"Guru Purnima is celebrated to remind you that you are the light of the world and for the world. There is no good light and bad light. Light is light! So, don’t be too serious – be light!
A day to remember that You Are Light
The essence of Guru Poornima celebrations is to remind you that you need to reflect on the truth that you are light. It is to refresh your knowledge and revive your emotions.
A celebration revives the emotions, rejuvenates the spirit, and reminds you of the knowledge. This is the purpose of a celebration. Though this is there all the time, an occasion like a festival is needed to bring them to the fore.
You see, the ocean has water all the time, but when the full moon rises, the tide become higher. In the same way, a celebration reminds you that – you are the light, you are beautiful, loving and kind; it refreshes the knowledge and revives the emotions. Emotions need revival time and again, and that is what the celebration of Guru Poornima is about.
You are part of an ancient tradition that has been maintained for millions of years. You are a drop in the river of wisdom, and on Guru Poornima day, you remember this, you reflect and you rejuvenate yourself! All that it needs is just remembrance. That brings the feeling of gratefulness.
The two names for a disciple
In Sanskrit, there are two names for a disciple
1. Antevasi – One who resides inside the Guru
2. Kara Kamala Sanjata – A student who is born in the hands of the Guru, and nurtured by the feeling and knowledge of the Sangha (the company of good people)
So, Guru Poornima is a celebration to remember that you are the light of the world and for the world.
There is no good light and bad light. Light is light! So, don’t be too serious – be light!
If you think you are dull, your Guru is brilliant.
If you think you are brilliant, your Guru is irrational.
If you think you are irrational, your Guru is irresistible.
If you complain, your Guru gets tougher.
If you are perfect, your Guru is imperfection personified.
Do you still want to have a Guru? It is inviting all sorts of trouble!
Sometimes you have no choice whether to be a student or a Guru. I didn’t want to be a Guru but by default I am. If you keep teaching someone something, you become a Guru. You can deny it as much as you want, but you still remain a Guru because the Guru Principle flows through you.
A day to feel fortunate
We are so fortunate to have access to the ancient traditions and to knowledge that is so amazing, so complete, so scientific, and so life-transforming. It is so beautiful! Just look back and see, suppose you had not learned any meditation or didn’t know about this knowledge at all, where would you have been? This one thought can stir you, wake you up, and refresh you. This is what the celebration is about!
All celebrations on this planet is around some great event that happened on the planet. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Every celebration—whether it is Eid, Buddha Poornima, or Janmashtami—is associated with an event. Similarly, in your life, you celebrate wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Thanksgiving, and other occasions – they are all connected with events. If there is one celebration that is beyond events but focuses on the essence of life, that is Guru Poornima. It focuses on knowledge and wisdom. Celebrating the wisdom in life is Guru Poornima, and it is attributed to the tradition of the Masters.
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Gurudev Sri Sri's Message on the Eve of Guru Purnima
"Certainty is the cause of anger. Uncertainty liberates us from anger because then we realize that a situation or a person has so many possibilities."
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
speaks to devotees around the world through his message on the eve of Guru Purnima.