गुरु ब्रम्हा गुरु विष्णू गुरुः देवो महेश्वरा गुरु शाक्षात परब्रम्हा तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः

Image title

The word ‘Guru’ is from Sanskrit, where ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means dispeller.

The darkness here means the ignorance of illusion(maya) and only a realized master’s blessings can elevate such a soul to the supreme knowledge of self and god.

It is said that the guru appears when the shishya is ready. I do not know if I was or will ever be ready. However, I (completely and unconditionally) trust the guru’s appearance in their infinite compassion and wisdom to mean that I am ready.

Kabir Das, the great saint, mystic and poet of the 15th century placed Guru even above God in his Doha.

गुरु गोविन्द दोऊ खड़े, काके लागू पाय|

बलिहारी गुरु आपने, गोविन्द दियो बताय|

If Guru and Govind, are present before me, to whom shall I bow down first? Glory to the Guru since he showed me Govind.

India is the land of the Guru-Shishya parampara, where the teachers and students share a special and unique bond. Guru Purnima is a celebration of that bond.

It is also known as Vyasa Purnima in remembrance and gratitude to the greatest of sages Veda Vyasa, who wrote the Mahabharata and the Puranas and classified the Vedas into four categories.

On this auspicious day of Guru Purnima let us live in gratitude to all those who imparted knowledge in all aspects of life especially those who have blessed and guided us on our spiritual journey of self discovery, our parents, our teachers, mentors and colleagues.

I have been blessed with one such spiritual master who has been an embodiment of compassion, unconditional love, courage and an unshakable faith in god under the most difficult situations with a remarkable ability to treat one and all equally at all times.

Thank you Ma for your blessings, guidance and protection at all times.

Padapranams 🙏🙏🙏