Guru Purnima - Significance

Hindus attach paramount importance to spiritual gurus. Gurus are often equated with God and always regarded as a link between the individual and the Immortal. Just as the moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun, and glorifies it, all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining from their Gurus.

What is Guru Purnima?
Guru Purnima is the day when Hindus gather to celebrate and to honor Vyasa, the original guru and traditional author of the Vedas, along with their own gurus, spiritual guides. The festival takes place on the full moon day of the Indian month of Ashad, corresponding to July-August of the Western calendar. The word purnima means "full-moon", hence the name Guru Purnima, "the full-moon day of the guru". For its connection with Vyasa, the event is also called Vyasa Purnima.

 
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.

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."

Mystics such as Kabir sing that he can even forsake God for Guru as Guru only showed the path to godliness. This is the ultimate relationship, an unparallel reltionship in human experience, between the master and disciple.

The disciple is ever grateful to his master, but Guru Poornima is the day that is celebrated as an expression of this gratitude.

A guru is the one who liberates us and with whom we are in deep love, faith and reverence. A guru is a presence. Through him one gets the first glimpse of divinity. A guru creates, transforms and gives a new birth to a seeker so that with complete trust one can follow his guru while traveling through many unknown paths and doors and opening many unknown locks. A guru’s blessing is a vital phenomenon -Through him one starts coming up like a seed trying to sprout towards the sky.


HOW TO CELEBRATE:

"The Guru's form should be meditated upon; the feet of the Guru should be worshipped; his words are to be treated as a sacred Mantra; his Grace ensures final liberation".

Dhyaana moolam guror murtih;
Pooja moolam guror padam;
Mantra moolam guror vakyam;
Moksha moolam guror kripa

-JAIGURUDEV-