Guru Poornima – A Festival of Gratitude and Inner Awakening
In today’s fast-paced world, where materialism has overshadowed inner values, there still remains one festival that calls upon every soul to pause, reflect, and bow in gratitude - Guru Poornima. For me, Guru Poornima is not just a day of offering respects to our teachers. It is a deeply spiritual occasion rooted in Bharatiya Sanskriti, where we honour the eternal bond between the Guru (teacher) and Shishya (disciple) - a sacred relationship that has shaped our civilization for thousands of years.
Understanding the Essence of the Guru
In the Bharatiya tradition, a Guru is not merely someone who imparts academic knowledge. The real Guru is one who dispels darkness (Gu - darkness, Ru - remover) from the mind and soul. He or she is the one who shows us the path of Dharma, inner discipline, self-realisation, and spiritual strength. In fact, our Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and even epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana have emphasized the importance of a Guru at every crucial juncture.
When I think about Guru Poornima, I remember how Lord Krishna played the role of the eternal Guru to Arjuna, guiding him not just through words, but through Tatva Jnana knowledge of reality. Similarly, Adi Shankaracharya, Maharshi Veda Vyasa, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, and so many others walked the path of Dharma and illuminated millions of lives through their wisdom.
Why Guru Poornima is Celebrated
Guru Poornima falls on the full moon day (Poornima) in the month of Ashadha (June-July). It is believed to be the birth anniversary of Maharshi Veda Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas, the author of the Mahabharata, and the divider of the Vedic knowledge into four parts for the benefit of humankind. That’s why this day is also called Vyasa Poornima.
To me, Veda Vyasa is not just a historical sage - he represents the ultimate Guru who took the chaos of the oral tradition and turned it into structured wisdom. He made knowledge accessible to different sections of society, thus making Sanatana Dharma stronger and more rooted. What he did centuries ago is something we must strive to do today to preserve, reinterpret, and transmit our ancient dharma to the next generation.
Guru in Everyday Life
In our lives, the Guru need not always be a person with a long beard and saffron robes. A Guru can be a parent, a teacher, a spiritual master, a book, or even life itself. Anyone who leads us from ignorance to wisdom is a Guru.
Personally, I have been fortunate to learn from multiple sources from our epics, from mentors, from my parents’ wisdom, and even from the mistakes I’ve made. Every lesson adds to my journey as a seeker of truth.
In today’s social media age, where influencers claim to be ‘life coaches’ without grounding in values, the concept of Guru is being diluted. But Guru Poornima reminds me that a true Guru must be rooted in Tapasya (austerity), Jnana (wisdom), and Karuna (compassion).
Guru – The Foundation of Bharat’s Civilization
India did not become a spiritual land just like that. It was the Guru-Shishya Parampara, the tradition of oral transmission and experiential learning, that kept our civilizational memory alive. From Takshashila to Nalanda, from village Gurukulas to temple corridors, Gurus shaped thinkers, warriors, rishis, and dharmic leaders.
Even when foreign invaders destroyed our temples and institutions, this Parampara continued secretly in the hearts and huts of saints and scholars. Guru Poornima is a reminder to reclaim and revive that tradition.
I strongly believe that if Bharat is to rise again, it must rise on the shoulders of Gurus not just as teachers of subjects, but as moral, spiritual and civilizational guides. Our Gurus should teach our youth who we are, where we come from, and why we must protect what is ours.
Bharat Needs Her Gurus Now More Than Ever
In this age of confusion, woke ideologies, broken families, and cultural amnesia, Guru Poornima is not just a festival, it is a call to action. Bharat needs true Gurus those who are fearless, rooted, and committed to awakening the sleeping soul of our civilization.
Let us not reduce this day to WhatsApp messages or token offerings. Let us live the message of Guru Poornima every day by becoming better students, better transmitters of knowledge, and perhaps, in our own way, better Gurus to someone else.
I bow to all my Gurus, seen and unseen, and to all the great teachers of this land.
On this sacred Guru Poornima, may we walk the path of wisdom, dharma, and awakening.
🕉 Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Saakshaat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah 🕉
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