Guru Purnima is a spiritual tradition the Hindus celebrate in honor of their Gurus. The post shares with you Guru Purnima Story and Date, 2024.
The word Guru is derived from two different Sanskrit words, which are Gu and Ru. The meaning of the word Gu is darkness or ignorance, while Ru denotes the remover of that darkness. So, Guru means a person who removes the darkness of our ignorance.
In the Hindu tradition, the “Guru” is recognized as a person who takes away your darkness of ignorance and turns you towards the light of knowledge.
Guru is considered superior to God in the Hindu religion. Therefore, if one follows the Guru’s knowledge, the person can attain “moksha” or salvation.
He is a spiritual master who has evolved into an enlightened human and shares his wisdom for little or no monetary expectation at all.
Even Saint Kabir has sung praises of the Guru:
“Guru Govinda dou khade, kake lagoon paay,
Balihari guru apne, govind diyo batay”
Guru Purnima is an ancient festival that has been cherished for thousands of years in the Hindu tradition. The Guru Purnima festival is celebrated on the full moon day (Poornima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June-July).
On this day, disciples offer worship or pay respect to their Guru (Spiritual Guide). Guru Purnima is also important from an academic perspective when students thank and pay respect to their teachers. It is an occasion when a student (disciple) expresses their gratitude towards their teacher.
The Guru Purnima was the occasion when Lord Shiva became the first guru or “Adi Guru” as he transmitted the science of yoga to the Saptarishis.
Traditionally, the festival has been celebrated by the Buddhists in honor of Lord Buddha. On the day of Guru Purnima, Lord Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh.
Hindus celebrate this day in honor of the great Sage Vyasa as Vyasa Purnima. He was the author of the Mahabharata. He also divided the Holy Veda into four: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda.
The Story of Guru Purnima
In the yogic tradition of the Hindu Religion, Lord Shiva is called the Adiyogi, or the first yogi. Over 15000 years ago, Lord Shiva appeared in the form of a “Yogi” in the upper regions of the Himalayas.
He sat in a yogic posture. Tears came dribbling down his eyes. He was oblivious to other people’s presence. So many people came and left because he neither spoke nor did anything.
Only seven people persisted. These seven wanted to learn from him. However, Adiyogi dismissed them. He told them, “You need to prepare.”
The Adiyogi gave them a few preparatory steps. So, they started preparing. They did 84 years of Sadhna. Finally, Adiyogi looked at them on one full moon day. Adiyogi could not ignore them anymore. They had turned into shining receptacles of knowing.
The Adiyogi observed them closely. On the next full moon day, he decided to become a Guru. That full moon day has been called Guru Purnima.
It was the day when the first yogi became the Adi Guru – the first guru. The Adi Guru transmitted the knowledge of yogic sciences to those seven disciples.
So, this was the day when the first Guru was born. He imparted the knowledge of transforming human consciousness to its ultimate possibility.
So, Guru Purnima signifies one of the greatest moments in the history of humanity. Guru Purnima establishes that a human being can evolve consciously.
In the form of Adiyogi, Bhagwan Shiva talked about spiritual evolution more than 15000 years ago.
After Adiyogi transmitted the yogic sciences to those seven sages, they outlined different directions to spread this knowledge throughout the world.
One of them was Agastya Muni, who headed toward the South into the Indian subcontinent. He started a tradition wherein yogis, and spiritual seekers embark on a yearly cycle moving from the Himalayan region down to the South and back again as the seasons came and go.
The month of monsoon in which Guru Purnima is celebrated was spent in constant remembrance of the Guru. It opened new possibilities for the human race so that it could achieve the ultimate possibility.
Guru Purnima has been one of the most significant celebrations in the Hindu religion for thousands of years. It is dedicated to your inner well-being. Therefore, it is a significant day to take a Guru’s blessings and move on to your spiritual journey.
Guru Purnima is the time to celebrate the most beautiful gift of God – Life. The festival is the time to remember all the Gurus of the past who had contributed immensely to humanity’s betterment and upliftment.
It is time to review yourself and access your spiritual advancement. This is the time to blossom a genuine prayer inside you, and it is time to shed your ego and realize the truth and true love. Guru Purnima is the time to raise the wave of devotion and love for God.
It is only a “Guru” who can help you to realize truth and knowledge. So, Guru Purnima offers an opportunity to remember the greatness of “Guru” and move on to your spiritual awakening.
Guru Purnima Date 2024
The full moon day in the Ashadha Hindu month is celebrated as Guru Purnima. On this day, disciples worship and pay respect to their Gurus. It is also the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa. So, this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. Even Buddhists celebrate Guru Purnima in honor of Gautama Buddha, who gave his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Guru Purnima will be celebrated on 21st July 2024, Sunday.
Here, we list out Guru Purnima Timings for you:
Purnima Tithi Begins at 05:59 PM on 20th July 2024
Purnima Tithi Ends 03:46 PM on 21st July 2024
Well, that’s all we have for you in this post on Guru Purnima. We hope that you found the post useful. Thanks for reading. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please share the post across popular social network channels.
