Chela

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The word chela comes from the Hindi celā and the Sanskrit ceta, meaning "servant" or "slave." In Hinduism is used to denominate the religious student or disciple of a spiritual master or guru.

In theosophy the term is frequently used to denominate a candidate for initiation into the occult sciences. In her Theosophical Glossary H. P. Blavatsky defines it as follows:

Chelâ (Sk.). A disciple, the pupil of a Guru or Sage, the follower of some adept of a school of philosophy (lit., child).[1]

  1. H. P. Blavatsky, Theosophical Glossary (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1918), 74.