Guru Poornima
Guru Poornima is that day in which we can connect with the universal guru energy and to the inner guru tattwa or master element.
Yogis do not regard Shiva as a god. Shiva is considered the Adiyogi, the first yogi and Adiguru, the first guru.
On Guru Poornima Adiyogi became Adiguru; he decided he would become a facilitator for the spiritual upliftment of others. On this day over fifteen thousand years ago, he started the transmission and teachings of yogic science to the saptarishis – the seven rishis, who divulged yoga and spirituality worldwide.
The purpose of Guru Poornima
We are all born with the possibility of illumination, but the path through which the energy must travel is blocked. It is congested by those mental, emotional and physical impurities we have accrued during our existence.
Guru Poornima is that day in which we can connect with the universal guru energy and to the inner guru tattwa or master element. If we are successful, this energy is capable of removing these impurities and clearing the path for our energy to rise.
The Guru
The word Guru itself does not actually mean master or teacher. Gu means “dispeller” and Ru means “darkness”. The Guru is one by “whose grace we are able to remove the darkness from our life”.
The Physical Guru is a spiritual catalyst. The one who shows us the path towards the guru tattwa, the cradle of unlimited inspiration.
But in the absence of a physical guru, we must look within and connect with the guru element, present within all of us.
Embark upon your spiritual journey
Our spiritual journey does not start with asanas or pranayama, which condition the body. They do not start with meditation which conditions the mind.
They start when we are able to look within and discriminate what is real. Only when we are able to see our faults and habits, and are able to break them apart through willpower and awareness, only at that moment, does our spiritual journey begin.
Asana, pranayama and meditation are practices that facilitate a condition of body and mind which is conductive to the expansion of consciousness; they are not the start of our spiritual journey.
Practices for Guru Poornima
1. Turn Within
Guru Poornima, is a day in which we turn within, towards our spiritual nature. It is a day to forget the world and its people. If possible, even put your worldly duties and responsibilities to the side just for a day. A day to be yourself and look within. To let your awareness and consciousness expand; a day to converse with your spirit.
2. Cultivate Faith and Surrender
Let yourself be inspired by the light of the guru, following it relentlessly like the sunflower chases the sun. This is the most conductive day for spiritual upliftment, a day of spiritual grace. There is only one condition for the descent of grace: the cultivation of faith and surrender.
3. Break habits and develop skills
We hold on to our ideals and perceptions with great attachment. It is these ideals and perceptions we hold so dearly, that form our habits. But through awareness, will, surrender and faith we can convert any habit into a skill. Today is a day to overcome all habits and cultivate new skills.
4. Review the last twelve months
Look back at the past year of your life. What has changed in the last twelve months? How have you evolved? Assess all the lessons you have learnt, remember them and smile. Thank life for all of its lessons, and welcome all the lessons and knowledge to come.
Guru Poornima quotes from gurus and mystics:
“Guru Poornima! Revive the zeal. Refresh the mind. Dedicate anew. Resolve tangibly. Test your sincerity, love and purity. Offer your restlessness to me. This is your rebirth day – be ready. Empty yourself so you can be filled with music. Bathe in nectar and await the rising sun. As darkness disappears, shake your body and mind. Let your old samskaras drop away. Tune in with me on the spiritual plane And begin to live a beautiful new life.”
“The Guru is like dynamite because he has exploded in 360 degrees and he has the capacity to create that same explosion of enlightenment in each and every one. When you are around a living Master, your potential to experience pure, eternal bliss or nithya-ananda gets heightened.”
“What is the purpose of Guru Poornima? Is it only to celebrate our link and our association with our guru and our master? Is it just another day which society celebrates as guru’s day, as there are Father’s Day and Mother’s Day? There is a specific reason for celebration of Guru Poornima – connection with the guru tattwa or element. And this guru tattwa is power, not a person; guru is power.”
“Guru Purnima celebrates the human ability to rise beyond physical nature, and the Greatness of Adiyogi, who made this possible.”
“Guru Purnima Day is the day of all the Buddhas,
all those who have become aware.
In their remembrance, become aware.
The grove is here in front of you.
You can see that luminous light.
It is here!
You can hear that celestial sound; that music is happening.
And you can be soaked into my fragrance.
It depends on you – how much you are ready to take,
how much you are willing to take,
how much you are going to be with me, how deeply.”
“Guru and God both appear before me. To whom should I prostrate? I bow before Guru who introduced God to me.”
