Guru Purnima a day to pay homage to our gurus. Guru comes from the sanskrit Upanishad describes the syllables gu as ‘darkness’ and ru as
‘destroyer’. Therefore a Guru is more than a teacher but the ‘destroyer of darkness who brings the light of knowledge.
In the yogic tradition, the day is celebrated as the occasion when Shiva became the first guru, as he began the transmission of yoga to the Saptarishis. The Guru Purnima on this full moon symbolizes the deeply respectful relationship between guru and disciple. This day marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the peak of the solar cycle. Guru Purnima is held sacred in the yogic tradition because the Adiyogi (Lord Shiva, the ‘first Guru’) opened up the possibility for a human being to evolve consciously.
This auspicious day is also held dear in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism therefore cuts across various faiths whilst sharing the good message of respecting & honouring our spiritual guides.
This day, we students of the Nepal Yoga Academy, dressed beautifully in traditional clothing, held a small ceremony honoring our own Gurus, Dr Chintamani and Krishna Ji. We offered gifts of a tree and a brass bell, as small tokens of our appreciation. But the day was only just beginning….