One of my favorite details left in tact on this wall at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh.
What does "Jai Guru Dev" mean?
Jai Guru Deva (the 'a' is part of the correct spelling, but is not pronounced) = "Jai Guru Dev"
Jai means “joy, hail, glory to”
Guru means “remover of darkness”
Deva means “a shining one”, source of English word “divine”.
The phrase, “Jai Guru Deva”, has become a universal salutation, blessing, opening/closing phrase used by Vedic meditators as a way to recognize that the knowledge is from a grander source.
"It is a beautiful-sounding phrase, feels good to intone, is good for surrendering small self to Big Self, and I commend its use by every meditator." -Thom Knoles
Thom explains, "when saying 'Jai Guru Deva', Initiators (teachers) of my tradition are, almost invariably, referring to Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the man who throughout his elder years in Jyothir Math, in the Indian Himalaya, held the title of 'Shankaracharya'. It was this 'Guru Deva', sometimes called 'Shri Guru Deva', from whom we received this knowledge of Vedic Meditation, and to whom we pay homage when new meditators are initiated."