Guru Poornima
Guru, God and Self are Synonymous
by Sri Sri Ravishankar
An acharya (teacher) gives shiksha, which means
knowledge; Guru gives diksha, which means heightened
awareness.A guru does not simply stuff you with
knowledge but he kindles life force in you.
Water lily on lake
In the presence of the guru you become more alive.
The pinnacle of intellect is awakened intelligence.
The guru invokes not only intelligence but also the
intellect in you. Knowledge may not invoke
intelligence, but in intelligence, knowledge is
inherent.
Whether you like it or not, the guru principle
pervades your life. Your mother is your first guru and
then from science to spirituality, from birth to
death, guru principle permeates your life.
There is a guru for every discipline - a religious
guru (dharma), a family guru (kula), a rajguru (guru
for the kingdom), a vidya guru (guru for a particular
discipline) and a sat guru (spiritual guru).
In the Upanishads five signs of sat guru are
mentioned. In the presence of the sat guru; Knowledge
flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha
kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha
aavirbhava); Abundance dawns (Samriddhi); All talents
manifest (Sarva samvardhan).
Mind is connected with the moon and full moon is a
symbol of completion and pinnacle of celebration.
Among the 12-13 full moons in a year the vaishakha
full moon is dedicated to Buddha (his birth and
enlightenment), jyeshtha full moon to mother earth and
the aashadha full moon is dedicated to the memory of
masters. This is Guru-poornima.
Gurupoornima is also called Vyasa Poornima. Vyasa is
the embodiment of scriptural knowledge as well as
experience. When a guru or acharya delivers a talk the
seat is called Vyasa peetha. Vyasa is familiar with
every avenue of existence, both material and
spiritual. There is a saying Vyaso chishtam jagat
sarwam that means there is nothing under the sun
that Vyasa has not touched upon.
As no sanchita karma is left in an embodied guru, self
shines through, which becomes very obvious in the
presence of the guru. But all those qualities that you
appreciate in a guru are also in your very nature.
Being with the guru is like being with one’s higher
self. Guru, God and one’s own self are synonymous.
Often one recognises wisdom but sees a gap between
wisdom and one’s own life. The purpose of becoming a
disciple is to bridge that gap. Being with a guru
means spontaneous integration of life and wisdom.
Respecting the guru simply means honouring your
innermost nature.
Gurupoornima is the day when the disciple wakes up in
his fullness and in the wakefulness he can’t be but
grateful. This gratitude is not of dwaita (you and
me), but of advaita. It is not a river moving from
somewhere to somewhere, but is the ocean moving within
itself. So, gratefulness on Guru-poornima symbolises
that fullness.
The purpose of the Guru poornima celebration is to
turn back and review and see in this last one year
how much one has progressed in life. For a seeker,
Guru poornima is a day of significance. It is the day
to review one’s progress on the spiritual path and
renew one’s determination and focus on the goal. As
the full moon rises and sets, tears of gratitude arise
and repose into the vastness of one’s own self.
