The Significance of Guru Purnima
Today and yesterday (depending on where you are in the world) marks Guru Purnima. This is one of the most auspicious days of the year, when we celebrate and revere the Guru in our lives–our beloved spiritual teachers–who have dedicated their lives to living as the spiritual light and sharing the truth of the source of creation.
Guru is a term in Sanskrit, which means ‘dispeller of darkness.’ The Guru is the one whose life and teachings inspire the recognition of one’s True Nature as the Self in his/her students or disciples.
This is the day when, in the Vedic tradition, it is said that Shiva became the first Guru. This is the day when he transmitted the first Yogic teachings to his first disciples, the Saptarishis, from which all great teachers of the Vedic sciences have descended.
The timing is deeply auspicious as well, as Guru Purnima falls on the first full moon, or Purnima, after the summer solstice each year and during Dakshinayana, the 6-month period between summer solstice and winter solstice, representing the time of inward-turning and stabilization. The moon in its lit-up fullness is nature’s symbol of the light that the Guru emanates, in a sea of darkness and ignorance.
If you have been blessed in this life with a true Guru, this day is the time to express your gratitude and devotion towards that being, to thank them for shattering the limitations of your mental-conditioning and showing you the truth of existence.
Here at RASA Ayurveda, we have been blessed with meeting our teachers who have truly lifted our hearts up to the Supreme, through the teachings of Yoga, Ayurveda, Tantra and Advaita Vedanta.
We give deep gratitude to the great Dr. Vasant Lad, to Vaidya Sadanand Sardeshmukh, to Sahajananda, and to our beloved Moojibaba, Papaji and Sri Ramana Maharshi.
Comments
0 Comments