Guru Purnima is a day to honour spiritual and academic teachers or Gurus. Guru is a Sanskrit word that means “one who takes away darkness or ignorance.” Purnima is a day when the moon is full. People in India, Bhutan, and Nepal celebrate Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is a very important day in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jains. On this happy day, disciples hold pujas to ask their Gurus for blessings. In this article, we’ll look at the different stories, meanings, and celebrations of Guru Purnima.
Guru Purnima is a Hindu holiday that we celebrate in the month of Ashadha, either June or July. Guru Purnima is also called Vyas Purnima by most people. It’s because Sage Veda Vyasa was born on that day. Karma Yoga says that Guru Purnima is a day to thank our Gurus for sharing their knowledge and wisdom without thinking about how much money they might get from it.
Stories behind Guru Purnima
There are different stories about how Guru Purnima is celebrated. Yogic tradition says that Lord Shiva became the first Guru on that day. Around 15000 years ago, a yogi with amazing skills came to the Himalayas. He stayed there long, and people came to see him. When he opened his eyes, seven men told him they wanted to go through what he was going through. But the yogi didn’t answer, and he closed his eyes again.
Eighty-four years later, the seven disciples were still there when he opened them. Seeing that they needed wisdom, he became the first Guru on a full moon day. He taught the seven men who became the Sapta Rishis what he knew. They went worldwide to tell people about his wisdom or the seven parts of Yoga. Each of them talked about a different part of Yoga. Vyasa Purnima is a holiday based on the day Lord Shiva became the Guru.
According to another story, Vyas Purnima is also the day Krisha Dwaipayana Vyasa was born. His father is Parashara, and his mother is Satyavati. As a young man, Vyasa assembled the Vedas into four parts. They turned into the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda.
He taught the four main people who followed him parts of the Vedas. They are Paila, Jaimini, Sumantu, and Vaisampayana. We celebrate Vyasa’s birthday because of what he did for the world as a teacher to show the right path to every human being. There are stories in Buddhism and Jainism that are similar to Guru Purnima and can be linked. We observe Vyas Purnima mainly to honour and worship our teachers.
How Guru Purnima is Celebrated?
Guru Purnima can be celebrated in different ways. You can keep a fast on the day of Guru Purnima. On top of that, you can set up special pujas and rituals to ask your spiritual Gurus for their blessings. You can also go to temples and pray to gods and goddesses there. Guru Purnima is a day to honour the Gurus, and many schools and colleges have events to do so. On this happy occasion, we can hold Bhajans and also sing hymns.
Guru Purnima significant for Buddhists (Buddhist History)
Buddhists use this day to honour the Gautam Buddha and his teachings and to show respect for them.
Buddhists use this day to thank their teachers or gurus for helping them on their spiritual path and giving them knowledge and wisdom. On this day, they think about what Buddha taught and make a new promise to follow the path of dharma or right living.
Some Buddhists think of Vyas Purnima as the day when Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon to his first five disciples at Sarnath. Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is the name of this talk.
What is the Importance of Guru Purnima for Hindus?
Guru Purnima is a Hindu festival that has a lot of meaning in Hinduism. Guru Purnima in India is a very important festival. On that day, the Guru principle is about 1,000 times more than other things. On Guru Purnima, you can show your teachers how grateful you are for them. We can see that the Guru Shishya Parampara is still used in Indian classical dance and music lessons. This makes it even more important to practice Guru Purnima.
On Guru Purnima day, Adi guru shared the knowledge that helped make a connection between the creator and the things he made. The main goal is to develop scientific ways to help you break through the different limits. We have put up physical and other kinds of barriers in our lives. Through Guru Purnima, we try to go beyond them and move toward a realm that will last forever.
On Guru Purnima, Adi Yogi gave advice that helped people understand that everything in life is temporary. Vyas Purnima is also important because it puts our desire to grow beyond our current state at the top of the list.
Vyas Purnima is a day for showing gratitude towards their gurus or teachers. On this happy day, we can thank our Gurus for giving us their knowledge and wisdom. But we can only give them what they’ve given us. Sharing the light of knowledge with others is the only way to improve what we have achieved or learned from our Gurus. It’s always about teaching others and keeping knowledge alive. We do not celebrate a single teacher or Guru on Vyas Purnima. Here, we are trying to honour all the spiritual teachers and academic Gurus who have helped us grow.
Guru-Shishya Relationship Is Emphasised On Guru Purnima Day
In Indian culture, the relationship between a teacher and a student (called a “Shishya”) is very important, and Guru Purnima is a time to emphasize it. This day honours the bond between a guru (teacher) and a shishya (student) and its importance on the spiritual path. On this day, students show their teachers how much they appreciate what they have taught them and how they have helped them grow.
This relationship is about more than just learning facts. It is also about building character and understanding spirituality. This is a day to honour and thank our teachers for all they have done for us and to remember how important they are in our lives.
Because of this, Guru Purnima is a very important festival in India and Hinduism. It is an important part of both Buddhism and Jainism. On Guru Purnima, we can think about breaking out of the limits of our lives and becoming free. The most important thing we do is show respect to our Gurus, who have led us out of darkness and ignorance.