What is Guru Purnima?
The full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August) is observed as the auspicious
day of Guru Purnima, a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyasa. All
Hindus are indebted to this ancient saint who edited the four Vedas, wrote the
18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. Vyasa even taught Dattatreya,
who is regarded as the Guru of Gurus.
Significance of Guru Purnima
On this day, all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honor of
his divine personage and all disciples perform a 'puja' of their respective
spiritual preceptor or 'Gurudevs'.
This day is of deep significance to the farmers, for it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains, as the advent of cool showers usher in fresh life in the fields. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual 'sadhana' from this day.
The period 'Chaturmas' ("four months") begins from this day. In the past, wandering spiritual masters and their disciples used to settle down at a place to study and discourse on the Brahma Sutras composed by Vyasa, and engage themselves in Vedantic discussions.
The Role of the Guru
Swami Sivananda asks: "Do you realize now the sacred significance and the
supreme importance of the Guru's role in the evolution of man? It was not without
reason that the India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of
Guru-Tattva. It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year,
age after age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the Guru, adores it
and pays homage to it again and again, and thereby re-affirms its belief and
allegiance to it. For, the true Indian knows that the Guru is the only guarantee
for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death, and experience
the Consciousness of the Reality."
Next: Find out How to Observe the Day...
