Guru Purnima – Celebrate your inner Guru, your Divine Essence.

The full moon day, in the hindu calendar of the month of Ashadh, is celebrated as Guru Purnima all over India. On this day, we pay respects and offer gratitude to all our teachers; especially spiritual mentors. This year it falls on 31st July.

What is the significance or importance of Guru purnima?

It is a day to offer gratitude and love, and to celebrate your connection to your Guru/ Mentor/ Guide; both inner and outer. Its a day to spend time in silence and deep meditation, and be in-tuition with your inner Guru. Who is this inner Guru? You may know it by many names; inner voice/ intuition/ gut feeling/ Higher Self. Your Higher Self is your eternal companion, holds your highest good and lights up your pathway to bliss or ananda.

Interestingly, in the physical world, we all are Gurus and Shishyas, BOTH. How? Lets say, you are traveling to a new city and are apparently lost. You ask for directions from a stranger. You note and absorb the instructions given by this stranger, like a clean slate or like a child. IN THAT MOMENT you become a student and the stranger becomes your teacher/guide/ Guru. The status of being a Guru or a Shishya changes from moment to moment. One moment you may be seeking guidance, next moment you may be giving. One moment you are sharing a recipe as a teacher with your friend, the next you may be seeking advice as a student from that same friend.  So, both are each others Guru and Shishya, at the same time. See the beauty of this drama. In each interaction you take up the role of either a Guru or a Shishya. The teaching – learning experience goes hand-in-hand. The best thing is that you learn when you teach; and you teach when you learn. So, when you are sharing that recipe, you are mentally re-learning it. Or when you are giving advice to your friend, somewhere you need the same advice too. The Teacher and the Student exist together, always. If you are in the teaching profession, you have definitely experienced this phenomena. Your students not only learn from you, but they teach you as well.

The Bhagawad Gita talks about complete surrender to your Guru. So what is complete surrender? Complete surrender happens when your body, mind and spirit are totally  silent and present in the NOW. The stillness of the mind helps absorb the teachings at a deeper level. To surrender is to be present in the HERE and NOW with a clean slate. Whether you are with a physical Master or your inner Master; a blank slate will help you absorb and learn more. That is when true learning and awareness happens. Yes, you may ask questions to your Guru, and listen in complete silence of the body and mind to be able to absorb effectively. The Ego has a habit of chattering or playing some past recordings, which create a barrier in receiving and learning. The more you stay connected to your Higher Self, the less the Ego interferes.The Ego always wants to create separateness, that is why it puts the Teacher on a pedestal in the physical world, and the Ego thrives on this hero worship.

Your Higher Self has been guiding you every moment of your existence. Your Higher Self brings equanimity and balance in your life, making it blissful and contented. Your Higher Self is the one that guides you to mentors in the physical world. Do you choose to listen to your inner Guru or do you give in to the demands of the Ego? Make a conscious choice to live your life from higher perspective and make it more joyful. Stay connected to your inner master and stay blessed – always.

Wish you all a very Happy Guru Purnima. Thank you for shining your light in this world. Thank you for being YOU. Thank you for your Divine presence in my life.

Stay connected, Stay blessed.