Kids’ Org. : Guru govind dou khade, kaake lagu paayeBalihari guru aapno, govind diyo bataye
“Teacher and Lord are both there, whom to adore, but teacher you are great, who told us that God is there.” Children this is what the parampara i.e culture of Bharatvarsh teaches us.
The role of a guru has always been extremely significant. The only difference which has come is in the relation between a student and his teacher. There was a time when the command of a guru was considered to be the final order and the disciple tried everything in order to fulfil his guru’s command. But in the present time, this relation has changed.It has been rightly said God cannot come and teach you everything. Hence, he created a teacher, a guru. The child takes his first step at home and he learns his basics from his parents. His basics learnt are polished and well defined by a teacher or a guru. Guru Purnima is the day to remember those teachings, values and ideologies specified by our gurus.
A ‘Guru’ is one who removes the darkness from our lives and gives us knowledge. A guru teaches us the right path to reach God and that is why he should be revered. The above shlok shows the importance of a guru in our lives. The mantra clearly signifies that a guru is trinity (Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh), and it is believed that through a guru one can achieve the ultimate result and reach the supreme power.
Guru Purnima also known as Vyas Purnima is the day dedicated to all the persons, teachers from whom we all have learnt something. It is the time to express your love and warmth to all those who have believed in you and who helped you in excelling in what ever you did. The day of Guru Purnima is dedicated to Ved Vyas (the greatest guru of all times). That is why it is also named as Vyas Purnima. The word ‘Guru’ is divided into two parts: “Gu” & “Ru”. Both originating from the Sanskrit language. The word “Gu” signifies darkness and “Ru” signifies the one who removes the darkness. Thus, the complete word guru means the remover of the darkness. The second word Purnima means the Full Moon Day. As per the Hindu Calendar, Guru Purnima falls in the month of Ashadh (i.e June or July).That is why it is also called Ashadh Purnima.
Ved Vyas :
The biggest Guru of all times
Since Guru Purnima is dedicated to Guru Ved Vyas the author of Mahabharat and Brahma Sutras it is celebrated as his birthday. Guru Ved Vyas has been considered as the biggest and the most knowledgeable guru of our times. Ved Vyas has taught us the real values and has helped us in differentiating the wrong from right.
The greatest epic of all times, Mahabharat, is a live example. The teachings we get from Mahabharat are still prevalent in today’s time and these teachings still guide us from all the wrongs that are prevailing in the society. Ved Vyas was one of those gurus who classified the Vedas into four different texts. These Vedas in today’s time are known as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Saam Veda, and Atharva Veda. Ved Vyas also wrote the Gita. The teachings in these texts are the biggest offering to the mankind.
Stories related to Guru Purnima
Some of the best examples of the guru-shishya relationship can be found in the Mahabharat – a saga that questions our sense of right and wrong at every turn. The obvious guru-shishya relationship in the Mahabharat is that between Arjun (the shishya) and Krishna (the guru). One day, Dronacharya was teaching his shishyas a lesson and a dog suddenly ran past them. It appeared that someone had shot multiple arrows around the dog’s mouth to keep it from barking, but the dog was otherwise unharmed. Dronacharya and his pupils stood up and began looking for the archer. They eventually came upon a young man who was practicing archery in the woods. Upon seeing Dronacharya, the young man, whose name was Ekalavya, fell at his feet and asked for his blessings. Dronacharya asked, “Are you the one who shot the arrows to trap this dog’s mouth?” Ekalavya nodded his head. Dronacharya said, “You must be having an accomplished guru. Who is your guru?” Ekalavya said, “You are my guru.” Then Ekalavya revealed a stone statue he had made of Dronacharya. Dronacharya remembered the young boy whom he had rejected to teach archery. As he stood in front of Ekalavya, Dronacharya remembered his promise of making Arjun the greatest archer in the world. He realised that his promise may be in jeapardy because of Ekalavya’s innate talent and skill. Dronacharya said, “It seems like you have mastered this knowledge. Since you say I am your guru, what will be my guru dakshina?” Ekalavya readily agreed to give his guru anything he wanted. In a calculated move, Dronacharya asked the young archer for his right thumb. Without question or hesitation, Ekalavya cut off his right thumb and presented it to his guru, thereby resigning himself to a life without archery. And therein lies one of the most intricate depictions of the depth of guru-shishya relationship.
Guru-shishya bond
Traditionally in Bharat, when a child reaches an appropriate age, he would move out of his parents’ home to commence his formal education at a gurukul. Here, he, along with a number of other students, or shishyas, would live under the supervision of their guru. In addition to receiving an education, the shishyas would also participate in the day-to-day chores of the gurukul. There was no monetary cost for students to attend the gurukul, but at the end of their stay, they offered a guru dakshina, a gift of thanks which could be monetary in form or a task that the guru requests the shishya to perform. In effect, the gurukul was an extended family which gave birth to the guru-shishya parampara, or tradition, which is considered to be one of the most sacred of relationships.
| Celebration Of Guru Purnima Every year, Guru Purnima is celebrated in different religious sects. But the common aspect remains throughout, and that is tribute or thanks giving to one’s gurus, be it Ved Vyas, Gautam Buddha or Lord Mahavira.Thus it is not only an important day for Hindus, but also for Buddhists and Jains across the globe. In Buddhism Guru Purnima marks the homage or tribute to their Lord Gautam Buddha. The day of Guru Purnima is believed to be the day when Buddhism came into existence. It is believed that on this day, Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath. Hence, it is believed that on this day the spiritual teachings of Buddha were administered. Since then, Guru Purnima is a very important day in the Buddhist community. In Buddhism, the day is celebrated by performing meditation. In Jainism As per Jainism, Guru Purnima is an extremely important day. As on this day, Mahavira made Gautam (Indrabhuti) his first disciple and he turned himself as a guru. Since then, this day is observed to be a very important day in the lives of Jain community. |
The guru-shishya relationship was based on the trustworthiness and genuineness of the guru and respect, obedience, and devotion of the shishya. As the relationship developed and strengthened over time, knowledge was imparted from the guru to the shishya until the shishya mastered it. The importance of the bond between guru and shishya cannot be overstated, particularly with respect to spiritual education where often, knowledge was imparted from guru to shishya through silence or a purely mental form of telepathy. —Aniket Raja
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