Wisdom from the Master: Guru Pournima - A Pillar of Indian Culture

Acharya Mahendranath

"My disciples often ask questions about certain festivals celebrated in our Indian culture. For example, they ask me what is Guru Pournima and also the difference between a guru/master and a teacher. And that’s why today on the auspicious day of Guru Pournima, I will talk about Guru Pournima and why it is celebrated as part of our tradition and Indian culture.

Before understanding Guru Pournima, it is important to understand the meaning of the word Guru. It is a very divine word from the Sanskrit language. The word Guru literally means dispeller of darkness or the one who dispels ignorance. A guru is also addressed as Master, Acharya, Swami, etc.

Just like the word, a Guru is divine. A guru is spiritual. Gurus are enlightened, selfless Masters who have understood themselves, life, and the existence. A Guru is “one with the existence”; which is also called “oneness”, “union”, “Yoga” or “Moksha”. A Guru’s energy and wisdom is invaluable in shaping human beings, the society, its culture, the environment, and the entire mother planet. Through centuries several great gurus have blessed our country with their presence, and our beautiful nation and its people flourished in the wake of their guidance.
(Read more about the richness of our ancient Indian culture The BlogTalk: 11th Question)

“Acharya Devo bhava” is a divine saying in Sanskrit that shows us that people in ancient India recognized the value of a Guru, whom they revered as bhagwaan (divine energy). People would consider it an honor for their children to be educated under the guidance of a guru. They would send their children to the Gurukulam, or the abode of the guru, where the guru would impart spiritual wisdom and knowledge. Also, under the guru’s guidance, master teachers would teach disciples various subjects such as arithmetic, science, medicine, yoga, martial arts, sangeet (gaayan/vocal, vaadan/instrumental and nritya/dance)  and various other arts and skills depending on their nature and their potential.
(Read more about our Gurukulam system BlogTalk:13th Question)

Such disciples would become great artists, scientists, healers, economists, politicians, warriors, and spiritual masters, and at the same time, they would be exemplary human beings with values like respect, responsibility, courage, and compassion.

But unfortunately, with the invasion of foreign forces over the past 1000 years, we got disconnected with our science, traditions, culture, and values. And finally, even though we got independence from British Raj and became a free nation, we adopted the western system of education, which I call qualification. The holistic system of education vanished from the mainline education system. Schools now just impart information and skills to earn a living, but the value system, culture, etc. is missing.
(Read more about the phasing out of our traditional Indian education system BlogTalk: 13th Question)

And therefore, now most don’t understand the meaning of words like Guru/Master, Master Teachers and Teachers, and they confuse one with the other. First, people started calling their academic and vocational teachers as their guru. And soon, the word Guru came into Western dictionary, which defines a guru as an influential teacher or popular expert! And therefore, expert technicians began to be called “tech gurus”, leading business persons began to be called “business gurus”, etc. And of late, just about anyone can be called a guru. It has become a fashionable term! In several television shows, young artists who are just 19-25 years of age who teach modern dance or music to other students are called Gurus or even “Super Gurus”!

It is important to understand the difference between a teacher and a guru. Teachers impart information and skill. At a primary level, they teach subjects like languages, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, and moral science. And at an advanced level they teach subjects like engineering, modern medicine, accounting, architecture, etc. Skills include painting, sculpting, farming, carpentry, etc.

The information and skill imparted by teachers helps a person get qualified to do a particular type of work and lead a good materialistic lifestyle. I call this “horizontal growth” of a person, or growth in the material world. And therefore, teachers are important and must be respected on the day dedicated to them, which is Teachers’ Day.

But a guru focuses on spiritual growth of a person, which I call vertical growth. For people who have a spiritual quest, a guru guides them in the ultimate journey, which is the spiritual journey toward enlightenment and moksha.

However, when one speaks of, or hears, the term “spiritual journey”, it is associated with giving up material life and retreating from society. But it is not like that.

According to me, a divine guru’s understanding of the material world is as deep as is the understanding of the spiritual world. Therefore, I bring about a balance of material and spiritual understanding within my disciples. This balance is very important, because both material and spiritual are parts of the same whole and must not be separated.

The word 'material' comes from the word 'matter', and 'spiritual' comes from the word 'spirit', which is the invisible and eternal energy. Material world includes all that we can see when our eyes are open and spiritual is that which we experience with our eyes closed.

There must be a balance between material and spiritual, active and passive, and outward and inward. If there is imbalance on any one side—for example, one becomes fully materialistic, or if one completely retreats into a cave—then there is a problem. The material-spiritual balance is the initial basic requirement for living a good life, which I call Moxshlife.
(Read more about the difference between Guru and teacher BlogTalk: 13th Question)

And Guru Pournima is a day for disciples to honour the presence of their guru in their life.

Since a Guru is spiritual, Guru Pournima is a spiritual day. It is celebrated on the full moon day or (Purnima) in the Hindu calendar month of Ashadha. It is a day that has been discovered by our ancient rishis and munis as a very auspicious day for disciples. The planetary alignment is powerful and auspicious and very divine energy reaches mother earth; the energy that intensifies disciples’ sadhana.

Many divine occurrences have also taken place on this day. According to the yogic tradition, on Guru Pournima, Mahadev Lord Shiva became the first Guru (Adi Guru), and began the transmission of the science of yoga to the Saptarishis.

The great sage Vyasa Muni, who is considered as one of the greatest Gurus in our ancient traditions and a symbol of the Guru-shishya tradition, was not only born on this day, but also started writing the Brahma Sutras on this day.

Bhagwan Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon on this day.

According to Indian tradition, it is a day of celebration for disciples who are on the spiritual journey under the guidance of their guru. On this day, disciples thank the existence for bringing a guru in their lives, and meditate and contemplate on their spiritual journey as well as on their role in their mission. And they all come together and take their guru’s blessings for their spiritual journey. 

Bow to all those selfless Gurus all over the world who Enriched Lives, Purified Thoughts, Humbled Humanity, Lit the Lamp of Knowledge, and Dedicated their Lives to Guiding People to Lead a Harmonious and Happy Life!

May Adi Guru Lord Siva bless all on this auspicious day of Guru Pournima!"

— Acharya Mahendranath

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