Guru Purnima 2023

Guru Purnima is a day to celebrate the greatness of the guru we all have. This is an auspicious occasion to give gratitude towards the ones who, anytime in our life, have shown us the way towards the right and helped us overcome the challenges we face. This day is also recognized as the birthday of Hindu guru Maharshi Ved Vyas. He is known for writing many books on different subjects, including the great epic of Mahabharat as well as Purana, Vedas, and various suktas and shlokas.

Guru Purnima 2023 Date

When it comes to the date of the Guru Purnima, there is no specific date for this festival, but it usually falls in June and July as per the Gregorian calendar. According to the Hindu calendar, the full moon day of Ashada has considered the day of Guru Purnima as the name suggests Purnima is the full moon day. When an estimate is done for this year on which day Guru Purnima falls, it is found that Guru Purnima this year is on 03 July 2023, Monday.

July 3 (Monday), 2023

History of Guru Purnima

As Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists celebrate the festival with a lot of enthusiasm and joy, they all have their reasons with history to celebrate the day for their Gurus. Let us know the history of this beautiful festival according to each religion.

As per the Hindu religion Lord Shiva who had appeared on the mountain of Himalaya for the first time was unknown to everyone who existed at that time, but soon, with the passage of time, many people got attracted to Lord Shiva for his unique appearance and aura. Many people also got scared with the look, but a few were inspired by the energy of Lord Shiva and found inspiration from him. They wanted him to be their teacher and teach them his knowledge. After many efforts of the seven men, the Shiva finally agreed to teach the seven men and ask them to do sadhana. Without any questions, these seven men started working on the path which lord Shiva showed and continued to do sadhana for 84 years.

After which these seven people have started shining and were then recognized as saptrishis who have spread the knowledge of living and the truth of life to the world. Today the saptarishi is taken as the symbol of knowledge and enlightenment in the Hindu religion.

Ved Vyas, who is highly respected in Hinduism, was also known to be born on the same day. He is known for writing numerous significant books and shlokas of the Hindu religion, including the great epic Mahabharat.

According to Buddhism, they have a different history of celebrating Guru Purnima, which says that the five companions of Lord Buddha had left him to go to Rishipatna, which is in Sarnath. Later, lord Buddha joined his companions back after enlightenment and started teaching them. Lord Buddha taught them that the only way to life is enlightenment. The first full moon day of Ashadha month was the first day when Buddha gave his first lesson on enlightenment to his five companions, soon after which they have also become enlightened. From that day, the full moon day of Ashadha month every year is celebrated by Buddhists as Guru Purnima.

Whereas when it comes to the history of Jainism, they celebrate Guru Purnima as the 24 Tirthankara of Jain, Mahavir Swami had started teaching Indrabhuti Gautam as his first student. From then, Jains celebrate Treenok Guha Purnima in honour of their guru.

Celebration and Rituals of Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima is celebrated at home and temple with a lot of enthusiasm and joy to celebrate the beautiful bond between the Guru and Shishya. This is the day to be thankful to the people who have come to you in the form of teachers and have enlightened you at the difficult times of life, and have made you overcome them. On this day, often the students offer flowers and prasad to their teachers and perform different rituals.

Vyasa Puja is also done at temples where the chanting of the mantras of Guru Vyas are dictated. This is the day to revise the knowledge and teaching given by the religious and spiritual guru to know the true meaning of life and walk on a path towards a meaningful life.

This day allows every individual to thank all those who have taught something some or the other way. They have been there as your teachers and have resolved your problems or have directed you on the right path. The pooja is performed with all the rituals being followed for giving thanks to all those wonderful people who enlighten your life at every point.

As with any other festival celebrated in India, this festival too has its own significance in the lives of people. Guru Purnima is celebrated wholeheartedly among all the people, and everyone gets to know the real meaning and reason behind celebrating this festival. The relationship of Guru and Shishya has been a crucial part of Indian Heritage and culture and has its significance that cannot be denied. Guru in India is considered greater than God, too, because it is believed that only the knowledge given by the guru can lead you to the right path and the path of goodness and God. Without enlightenment from the guru, individuals are ignorant and have no clue about life's real and true meaning. Only a guru can bring real life to you in the form of knowledge, truth, and wisdom.

Significance of Guru Purnima

The Sanskrit word guru is made from the terms Gu and Ru, which indicate someone who removes darkness from one’s life which signifies ignorance and shows one the light, which signifies knowledge. Guru Purnima is celebrated among the Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists as all of these three cultures give utmost importance to the guru in the life of followers. This pious festival is celebrated in India as well as in countries like Nepal and Bhutan too.