Guru Purnima

Observances

Hinduism

The celebration of Guru Purnima is marked by spiritual activities and may include Guru puja, a ritual held in honour of the guru or teacher. In addition to having religious importance, this festival has great importance for Indian academics and scholars. Indian academics celebrate this day by thanking their teachers as well as remembering past teachers and scholars. Hindu Gurus are revered on this day by remembering their life and teachings. The festivities are usually followed by a feast for the disciples, shishya, where the prasada and charnamrita (nectar of the feet), the symbolic washing of Guru's feet, which represents his kripa (grace) is distributed. Special recitations of the Hindu scriptures like the Guru Gita are held all day. Apart from the singing of bhajans, hymns and special kirtan session and havan at many places, where devotees from various regions gather at the ashrams, matha or place where the seat of Guru, Guru Gaddi exists. This day also sees the ritual of padapuja, the worship of Guru's sandals, which represent his holy feet and is seen as a way of rededicating to all that a Guru stands for. Disciples also recommit themselves on this day to following their teacher's guidance and teachings, for the coming year. In the Vedic Hindu tradition, the day is celebrated in honour of the sage Vyasa, who is seen as one of the greatest gurus in ancient Hindu traditions and a symbol of the guru-shishya tradition. These recitations are dedicated to him and are organised on this day, which is also known as Vyasa Purnima. Vyasa Puja is held at various temples, where floral offerings and symbolic gifts are offered in his honour. Hindu ascetics and wandering sanyasis observe this day by offering puja to their guru during Chaturmasya, a four-month period during the rainy season, when they choose seclusion and stay at one chosen place; some also give discourses to the local public.

Buddhism

The festival is celebrated by Buddhists in honour of the Buddha, who gave his first sermon on this day at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India. In the yogic tradition, the day is celebrated as the occasion when Shiva became the first guru, as he began the transmission of Yoga to the Saptarishis. Buddhists observe uposatha, including the observance of the eight precepts on this day. Rainy season vassa also starts on this day, lasting for three lunar months, from July to October. During this time, Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking.

Nepal

In Nepal, Guru Purnima is a big day in schools. This day is teacher's day in Nepal. Students honour their teachers by offering delicacies, garlands, and special hats called topi made with indigenous fabric. Students often organize fanfares in schools to appreciate the hard work done by teachers. This is taken as a great opportunity to consolidate the bond of teacher-student relationships.

Significance

Hindu

This was the day when Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati; thus, this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. Veda Vyasa did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his time and dividing them into four parts based on their characteristics and use in rites. He then taught them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu. This division and editing that earned him the honorific "Vyasa" (vyas = to edit, to divide). He divided the Vedas into four parts, namely, the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.

Buddhism

Gautama Buddha went from Bodhgaya to Sarnath about 5 weeks after his enlightenment. Before he attained enlightenment, he gave up his austere penances. His former comrades, the pañcavargika, left him and went to Ṛṣipatana in Sarnath. After attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha left Uruvilvā and travelled to Ṛṣipatana to join and teach them. He went to them because he had foreseen, using his spiritual powers, that his five former companions would be able to understand the Dharma quickly. While travelling to Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had to cross the Ganges. When King Bimbisara heard of this, he abolished the toll for ascetics. When Gautama Buddha met his five former companions, he taught them the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra. They understood the teaching and also became enlightened. This marked the establishment of the mendicant Sangha, on the full-moon day of Asadha. The Buddha subsequently spent his first rainy season at Sarnath at the Mulagandhakuti. The bhikshu sangha soon grew to 60 members; then, Buddha sent them out in all directions to travel alone and teach Dharma.

Jainism

According to Jain traditions, special veneration is offered to gurus and teachers on Guru Purnima. The day falls at the beginning of Chaturmasya. On this day, Mahavira, after attaining kaivalya, made Gautama Swami his first disciple (ganadhara) thus becoming a Guru himself.