Guru Purnima by Dr. Ram Vinay Pandey

Guru Purnima by Dr. Ram Vinay Pandey

• Blogs
• July 21, 2024

Guru Purnima

श्री गणेशाय नमः

“गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्वरष्ुुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरुः। गुरुुः साक्षात ्परंर्ब्ह्म तस्मैश्रीगुरवेनमुः॥

Guru Purnima is an auspicious day dedicated to honoring our gurus and teachers. Guru Purnima is observed on the full moon day in the month of Ashadha, and it is a day of great significance in our culture. It is a festival commemorating the great sage Maharshi Veda Vyasa, who has revised the four Vedas, wrote the eighteen Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. So, on this auspicious day, spiritual devotees and aspirants worship Maharshi Vyasa, while disciples worship their respective Gurus.

The word “Guru” is derived from the Sanskrit language, where “Gu” means darkness and “Ru” means remover of darkness. Therefore, a guru is someone who removes the darkness of ignorance from our lives and fills it with the light of knowledge.

A famous saint once beautifully replied when asked, "What is the importance of the Guru?" The saint said, air is all around us, but we cannot feel it. But when we sit next to a fan, we feel it immediately. Similarly, God is all around us, but we need a ‘Guru’ as that fan, who will make us feel God.

Below are some great examples of those disciples whose life changed due to interference of Guru in their life and their surrender towards the Guru. 

1. Little Prahlad was enlightened by Narad Muni when he was just in the womb of Kayadu. 

2. Dhruva attended the kingdom greater than his great grandfather 'Brahma' by just chanting the Mantra given by his Guru

3. A hunter became Valmiki just by the association of Guru 

4. Hanuman received knowledge from Sun God by flying backwards along with the chariot of Sun God because Sun God cannot stop. As a Dakshina, he always protected Sugriva.

5. Ramanujacharya was blessed by his Gurus, Yamunacharya, Mahapurna and Kanchipurna. 

One can also remember the interesting story of Guru Dronacharya and his student Ekalavya from the Mahabharat. When Guru Dronacharya asked for the right thumb as Guru Dakshina, the great archer, Ekalavya, cut off his thumb without any hesitation and gave it to him, even though he knew that he wouldn’t remain a great archer afterwards. He had no hesitation in giving up his thumb. This shows the full dedication of the student towards his guru.

Some other examples of great gurus and students in our history who defined the divine relationship between a Guru and a Student include:
• Guru Vasishtha - Lord Rama
• Guru Sandipaani, - Lord Krishna
• Guru Dhronacharya - Arjuna (One of the five Pandawas), Ekalavya
• Samartha guru Ramdas - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
• Chanakya - Chandra Gupta
• Yama - Nachiketa
• Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - Swami Vivekanand

On this special day, let us all take the opportunity to express our gratitude towards our teachers. Our teachers work tirelessly to impart knowledge and values to us. They play a crucial role in shaping our personalities and preparing us for the future. It is said that a good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.

Let us remember the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, who said, “Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is reached.” This was his message to the
students, urging them to be determined and focused, and with the guidance of their teachers, to achieve their dreams. Swami Vivekananda ji has also once said, ”By the grace of the guru, a disciple becomes a pandit (scholar) even without reading books.”

Guru Purnima is not just a day to honor our teachers but also a day for self-reflection. We should think about the valuable lessons we have learned from our teachers and how we can implement them in our lives. Respect and obedience towards our teachers should not be limited to this day alone but should be practiced every day and it should be in our hearts.

Let us take a moment on this auspicious day to thank our teachers for their dedication, patience, and hard work. They are the true guiding lights in our lives, showing us the right path.

[Note: The author expresses gratitude to Mrs. Darshana Bankar for her input on the article.]