O.N.KOUL
In 2024, Guru Purnima falls on Sunday, July 21. Guru Purnima has both historical and spiritual roots and is believed to have started with the Vedic tradition of ancient India .It is popularly known as Maharashi Veda Vyasa’s birth anniversary who was one of the most important Gurus in history.
He is the author of the Mahabharata and Puranas and is said to have read and classified the Vedas into different sections to make the Veda study easy for humans.
It is believed that Ved Vyasa was born on this day and thus to commemorate his efforts and the different gurus who make our life worth living and easier at every stage of life Guru Purnima is celebrated. Though the practice of observing Guru Purnima started years ago, it is still relevant today.
It is especially important to teach the kids the importance of respecting ,honoring ,and appreciating the men and women, who in the form of Gurus make their life better and worthwhile. The word guru in itself is very sacred when we think about it. It can range from our parents who teach us high and lows of life to the sellers we see roaming on the streets who can give the right people amazing business and sales lessons. And no matter in what form we see them ,a Guru is always someone who removes darkness and ignorance from the lives of others. Overall, while Guru Purnima is one dedicated to the teachers in life, it can attract charitable and donating causes. Charity and donations are an important part of many religions and traditions ,so even Guru Purnima witnesses things like these where people go out of their way to organize Langars, Bhandara, donations and the like.
Guru Purnima is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm all around India and some other parts of the globe. Many people perform special Puja to honor their gurus. These often includes offering flowers, fruits and other symbolic things to the gurus image or the guru in person. On Guru Purnima people also take personal vows and resolutions to improve and better their spiritual practices. This could also include commitments to regular meditation, ethical conduct, and other forms of self discipline. The ancient theory and practice of Guru Purnima has got an important place in Hindu religion and the practice continues to the present day as the people observe and celebrate it with traditional and modern touch and revere their gurus on this important occasion. The day of Guru Purnima falls on the full moon day that is Purnimashi of the Ashada month of the Lunasolar Hindu calendar. This day has a special significance in the Hindu/ Sanatan tradition and the Hindus pay reverence to their gurus and also pay off their debt of showing the path of God realization.
It is pertinent to mention here that in ancient time Aeklavya paid the Guru Dakshna to his guru Dronacharya in Mahabarat time by offering his thumb to the Guru. On this auspicious occasion Hindus revere and remember their gurus and try to satisfy them. The celebration of Guru Purima is marked by spiritual activities and may include a ritualistic event ,Guru puja ,in honor of the guru or teacher. Gurus have a special place in Sanatan Dharma and the lives without a guru as the torch bearer is meaningless and so gurus are very important and significant in Hinduism and without the role and blessing of a guru ,one cannot travel the sea of the world and reach the safe destination.
Gurus are believed by many to be most necessary part of life. On this day, disciples offer Puja and pay respect to their Guru. According to Hindu mythology, Guru Purnima is closely associated with the birth of a renowned sage, the son of sage Praashar. It is believed that this divine child possessed profound knowledge ,encompassing the realms of the past, present, and future. Guru Purnima celebrated on the first full moon of the month of Ashada, holds special significance in Ayurveda. This full moon is believed to amplify the energy of gratitude and spiritual connection, making it an ideal time for honoring our gurus and seeking their blessings.
Guru Purnima otherwise called Vyasa Purnima is celebrating the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa ,the legendary author of Mahabharata. Full moon day in the month of June-July is the witness of celebrating Guru Purnima. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains are celebrating this day in various forms. Guru Purnima is that full moon day when the first Guru came into existence. This is the story of who that Guru was according to yogic, Tantrai and Siddha traditions. Shiva was a yogi ,up in the Himalayas ,who would meditate for years and would break his meditation only to do a cosmic dance of ecstasy. In those times ,many young men would go off to Himalayas to seek wisdom and many young men stumbled upon Shiva and watched him day and night .They were unable to understand him and he would be oblivious to human presence hence they left him ,except for 7 young men who waited on. They kept observing him for months .He would not even acknowledge them .They begged Shiva that they wanted to have the knowledge bestowed from him, the universal secrets that he had ,they wanted them to learn .But Shiva denied and told them that they have to do penance .And they did as was told to them .On full moon day ,after 84 years of astringency and penance ,Shiva looked at the 7 young men ,who had turned into Yogi’s Impressed by their persistence to learn cosmic wisdom ,he bestowed them the knowledge he wanted to pass on and they imbibed it gracefully and became Sapta -rishis or 7 powerful gurus ,who would row ,distribute and pass on the knowledge to other human beings .This full moon day, when Lord Shiva became a teacher or guru ,is known as Gurupoornima and Shiva is known as Adi-guru .Remember ,you don’t choose a Guru ,a Guru chooses you .And that is what Lord Shiva did .In fact ,Guru Purnima is perhaps the oldest form of teachers day celebration .Guru Purnima is a significant day for Hindus ,Buddhists and Jains to honor their Gurus .It holds historical and spiritual importance, rooted in ancient traditions .The day encourages self -reflection, spiritual growth, and acts of charity. Guru Purnima holds deep spiritual and cultural significance in India ,honoring gurus who dispel ignorance. Derived from Sanskrit ,Guru means remover of darkness .For Buddhists ,it marks Lord Buddha’s first sermon after enlightenment .In Jainism ,it honors Lord Mahavira ,who accepted his first disciple ,Gautam Swami ,on this day .Guru Purnima is the day to honor and appreciate all Gurus who have shaped your life and destiny and helped you be a better version of yourself .Be it the Guru in the form of school teachers ,or the Guru who helped you set out on the path of meditation ,Yoga ,and spirituality ,or be it your mother and father who were the first Gurus of your life ,Guru Purnima is the day to honor and appreciate them all and show them how obliged you are to be under their guidance .To conclude let us not limit honoring of Gurus on this day and as formality ,but honor ,respect and appreciate gurus all through our life.