Guru Purnima गुरु पूर्णिमा
Dedicated to Vyasa
About Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima honors the spiritual and academic teachers who illuminate the path of knowledge. Celebrated on the full moon of Ashadha month, the festival is dedicated to Maharishi Vyasa, who compiled the Vedas, authored the Mahabharata, and organized the Puranas. For this reason, it is also called Vyasa Purnima. The word 'Guru' means 'dispeller of darkness' — one who leads from ignorance to wisdom. Students and disciples express gratitude to their gurus through pada puja (worshipping the guru's feet), offering flowers, fruits, and dakshina. In the yogic tradition, this is the day Shiva became the Adi Guru (first teacher), transmitting yoga knowledge to the Saptarishis. Spiritual discourses, meditation retreats, and satsangs are organized across ashrams and temples.
गुरु पूर्णिमा उन आध्यात्मिक और शैक्षणिक गुरुओं का सम्मान करती है जो ज्ञान के मार्ग को प्रकाशित करते हैं। आषाढ़ माह की पूर्णिमा को मनाया जाने वाला यह त्योहार महर्षि व्यास को समर्पित है, जिन्होंने वेदों का संकलन किया, महाभारत की रचना की और पुराणों को व्यवस्थित किया। इसीलिए इसे व्यास पूर्णिमा भी कहते हैं। 'गुरु' शब्द का अर्थ है 'अंधकार को दूर करने वाला' — जो अज्ञान से ज्ञान की ओर ले जाए। शिष्य अपने गुरुओं के प्रति कृतज्ञता पाद पूजा (गुरु के चरणों की पूजा), पुष्प, फल और दक्षिणा अर्पित करके व्यक्त करते हैं। योग परंपरा में, यह वह दिन है जब शिव आदि गुरु (प्रथम शिक्षक) बने और सप्तऋषियों को योग ज्ञान प्रदान किया। आश्रमों और मंदिरों में आध्यात्मिक प्रवचन, ध्यान शिविर और सत्संग आयोजित किए जाते हैं।
Spiritual Significance
Guru Purnima celebrates the sacred guru-shishya (teacher-student) tradition that has preserved Vedic knowledge for millennia. The guru is placed even above the gods in Indian tradition, as it is through the guru's grace that one attains divine knowledge and liberation.
गुरु पूर्णिमा उस पवित्र गुरु-शिष्य परंपरा का उत्सव है जिसने सहस्राब्दियों से वैदिक ज्ञान को संरक्षित किया है। भारतीय परंपरा में गुरु को देवताओं से भी ऊपर रखा गया है, क्योंकि गुरु की कृपा से ही दिव्य ज्ञान और मुक्ति प्राप्त होती है।
Key Rituals & Practices
- Perform Vyasa Puja — worship of Maharishi Vyasa
- Visit and honor your spiritual or academic guru
- Offer pada puja (foot washing) to the guru with flowers and dakshina
- Attend satsang, spiritual discourses, or meditation sessions
- Begin or recommit to a spiritual practice (sadhana)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Maharishi Vyasa?
Maharishi Vyasa (also called Veda Vyasa or Krishna Dvaipayana) is one of the most revered figures in Hindu tradition. He classified the single Veda into four — Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva — making them accessible to humanity. He authored the Mahabharata (which contains the Bhagavad Gita), composed the 18 major Puranas, and wrote the Brahma Sutras. He is considered an immortal (chiranjeevi) who still guides seekers. Guru Purnima is his birthday.
Why is the guru considered higher than God?
The famous verse 'Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parabrahma' equates the guru with the trinity and the supreme being. The reasoning is practical: without a guru's guidance, one cannot recognize or reach the divine. The guru makes the invisible visible and the unknowable knowable. This does not diminish God but elevates the teaching relationship as the bridge between the human and the divine.
How is Guru Purnima observed by yogis?
In the yogic tradition, Guru Purnima marks the day when Shiva — as the Adi Yogi (first yogi) — transmitted the science of yoga to the Saptarishis (seven sages) at Kanthisarovar near Kedarnath, thus becoming the Adi Guru (first guru). Modern yoga practitioners honor their yoga teachers, participate in intensive meditation retreats, and often begin new phases of their spiritual practice. Many ashrams hold week-long Guru Purnima celebrations with special sadhana programs.
Festival Details
- Deity
- Vyasa
- Category
- Wisdom & Knowledge
- Regions
- Pan-India
- Calendar Basis
- Hindu Lunar (Panchang)
- Hindu Month
- Ashadha — Shukla Paksha, Purnima
- Importance
- major