Guru Purnima Blessings

On this beautiful day of Guru Purnima, our divine Guruji, HH Param Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, offers a wondrous message and blessing, explaining the Guru relationship and detailing the sacred tradition that makes the relationship with the Guru so very special:

“What is a Guru? A Guru is one who removes our darkness. In Sanskrit, Gu means ‘darkness’ and ru is ‘that which removes,’ so a Guru is one who removes the darkness in our lives, who shines the light of Truth on the illusions in which we live which cause our agony, our pain, and our grudges. The Guru brings the light of true understanding through which our egos, our insatiable desires, our fulfillable expectations and our illusions dissipate.

“Guru Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Ashadha and marks the beginning of the holy period of Chaturmas. After the long, hot, dry months of summer, the rains come to quench our thirst and bring us life – rains that are downpours of heavenly nectar, completely saturating the land which has been parched for months.

“Similarly, on this day, as we find ourselves dying of thirst for knowledge – as we find our hearts and minds have become dry due to ignorance, anger and darkness – the Guru comes, pouring forth upon our lives the rain of wisdom, of love, of light and of life. Just as the flowers which have wilted and yellowed in the never-ending heat of summer, suddenly stand erect and succulent as soon as the rains come, so we, who have become ignorant and ‘dead’ to the divinity within us are immediately born anew due to His grace in our lives.

“Guru Purnima is a day of re-opening our hearts, our souls and our lives to His divine presence and letting it penetrate and saturate every aspect of our being. It is a day of renewing our faith, our shraddha, in He who bestows the light upon our lives. Faith can work true miracles and, without it, much of life is futile. The guru might be of infinite power, knowledge and compassion. Yet, without the faith of the disciple, the guru can do very little for him. If we can surrender to the guru with complete faith, the guru will transform our lives.

“This year let us make our Guru Purnima a Green Guru Purnima. The best gift we can give our Guru, the best way to show our devotion is to protect, preserve and serve the Guru’s reflection in all of creation. As our Guru has brought us life, let us plant trees in the name and love of our Guru which will bring life to others. As our Guru has quenched our thirst for knowledge, understanding and light, let us work to ensure that all of our brothers and sisters on earth have safe and sufficient water to drink to quench the thirst of their bodies. As our Guru has brought us a new, divine life, let us work to help all of our family on earth – of all colors, all countries, all cultures and all creeds – have a life that is free from hunger, thirst and oppression.

“Then, not only will we see the Light that our Guru shines on our lives but we will become reflectors of that light, bringing our Guru’s light, life, blessings and grace to so, so many on this earth.”

Enjoy this beautiful collection of images taken at Guru Purnima celebrations through the years. And, enjoy the divine peace and grace that the Guru reveals in all who have faith in the sacred connection to God.