During our lifetime, we may meet certain special people who exert an important influence on our lives. Some of them teach us valuable life lessons. Others may impart knowledge and skills. Some show us the path to spiritual fulfillment and God. We call all of them Gurus.
Gurus can give us good guidance in our domestic life as well as spiritual journey. They can help us tap into our intuition to find out what is good and what is bad for us. They can also show us the path that will enrich our soul and also the path we should avoid. They can teach us self-discipline and help us acquire self-control over our mind. They can direct our senses in the right direction and give us the wisdom to avert trouble.
There is a beautiful story in the Ramayana that highlights the importance of a Guru.
Sutikshna, a devotee of Lord Rama, was a disciple of Bharadwaja. One day he was deep in meditation when Bharadwaja arrived at his house with Rama. Sutikshna was in a dilemma.
To whom should he bow first? God or Guru? He didn’t take long to find the answer. He bowed to Bharadwaja, his Guru, first. The reason? It was his Guru, after all, who had shown him God.
Ekalavya’s Story
The Guru of the Pandavas and Kauravas, Dronacharya, did not teach Ekalavya the science of archery as he was not of the warrior (Kshatriya) caste. He was a tribal boy. Ekalavya made a clay image of Drona and began to worship it. He did it with such dedication that he managed to imbibe Drona’s skills on his own. One day a dog came to Drona’s ashram with arrows shot between its teeth. All were amazed to see this. Drona knew that only an expert archer could have done this feat. It was none other than Ekalavya. “Who taught you archery?” asked Drona. Ekalavya then showed him the clay image of Drona that he had been worshipping. “You rejected me, but I made you my Guru learned these skills by your grace,” replied Ekalavya. This story reveals the importance of the Guru in our lives.
Significance of Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima is the day when Hindus and Buddhists commemorate their ‘Gurus’ or teachers. Spiritual experts claim that the Guru is the one who enables a person to gain liberation from the vicious cycle of life and death.
Guru Purnima 2022 falls on July 13, a Wednesday. Guru Purnima is on the full moon day (Purnima) in Ashadha month (July-August).
‘Gu’ means ‘darkness’, and ‘ru’ means ‘the removal of darkness’. In other words, a Guru is someone who dispels darkness from our lives.
Guru Purnima in Different Religions
Hindus believe that Guru Purnima is the birthday of Ved Vyasa, the sage who edited the Vedas and divided them into four. He is also the author of the Puranas (which comprise the ‘fifth Veda’) and the Mahabharata epic. The belief is that on this day, our prayers reach the Guru directly, and he gives us his blessings to dispel darkness and ignorance from our life.
Even Lord Shiva, the Adi Yogi, taught the science of yoga to the 7 sages or Saptarishis who were his disciples on this day.
Five weeks after attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Buddha went to Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh from Bodhgaya, where he gave his first sermon to his first five disciples on the full moon day. After this, the ‘Sangha’ comprising his disciples was formed.
Jains believe that on this day, Lord Mahavira became the ‘Guru’ to his first disciple Gautam Swami. Hence, they worship Mahavira on this day.
In ancient India, this was a very important day for farmers as they revered God for giving them a good rainfall for the next harvest. Nepalis observe it as Teacher’s Day.
Rituals of Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima is the day to worship one’s Guru who is the guiding light in our life. Vyasa Pooja is performed in many places on this day. People chant Mantras to invoke the Guru’s blessings. They also offer flowers and gifts to show their respect and distribute ‘prasad’ and ‘charanamrita’. Devotional songs and hymns are chanted during the entire day. They also recite the sacred text, Guru Gita, in the Guru’s memory.
An important Guru Purnima ritual is ‘Padapooja’. This is the worship of the Guru’s sandals which are arranged by disciples in various ashrams. People gather at the place which is the seat of their guru and rededicate themselves to his principles and teachings.
People also introspect on their individual spiritual journeys during this occasion. Many people tend to commence their spiritual lessons on this day, a process called ‘diksha’.
Buddhists perform a ritual called ‘Uposatha’ where they observe the 8 teachings of Buddha on this day. As the rainy season begins around this time, Buddhist monks also begin meditation and other ascetic practices on this day.
Students of Indian classical music pay homage to their music teachers as part of the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-student tradition) that is a part of Indian culture.
