Guru Purnima

 Beliefs around This Day
On more prevalent terms, this day is one occasion when disciples convey their gratitude and honour to their Guru or teachers or preachers. In the beliefs of Hindu religion, a Guru is only next to God. They are considered as the source of attaining higher state of awareness and ultimately meeting God. Only a Guru can help one realize the way and path with which one can get liberated from the bondages of sorrows and death.

Amongst the followers of Buddhism, this festival is fundamentally meant for paying honour to Lord Buddha. It is believed that it is on this day that Lord Buddha gave his first ever sermon in Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh of India.

Amongst the followers of Hinduism, this festival is fundamentally meant for remembering and celebrating the birth of Vyasa, who is considered as one of the greatest ever Gurus in the entire history of Hindu traditions and the Adi Guru (original Guru) of Hindus. Vyasa was born to sage Parashara and his wife Satyavati. He is the most apt representation of the very famous Guru-Shishya (teacher-disciple) tradition. He is also known for his creations ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Srimad Bhagavat’. He divided and edited Veda into four- Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda, and wrote 18 Puranas. Besides being his date of birth, this day which is also known as ‘Vyasa Purnima’ commemorates for the significant event when he started writing Brahma Sutras on Ashadha Sudha Padyami.

Time of Celebration
According to Hindu calendar, this festival is celebrated on the full Moon day of the month of Ashadh of Shaka Samvat. According to Georgian calendar, it usually falls in the month of June and July.

Rituals and Celebrations
1. Abiding by the essence of the day, all devotees pay honour to Guru Vyasa. Every devotee, who is spiritually inclined in some or the other form under the guidance of a Guru, makes sure to conduct a special worship ceremony adoring his respective Guru.

2. In the beliefs of Hinduism, a Guru is in no way less than a God. The conventional part of rituals and celebrations can be experienced at Ashrams, which abide by Guru-Shishya tradition. On this day, everyone wakes up early in the morning, which ritually should be at around 4 o’ clock. Besides those belonging to the Ashram, many others from outside come in to pay homage to their respective Guru. Disciples pray and meditate on their Guru. Fruits, flowers, and sweets are offered to Guru as a symbol of respect and love. Later, the sacred ritual of Guru’s feet is performed. All gurus, Sadhu, and Sanyasin are fed at noon.

3. It is considered as an extremely auspicious day to get started and get involved with spiritual learning. Traditionally, this has been one preferred day for all spiritualists to further intensify their spiritual Saadhna and escalate themselves up on the state of spirituality.

4. Disciples take oaths in order to grow up in their spiritual stature. Also, they observe fast and engage in prayers. New disciples who wish to get started with spiritual learning are received. Discourses and legends describing the role of Gurus go on throughout the entire day.

5. This day marks the beginning of the four-month period of ‘Chatrumas’. It was during the time of Chatrumas that spiritual masters and their disciples, who otherwise used to keep wandering, settled down at a place to read, sermon, and discuss Brahma Sutras created by Vyasa.

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