chela
noun/ˈt͡ʃeɪ.lə/
Etymology Borrowed from Hindi चेला (celā).
1
A pupil or disciple, especially in Hinduism.
- Nay, I had a disciple with me. He that was my friend at the Temple of the Tirthankers gave me a chela for this journey.1901, Rudyard Kipling, Kim:
- In fact, Gilgamesh's instructions are still-valid directions from the guru to the chela.1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 184:
3 more examples
- The guru had insight. He understood his chela. The relationship between a guru and his chela was as a father to a son, as a whole person to a whole person, individual and unique.1987, Phirozshah Dorabji Mehta, The Heart of Religion, page 36:
- The guru-chela relationship was a theme in many of Nicholas's paintings. In Pearl of Searching, the guru is looking thoughtfully at a pearl necklace with his chela. This symbolizes the "pearl of great price" that gives purpose to life.2002, Warrior of Light: The Life of Nicholas Roerich: Artist, Himalayan Explorer, and Visionary, page 52:
- This, of course, is done by the guru as the result of a long process in which his consciousness must merge with that of the chela and wherein the chela is absorbed essentially into the guru.2007, Michael Bertiaux, The Voudon Gnostic Workbook: Expanded Edition, page 455:
- Derived terms
- chelaship