Indian culture places 'Gurus' who impart knowledge, in par with the Gods. Acquiring that knowledge of the ultimate truth forms the basis for the future of man. Paying gratitude to a guru is like paying gratitude to truth, knowledge and invaluable experiences.
The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima. Osho beautifully brought out the essence of guru purnima celebrations of the full moon night in the month of Ashadh. Osho says that a guru is like the moon who does not have any light of its own but draws the energy and light from the supreme soul. Unlike other full moon nights the moon in the month of Ashadh is surrounded by clouds as is a guru is surrounded by His disciples.
Also known as Vyas Purnima, the day is celebrated in remembrance and veneration to sage Ved Vyas. He is the Adi (original) Guru of the Hindu Dharma, who classified the Vedas, wrote the eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharat. The celebration or the observance of Guru Purnima was first done by the disciples of Vyas. The observance expanded beyond the constraints of Vyas and became known as Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is the day when one expresses his gratitude to his Guru.
A guru is a personified phenomenon of total bliss. He is the one who liberates us and with whom we are in deep love, faith and reverence. Osho says a guru is a presence. Through him one will have the first glimpse of divinity. A guru creates, transforms and gives a new birth to a seeker so that with complete trust one can follow his guru while traveling through many unknown paths and doors and opening many unknown locks. Speaking on the significance of a guru, Osho says that a guru’s blessings is a vital phenomenon. Through a guru one can look into his own future and can be aware of his own destiny. Through him one starts coming up like a seed trying to sprout towards the sky.
Osho says: “The word 'guru' is untranslatable. Neither does the word 'teacher' nor the word 'Master' have that beauty. In fact, the phenomenon of the guru is so deeply Indian that no other language of any country is capable of translating it. It is something intrinsically Eastern. The word 'guru' is made of two words, 'gu' and 'ru'. 'Gu' means darkness, 'ru' means one who dispels it. Guru literally means 'the light'. And you have the light within you, yes! If you come across a Buddha or a Jesus or a Krishna or a Mahavir, it will be of tremendous help to you in finding your inner guru, because seeing Buddha, suddenly a great enthusiasm and hope will arise in you: "If it can happen to Buddha"- who is just like you, the same body, the same blood, bone, marrow - "if it can happen to this man, why not to me?" The hope is the beginning. Meeting with the Master on the outside is the beginning of a great hope, a great aspiration.”
The world has become richer place by the very presence of the enlightened masters of the past. A guru gives the seeker a glimpse of the real, not a teaching, but an awakening. The guru is not a teacher, the guru is an awakener. And also there is a huge difference in the pull that one experiences towards a guru and towards a charismatic leader. A Guru means one who has gravitation, he is a tremendous magnet and so does a charismatic leader has the power to pull. But there is a tremendous difference between a charismatic leader and a guru. The difference is: when one is pulled towards a guru he suddenly feels that he is being pulled inwards, not outwards.
Osho shares, “When you are pulled towards Kabir, Nanak, Buddha, you have a strange feeling. The feeling is that you are being pulled towards them and at the same time you are being pulled inwards -- a very strange paradoxical phenomenon. The more you become attracted towards the guru, the more you become independent. The more you become surrendered to the guru, the more you feel that you have freedom you never had before. If you are Pulled towards a man and that pull creates a slavery, that man is not the guru. That man may have charisma, may have magnetic power - maybe his great intelligence, his physical beauty, or his sheer vitality pulls you -- but you will be going away from yourself. It will be an infatuation. You will be obsessed with this man, and you will be off your center.”
A guru is like a wind who cannot be seen but only experienced. One can only experience him and feel his touch but one cannot bind him because from whom one seeks liberation or beatitude cannot himself be taken captive. Connection with the guru is the relationship of the soul and the greatest of all the relationships. The guru is the end of this world and the beginning of the next. He is the gate. The relationship between a guru and a disciple is one of the greatest mysteries of existence. The guru is a presence and that presence is immensely nourishing.
Osho says- “Between a master and disciple the greatest mystery is lived, the deepest is lived, the highest flows. It is a relationship between the known and the unknown, between the finite and infinite, between time and eternity, between the seed and the flower, between the actual and the potential, between past and future. A disciple is only the past; the master is only the future. And here, this moment, in their deep love and waiting, they meet. The disciple is time, the master is eternity. The disciple is mind and the master is no-mind. The disciple is all that he knows, and a master is all that cannot be known. When the bridge happens between a master and a disciple, it is a miracle. To bridge the known with the unknown, and time with eternity, is a miracle.”
True disciplehood is dissolving into the love and the presence of the guru and becoming one with his heartbeats. It is the opening up to receive the grace of the master, becoming vulnerable to his presence, dropping resistance, all defense measures, all armor, trusting that even if the Master kills, one is ready. Guru Purnima has a true spiritual meaning and relevance for a disciple. It is the day of expressing one’s love and devotion for his guru.
“This Guru Purnima Day is the day of all the Buddhas, all those who have become aware. In their remembrance, become aware”
Bowing at the lotus feet of the master Osho on Guru Purnima.
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