Guru Purnima

Gurutatva is a manifestation of Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and the ultimate power beyond them. Three prerequisites are basically essential for God realization – a) God realized Sadguru, b) acceptance about the existence of God and c) a burning desire on the part of saadhak to realize God. The Sadguru represents that Trinity and the ultimate power and guides his shishya, step by step, to recognize his atma-tatva and attain God realization. He dispels the darkness of ignorance and shows the path of eternal bliss. He imparts tatva-gyan and conditions his shishya to fearlessly travel from the illusionary material world to the realms of spirituality. He teaches the art of living by renunciating Tamoguna and Rajoguna and adopting Satoguna as a normal way of life. To inculcate the sense of a good karamyogi, he advises to love His creation, the mankind, and render selfless service with devotion and dedication. The Sadguru drives home the fact that the only relationship that is true and eternal is that of God and You and none else. Therefore, perceive His existence and surrender unconditionally, is the gospel of Bhaktiyoga. Howsoever may we attempt, no amount of good words can really describe the stature of the Sadguru. It would, therefore, be wise to follow the following mantra:

Guru Purnima is a festival of worshipping the Guru. It is, however, not a worship of any particular person, but that of Par-Brahm who is manifested in the inner-self of the Guru. It is an expression of gratitude to our Pujya Gurudev for the Brahm Gyan that he imparted to us. It is our humble gesture of reverence for his guidance to God realization and relieving us from the cycle of life and death. It is a festival of faith, reverence and surrender. Purnima of Aashaad month (June/July) is considered to be very auspicious and of a very high order as it drives you to the knowledge of God, prompts you to meditate on God and inculcates love for God.

Guru Purnima is also called ‘Vyas Purnima’. The great grand son of Guru Maharishi Vashishthji and son of Maharishi Parasharji, was Maharishi Ved Vyasji. He is regarded to be the Guru of Gurus. He was an ocean of knowledge, great scholar of Bhakti-Yoga and a poet par excellence. He authored four Vedas, Bhahm-sutra and seventeen Puranas. Full moon night in the month of Aashaad (June/July) is called ‘Vyas Purnima’

The festival of Guru Purnima is celebrated at Sector 10-A, Gurgaon and at Smadhi Sthal, Najafgarh, New Delhi, with great devotion and enthusiasm. Shishyas, devotees and public start converging at the above two venues from early morning. Throughout the day, hundreds and thousands of persons offer narial (fresh coconut) wrapped in a yellow colour handkerchief, a garland and a pack of sweets. The narial has the shape of a human head. Offering narial at the Gurusthan symbolically signifies offering one’s head, ie., surrender oneself at the lotus feet of the Guru and the Guru, in turn, provides protection (the surrender, however, has to be genuine and unconditional and thereafter leave yourself at the protection of the Guru). The shishya’s head at the lotus feet of the Guru and drinking his Guru’s charanamrit also indicates the level of the two. The highest level of the shishya is the lowest level of the Guru and it explains the logic of shishya worshipping his Guru as well as it suggests the spiritual journey the shishya has to travel.

The narial, handkerchief and the garland, offered by the devotees are charged with Mahaguru Mantra and returned to them for keeping those at the place of worship in their house, while sweets, mangoes and the prasaad made of sweet yellow coloured rice are distributed to the entire congregation. The devotees are advised to carry the handkerchief along with them whenever they go out for any important work, meeting, court date, interview etc. to obviate obstacle, if any. Young married ladies who aspire to have a child, are advised to swallow laung of the narial along with its water, empty stomach, on a specified day and follow certain instructions on that day. Similarly, patients who suffer from any prolonged ailment are also advised to swallow laung of the narial with its water, empty stomach.

Guru-Bhakti is essential as it puts the shishya on the path of salvation and eventual realization of oneness with God. For a saadhak, the Guru is God Himself. Guru’s grace is enough to enlighten the shishya. He is the visible representative of the Almighty. Far more than worship, garlanding and making offerings, obedience to Guru is greater. One must obey his instructions in everyday life and follow his footsteps to reach the ultimate destination.