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THE FOREMOST
guruu
IS CREATOR bRH`m:
om guruu bRH`myae nmH
aSHaaDH suD 15 = JULY 2, 2004:
guruupuuARANimaa DAY
As per veDik calendar, today aSHaaDH suD
15 = July 2, 2004 is celebrated as
guruupuuARANimaa DAY......On this day in every year of the
veDik calendar based on
vikRm system all
guruuo in this universe of ours are
revered with special puujaa performed with appropriate offerings to
guruuo as prescribed in
shaasTR and
veD.....
As per veD. A human being has 3 eternal RUAN
(debts) to:
- Parents who give birth;
- guruuo and rushio who imparts all
the knowledge from birth to death and are transmitters of knowledge from
generations to generations;
- Daevo who are called by various
names of gods and goddesses but are truly shktio
(natural powers emanating from creator bRH`m)
which empowers all the functioning systems and functions of a living body and
also all the creations in the universe).
As per veD a
guruu is defined as:
- any person who is learned in veD,
lives by the rules, regulations and laws of veD
and can teach others veD and also
act as a guide, mentor, preceptor in life;
- one who can perform veDik sNskaar viDHio
(purificatory rites and ceremonies as prescribed by
shaasTR and veD) on a potential student and
then becomes the teacher of the student to teach the student
veD which is
sciences of creation and life;
- any venerable or respectable person or elders who can act as guides,
mentors in life;
- father or forefathers or ancestors as they are the primary teachers of
children.
From the above one can easily see the importance of guruu among peoples who
live veDik lifestyle....The
importance and need of guruu in life is continually emphasized in very text of
veD......
Please click on the next line to read some thoughts on
guruu and the celebrations of
guruu-puuARANimaa today.....
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From
Hinduism Today:
Meaning of guruu-puuARANimaa:
The Hindu festival of Guru Purnima falls on July 2 this year. This explanation
of the festival is taken from
SWAMINARAYAN SANSTHA web site page. You can
visit
SWAMINARAYAN SANSTHA by clicking on the name of
the web site and read more.....
The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh is traditionally
celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. Also known as Vyas Purnima, the day is
celebrated in remembrance and veneration to sage Ved Vyas. He is the Adi
(original) Guru of the Hindu Dharma, who classified the Vedas, wrote the
eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharat. On this day, the Guru is offered puja
(worship) by the disciples.
The Sanskrit root "Gu" means darkness or ignorance. "Ru" denotes the remover of
that darkness. Therefore one who removes darkness of our ignorance is a Guru.
Only he who removes our ultimate darkness, known as Maya, and who inspires and
guides us on to the path of God-realization is the true Guru. Students also
refer to their school teacher or college lecturer as guru. The connotation of
the word guru in this case is one who imparts temporal knowledge (Apara Vidya)
and is thus accordingly offered respect.
A spiritual aspirant, no matter how brilliant, can never attain such knowledge
by his own endeavor. This is stipulated in the Shrimad Bhagwatam in which
Jadbharat reveals to king Rahugan: "O Rahugan! One cannot attain knowledge of
Atma and Paramatma by performing penance, sacrifices, renunciation, Vedic study
or worshipping deities of water, fire or the sun. But when the dust from the
feet of a satpurush (God-realized Guru) sprinkles on our heads, then we can
surely attain this knowledge."
In essence, one can only attain salvation by serving the satpurush. Treading the
path to God-realization by one's own efforts is likened by the Katha Upanishad
as walking on a razor's edge. Adi Shankaracharya echoes a similar injunction:
"If a person, despite possessing a handsome, disease-free body, fame, a mountain
of wealth, and even if he has studied the Vedas and all other scriptures, and
has himself composed many scriptures, but has not surrendered himself at the
feet of a Guru, then he has achieved nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing."
The Guru plays a vital role in boosting the aspirant frequently, when he loses
track, becomes despondent or simply runs out of steam. The aspirant is thus
better able to obey the Guru if he understands the Guru's glory. The Hindu
shastras have hailed such a Guru immeasurably.
In the Skanda Purana is the Guru Gita, which contains this famous verse known by
heart by all Hindu children glorifying the Guru:
Gurubrahma Guruvishnu Gururdevo Maheshwaraha
Guruhu sakshaat Parambrahman tasmai Shrigurave namaha
"The guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva), veneration to the Guru who is
Parabrahman manifest."
The second line of the couplet does not literally mean that the Guru becomes
Parabrahman - God, rather he is venerated as if God is manifesting through him.
This is subtly illustrated by another famous verse known to all Hindus:
Guru Govind donu khade, kisko laagu paay,
Balihari Gurudevaki jinhe Govind diyo bataay.
"The Guru and Govind (God), are present before me, to whom shall I bow down
first? Glory to the Guru since he showed me Govind."
Apart from guiding the aspirant on the path to God-realization, the Guru throws
light on the profound meanings of the vast array of scriptural knowledge. Hence
the Mundaka Upanishad calls such a Guru "Shrotriya" - knower of the true
meanings of the scriptures. Adi Shankaracharya forbids an aspirant in
endeavoring to decipher the meanings without a Guru. In his commentary on a
Mantra (1/2/13) of the Mundaka Upanishad, he says: "Even if one possesses
knowledge of the scriptures, he should not attempt to delve into their meanings
by himself. He should obtain the knowledge of Brahman only through the Guru." In
their treatises, other Acharyas, such as Ramanuj and Nimbark have considered the
Guru mandatory in God-realization.
Scripture guide the aspirant to serve the Guru:
(1) Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6/23) :
Advocates worship to the Guru in the same manner as the deity - God, to attain
all there is to attain on the path of God-realization:
(2) Bhagavad Gita (4/34) :
The disciple should humbly pose questions to the Guru and please him by serving
him. He will then impart the knowledge of God, so ordain the wise sages.
(3) Shrimad Bhagvatam :
Bhagwan Rushabhdeva advocates his sons: Obeying the Anuvrutti - unvoiced wishes
- of God and Guru is devotion.
Therefore on the day of Guru Purnima, disciples introspect, and resolve to offer
puja and reverence to the Guru in mind, action and speech; implicitly obey his
unvoiced wishes, commands, serving him as one would God and lauding his glory
and redemptive attributes.
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