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Guru Purnima is a celebration of the spiritual and academic Gurus or teachers. Guru is a Sanskrit word that refers to the remover of darkness or ignorance, and Purnima is a full moon day. People in India, Bhutan, and Nepal celebrate Guru Purnima. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism give great prominence to Guru Purnima. On this auspicious occasion, disciples conduct pujas to attain the blessings of their Gurus. Here, in this article, we will look into the different stories, significance, and celebrations associated with Guru Purnima.
We celebrate Guru Purnima in the Hindu month of Ashadha, which is either in June or July. Guru Purnima is also commonly known as Vyasa Purnima. It is because it is on that day Veda Vyasa was born. As per Karma Yoga, Guru Purnima is a day of worshipping our Gurus for sharing their knowledge and wisdom by not considering the monetary benefits.
There are different ways to celebrate Guru Purnima. On the day of Guru Purnima, you can hold on to a fast. Along with that, you can organize special pujas and rituals to receive blessings from your spiritual Gurus. You can also visit temples and offer your prayers to the divine entities. Several schools and colleges conduct programs to celebrate Guru Purnima and pay homage to the Gurus. We can organize Bhajans and also chant hymns on this auspicious occasion.
Though the main reason to celebrate Guru Purnima is to thank the teachers, there are various stories behind Guru Purnima. As per our religious scriptures, it was on this day that the original teacher Adi Guru, Lord Shiva, started the transmission of yoga to the Saptrishis.
On Guru Purnima Day, Hindus honor Ved Vyasa. Ved Vyasa is believed to be the most honored Guru of ancient India. He composed the epic Mahabharata, structured the four Vedas, and laid the foundation of many Puranas and sacred Hindu lore. Ved Vyasa is known as the original guru of the Hindu religion and Guru Purnima Day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima in his honor.
Guru Purnima is considered auspicious in Buddhism as well as it is said that Lord Buddha gave his first sermon on this particular day at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh.
An eminent personality from the ancient times; the author of incredible texts like Brahma Sutra, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagvat, and 18 Puranas; Maharshi Veda Vyasa was born on the Ashadha Purnima, as per the beliefs.
Ved Vyas was the son of Rishi Parashara. As per the Hindu Shastras, Veda Vyas was aware of all the Kaals (times - past, present, future). With his divine eye, he had witnessed that people will lose interest in religion in future. Due to which, humans will believe less in God, they will avoid responsibilities, and will have lesser age. Such a person cannot easily go through the entire Veda. Hence, Maharshi Vyasa divided the Vedas into 4 parts; so that people with less understanding and memory can utilize this knowledge.
After divinding the Vedas into 4 parts, he named them Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. Due to which, he got famous with the name Veda Vyasa. He gave the knowledge of these 4 Vedas to his students - Vaishampayana, Sumantumuni, Pail, and Jaimin.
As this knowledge was quite mysterious and difficult, he created Puranas as the fifth Veda. In these Puranas, he explained the knowledge of Vedas as interesting stories. He gave the knowledge of Puranas to his student Roma Harshan. Students of Vyasa Ji further divided these Vedas into many branches and sub-branches, as per their knowledge.
Maharshi Vyas is considered as our ancient Guru. This famous festival of Guru Poornima is celebrated as the birthday of Vyasa Ji. That is why, we also know this day as Vyasa Purnima. We must consider our Gurus as the part of Vyasa Ji and worship them.
Every year, we celebrate Guru Purnima to pay respect to all of the world's gurus or teachers and to express our gratitude towards them. By paying homage to his spiritual mentor Shrimad Rajchandra, Mahatma Gandhi resurrected the festival in India.
However, Legends say that Ved Vyasa, the sage who penned the famous Hindu epic Mahabharata, was born on this day to parents Satyavati and Sage Parashar. According to mythology, scholar Ved Vyasa divided the Vedas into four different texts: the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda, which is why Guru Purnima is observed on this day.
According to folklore, Lord Shiva began the teaching of yoga to the Saptarishis, and Guru Purnima is commemorated as a symbol of reverence to him.
Guru Purnima is a popular Hindu festival celebrated to honour the relationship between teachers and disciples . On this day, people worship their teachers, gurus and mentors. They pay gratitude to their Gurus for guiding them through their childhood and formative years, and for carrying them to the light of knowledge.
Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima and is observed as the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa, a great sage and author of Hindu epic, Mahabharata. This festival is also celebrated as Gyaan Purnima owing to its association with knowledge and teachings.
Apart from Hindus, the Budddhists, Jains and Sikhs also celebrate Guru Purnima. The Sikhs observe this day to honor their Ten Spiritual Gurus. Whereas Jains mark it as a "Treenok Guru Purnima", a day when Lord Mahavira made his first disciple. In buddhism culture, it is believed that Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath on the day of Guru Purnima. They celebrate this day as Buddha Purnima.
The word "guru" is made up of two roots in Sanskrit - Gu, and Ru. Gu means darkness and Ru means remover. Thus. "Guru" means someone who removes darkness.
Basically, gurus or teachers lead the path of "God-realization". They help their students to find and follow the path that leads to God. With these teachings the guru fills the life of his student with light, thereby removing the darkness. For this reason, gurus have always been given the highest importance since ancient times. Thus they even rank higher than God.
For the stated reason, all gurus are honored on the Guru Purnima day by people of various religions. It is advised to meditate and chant prayers on this day. There is a prayer that is specifically chanted on this day: Guru Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara; Guru Sakshat Param Brahma: Tasami Shri Guruvey Namah.
The meaning of this Guru Purnima mantra is Guru is the Lord of Creation, Guru is Lord Vishnu who is also called organizer, Guru is the destroyer and Guru is the supreme God. Since Guru leads to a path of light, we bow in front of that Guru.
On the day of Guru Purnima, one should study the principles of their guru and reflect upon them. The best way to worship him is by practicing his teachings.
Guru Purnima is celebrated in India and other countries like Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. To observe Guru Purnima, various rituals are prevalent in Hindus and Bhuddhists. Here is the glimpse of it.
"|| Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Saakshaat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah ||"
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