Gurupurnima

Rooted in Sanskrit, the word Guru is derived from ‘gu’ which means darkness and ‘ru’ which denotes the removal of darkness. Hence, a Guru or a teacher is believed to be the one who removes all darkness from our lives. On this day, people take special care to pay respect to their Gurus. This festival is celebrated on the day of the full moon (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July).

                                             “Guru Govind dono khadey, kisko laagoo paaya?

                                              Balihari Guru aapki, Govind deeyo bataayi.” – Saint Kabir

It means “Guru and God both stand here, whom do I bow to?

The greatness is yours my Guru, who showed me the Lord.”

According to Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, you need a guru in the worldly life and you need a guru on the path of liberation (moksha). You cannot do without a guru. A guru is a light. You need a guru until you attain liberation.

If you are at the level of twelve cents and he is at the level of fourteen cents, then you should sit with him, because only the living guru can show you your faults. You must always be open and ready to accept whatever faults your Guru shows you, do not protect them or get angry and retaliate. Internalize what he says, work upon it and try your best to become better.

What is important, Param Pujya Dadashri says is that, “You should not look for faults in your guru. Once you choose a guru; that is it! Live your life without looking at a single fault of his”. He further explains that, “If you have praised your Guru for forty years, and in the forty-first year, you criticize him, then you will lose all that you had gained in the forty years and on top of that, you bind a karmic fault. Do not worship anyone; if you do, then your reverence for him should not break. Sincerity is the essential requirement of spiritual progress. This is all you need to understand.”

Only the one who is living and present can help you, so on this auspicious occasion of Gurupurnima, let us all take this opportunity to resolve that we shall always be sincerely willing to listen, accept and introspect upon whatever our Guru points out to us, as His ultimate goal is our spiritual progress.