In this fast-paced world, it’s very easy to tend to lose awareness of the most important things or people in life, due to the deliberate rush to take care our immediate needs and dues of our day-to-day lives and errands. In this self-centered situation, it’s very common to get lost and forget those important people who had given their lives, or offered their knowledge to build us who we are. But unfortunately the real truth is that, its very vital to find time to sit quietly and think calmly to find out about who we are, what we do, whose reflections we carry, who were all behind our successes, are we being grateful to those who |
had helped us to achieve the ultimate existence of us and are we paying any respects to those with a simple thanks at least!!!! Hmmmmm!!!! pretty much 'NO' WILL BE THE ANSWER!!! |
What is Guru Poornima? What are the significance?
'GU' denotes darkness or ignorance, and 'RU' means the remover of that darkness. GURU literally means the remover of darkness or ignorance. The word 'Guru' is defined as a person who leads one on the path to enlightenment in one’s spiritual, or academic life, or fine or liberal arts knowledge or any selected or preferred expertise of trade. Guru Poornima festival is celebrated to pay one’s respects with love and gratitude for the people who have guided them in life, and receive their blessings in return. Indian Culture is attach utmost importance to gurus/teachers, who can be placed equal to their own Mother, Father or God, who teach one about the ways towards enlightenment on the selected trades and the festival Guru Poornima is dedicated to those spiritual and academic, fine/liberal art and special trade teachers.
The full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August) is observed as an auspicious day of Guru Poornima, a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Maharshi Veda Vyasa. In the Hindu tradition, the day is celebrated as the occasion when Shiva became the first guru, as he began the transmission of yoga to 7 Saptarishis. Many Hindus celebrate the day in honor of the great sage Vyasa, who is seen as one of the greatest guru of gurus in ancient Hindu traditions who is a symbol of Guru-shishya tradition.Vyasa was not only believed to have been born on this day, but also to have started writing the Brahma Sutras on this day, and so is this day also called Vyasa Poornima. The festival is common to all spiritual traditions of Hinduism, where it is an expression of gratitude toward the teacher by his/her disciple.
The festival was also celebrated by Buddhists in honor of lord Buddha who gave His first sermon on this day at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India
In yogic lore, it is said that Guru Poornima was the day that saw the birth of the Adi Guru, or the first Guru. The story goes that over 15,000 years ago, a yogi appeared in the upper regions of the Himalayas. Nobody knew what his origins were. But his presence was extraordinary, and people gathered. However, he exhibited no signs of life, but for the occasional tears of ecstasy that rolled down his face. People began to drift away, but seven men stayed on. When he opened his eyes, they pleaded with him, wanting to experience whatever was happening to him. He dismissed them, but they persevered. Finally, he gave them a simple preparatory step and closed his eyes again. The seven men began to prepare. Days rolled into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, but the yogi’s attention did not fall upon them again. After 84 years of sadhana, on the summer solstice that marks the advent of Dakshinayana, the earth’s southern run, the yogi looked at them again. They had become shining receptacles, wonderfully receptive. He could not ignore them anymore. On the very next full moon day, the yogi turned south and sat as a guru to these seven men. The Adiyogi (the first yogi) thus became the Adi Guru. Adiyogi expounded these mechanics of life for many years. The seven disciples became celebrated as the Saptarishis and took this knowledge across the world. Guru Poornima is held sacred in the yogic tradition because the Adiyogi opened up the possibility for a human being to evolve consciously. The seven different aspects of yoga that were put in these seven individuals became the foundation for the seven basic forms of yoga, something that has still endured.
In Nepal, Guru Poornima is a big day in schools and colleges. This day is celebrated as teacher's day. Students honor their teachers by offering special hats called topi made with indigenous fabric along with delicacies, garlands and gifts. Students often organize fanfares in schools to appreciate teachers hard work. This is taken as a great opportunity to consolidate the bond of teacher-student relationships.
In recent days irrespective of their religions, or background Indian academics celebrate this day to thank their teachers and guides. Many schools, colleges and universities have events in which students thank their teachers as well as remember their past scholars. Alumni visit their teachers and present gifts as a gesture of gratitude. Students of Indian classical music and dance, which also follow the Guru shishya parampara, celebrate this holy festival around the world to offer their teachers respect and get their blessings. |
How can you Celebrate?
Realize who you are (Not your name or self, but a part of the larger cosmic structure). Think that you belong in this universe because of the knowledge transferred by your gurus, you fulfill the needs of your existence with the knowledge given by your gurus, you being on this planet, continent, country, state, city, and household, is all for a reason and it creates a completeness and it is because of the one. This very moment that you are alive, breathing and walking with flesh and blood on this universe is so precious and it is because of the one. When you look at yourself through this perspective, something in you uplifts your energy. That energy, is called enlightenment and it is offered to you by your Gurus.
Feel grateful for all the blessings that you have received from them. Be grateful for all the knowledge transferred, and see how that knowledge transformed you in your life as who you are. Remember and thank all the masters who have preserved this knowledge from ages, and brought it to us and celebrate them! If you pray and make a wish for what you want from Gurus and the wish will be bestowed.
THIS GURU POORNIMA IS VERY SPECIAL SINCE IT WAS ON A BLUE MOON DAY
Blue Moon is a second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition of Blue Moon is that it’s the third of four full moons in a single season and it used to be a rare occurrence . Sometimes, they used to see an actual blue-colored moon. The term once in a blue moon also used to mean something very rare. This Guru Poornima on July 31st also occurred on that sort of special full moon day. HAPPY GURU POORNIMA TO ONE AND ALL. |