Let us begin with a sloka…
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुर्गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुरेव परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥१॥
अखण्डमण्डलाकारं व्याप्तं येन चराचरम् ।
तत्पदं दर्शितं येन तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥२॥
The meaning of this Sloka is“ The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, the Guru Deva is Maheswara (Shiva), the Guru is Verily the Para-Brahman (Supreme Brahman) Salutations to that Guru”.
Salutations to the Guru Whose Form is an Indivisible Whole of Presence, and By whom is Pervaded the Moving and the Non-Moving Beings, By Whom is Revealed (out of Grace) That Feet (of Indivisible Presence); Salutations to that Guru.
Such was the love and devotion of the student that he had for his teacher in the ancient India. Mata, Pita and Guru that is the order. The teacher is next to the mother and father. Father and mother gave birth, but the teacher shows the way and leads us from darkness unto light through thick jungles and dark glades.
Guru Poornima is an Indian festival dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers. This festival is traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists, to thank their teachers. It is marked by ritualistic respect to the guru, Guru Pooja. The Guru Principle is said to be a thousand times more active on the day of Guru Poornima than on any other day. The word guru is derived from two words, Gu and Ru. The Sanskrit root ‘Gu’ means darkness or ignorance, and ‘ru’ denotes the remover of that darkness. Therefore a Guru is one who removes the darkness of our ignorance. Gurus are believed by many to be the most necessary part of life. On this day, disciples offer Puja (worship) or pay respect to their Guru (spiritual guide). It falls on the day of full moon, Poornima, in the month of Ashadh (June–July) of the Shaka Samvat, Indian national calendar and Hindu calendar.
On July 10th we celebratedGuru poornima in all grandeur invoking the blessings of our Satguru Amma. The days celebration began with archanas presided by Brahmacharini Bhavyamrita Chaitanya ji, a dear disciple of amma. The ashram hall of Amrita vidyalayam witnessed the noblest of all rituals performed by a child,” Matrupooja” being conducted in full earnestness. Students of primary classes were gifted the opportunity of cherishing the sancsity of the mother-child bond through the pooja presided by Bhava ji. Our beloved Swamini amma who graced the occasion with her inspiring presence. The mothers who attended the grand festival were blessed with discourses on parenting as well. The Mathru pooja ended with soul stirring and uplifting bhajans rendered by Swamini amma and her group and also our school prayer groups bhajans rendered. The festivity concluded with prasadam distributed to all present.
