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Know your festivals: Guru Purnima,

The festival celebrating teachers!

India has been known to the world as a land of festivals since time immemorial. From the colourful Holi festival to the beautifully lit festival of Diwali, there are numerous festivals celebrated throughout the year, throughout the country with different traditions. One of such festivals celebrating the ancient and Vedic ‘Guru-shishya’ or student-teacher tradition of India, is the Guru Poornima.

The Guru Poornima is a major festival celebrated by both Jains, Buddhists besides Hindus. It is also a major Nepalese festival. It is celebrated on the full moon day (Poornima) of the Hindu month Ashadha (June-July) as it is known as the Hindu calendar of both India and Nepal. Besides religious and cultural significance, this day also marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the first peak of the solar cycle.

Traditionally, the festival is associated with spiritual and academic teachers. It is the day when Hindus, Buddhists as well as Jains pay respect to their teachers and express their gratitude towards them. It traditionally involves a ‘Guru Puja’ or salutations to the Guru or teacher.

The vedic ‘Guru-shishya’ principle is revered this day. The word ‘Guru’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Gu’ which means darkness or ignorance and ‘Ru’ which means a remover or destroyer. Hence, the word ‘Guru’ means a destroyer of darkness of ignorance’. Hence a guru is a person who removes from us the darkness of our ignorance. Thus, t;his day has a lot of significance both religiously as well as socially. Salutations and ‘pooja’ or worship to the gurus is offered on this day.

Buddhist Tradition: Buddhists believe that this was the day when Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon, the ‘Dharmachakraparivartana’ or the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, at Sarnath. It was the full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashadha (June-July) and hence it came to be known as the Guru Poornima.

Hindu Tradition: It is believed that on this day, Sage Vayasa, the author of Mahabharata was born to Rishi Parashara and a fisherman’s daughter Satyavati. Thus, this day is also celebrated as Vayas Poornima. Veda Vyasa did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his times, dividing them into four parts based on their use in the rites, characteristics and teaching them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu. It was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific "Vyasa" (vyas = to edit, to divide). "He divided the Holy Veda into four, namely Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The histories and the Puranas are said to be the ‘fifth Veda.’

Jain Tradition: According to Jain traditions, it was on this day, falling at the beginning of ’Chaumaasas’, the four month rainy season retreat, Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, after attaining Kaivalya, made Indrabhuti Gautam, later known as Gautam Swami, a Ganadhara, his first disciple, thus becoming a Treenok Guha himself, therefore it is observed in Jainism as Treenok Guha Purnima, and is marked special veneration to one's Treenok Guhas and teachers.

Guru poornima is indeed amongst those festivals which offer significant religious, scientific as well as social importance. It is a festival that is both multicultural and secular and is celebrated by all the people of India and the world alike. Teachers are the most important part of the society, for they educate the future generations and instill in them a quest for knowledge and discovery. A Sanskrit shlok says that the Guru is the physical form of the ‘Parambrahma’ or the Eternal Truth, the Supreme Energy that runs the whole universe and I bow towards them in reverence. Thus, Guru Poornima with its splendid full moon and a beautiful traditional association with the Vedic ‘guru-shishya parampara’ is definitely one of the most pious festivals till date.

What is your favourite festival? Did you know about the Guru Poornima? Did this article helped you know your festival better? Do tell us in the comments below!