Guru Purnima
The guru is Brahma,
the guru is Vishnu, the guru is the Great God
Shiva.
The guru is the
Supreme Being right before one's very eyes.
To that guru do I
reverently bow.
Teachers come second (after the Gods) in
the Hindu hierarchy of respect. The full moon day of
the lunar month of Shravan (Saun in Nepali -
June/July) is set aside for students to pay homage
to their teachers and receive blessings from them in
return. This year it falls on the 15th of July.
It's also a good day to
receive initiation or a mantra, or begin a spiritual
practice. This is the day to remember those who
have imparted their experience and wisdom to us, all
those lights that led us to a larger life, the giants
on whose shoulders we perch so precariously. In
the Hindu hierarchy of respect, teachers come second
only to the Gods. One's parents, and
particularly one's mother, are considered to be our
first, if not ultimate gurus.
This
day is also the birthday of Veda Vyasa, the ancient
seer who separated and collated the Veda into four
books, thus
making it possible for mere mortals to comprehend
the grandeur of divine Vedic knowledge. Vyasa is also
credited with transmitting the great epic of the
Mahabharata, which was written down with the help of
Ganesha. At a place called
Vyas on the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, special
worship is performed to the Maharishi.
The Sages in the Naimishya Forest worshipping Rishi Vyasa
For Newari Buddhists, this full-moon
(Dilla Punhi) is sacred as the day when the Buddha
entered the womb of Queen Mayadevi. Religious
functions are held at monasteries and temples to
commemorate the event.
It is considered to be an important day
for farmers as well, as this day brings in the much
required rains for the planting season.
With best wishes for an
auspicious and significant Guru Purnima,
love and pranams,
Billy
love and pranams,
Billy