Gu means darkness, Ru means Dispel, eliminate. Guru means the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. Guru is the spiritual teacher who shows the aspirant the path to higher knowledge. He brings light to his disciple by showing them the means to find the eternal light. Spiritual gurus are seen as a link between the individual and the divine and therefore given great importance in the Vedic philosophy. Gurus open the eyes of the aspirant to their higher self and show them the divine light where they, the aspirants may have been struggling in darkness. Gurus are considered the living form of God. Therefore honoured and respected for centuries more than any other person as only the Guru can show the aspirant a path back to the divine and bring them from darkness to light.

Guru Purnima is the day on which one expresses ones gratitude to ones Guru. In India for thousands of years the Full moon in Ashadha Nakshatra is celebrated in honour of the divine gurus. Ved Vyasa is regarded as the Guru of all Gurus and the Guru purnima is dedicated to him. Vyasa edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. He also taught Dattatreya, who spread Vyasa’s knowledge to the other gurus.

On this day, all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honour of his divine personage and all disciples perform a puja/ homage of their respective spiritual teachers.

It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual sadhana from this day.

Jyotish is an important tool to give the divine light to the spiritual aspirants. Therefore the study of Jyotish – Vedic astrology- is an important one for any spiritual aspirant to undertake. Honouring your Jyotish gurus on this day would also be of great significance. It is a good day to make start your study of Jyotish, to make a resolution to study Jyotish or to read the texts of Jyotish.

Traditionally the disciples would visit their gurus on the Guru Purnima day and honour their teachers by paying homage to them. If it is not possible to visit your guru, you could honour them mentally, do a small ritual and repeat the guru mantra. You could also send them flowers, sweets, cards or gifts to honour their contribution to your spiritual life. It is also a good day to make donations to spiritual organizations who supports the Gurus and spiritual knowledge.

You could organise a Satsang in honour of your guru or join one. Sat means truth and Sang group. Satsang means a group of truth seekers. Usually it is a party of aspirants seeking the light. Many spiritual organisations organise a satsang and host a puja for Guru Purnima.