru is affiliation with at least one chain of paramparic succession" (source: link txt). Thus, the very institution of the guru within the parampara is inextricably linked with the notion of transmitting genuine spiritual experience and wisdom, where the guru serves both as a conduit and the living embodiment of this knowledge, demonstrating through their example that true understanding of the spiritual path is achievable only through the direct transmission of experience from one teacher to another.