Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
1th July 2017
Guru Poornima
“The day”
The Sanskrit root ‘gu’ means darkness or ignorance, and ‘ru’ denotes the remover of that darkness. Therefore, a guru is one who removes darkness, meaning our ignorance. What the gurus teach is believed by many to be the most necessary part of daily life.
Guru Poornima is an Indian festival that is celebrated as per the Hindu Moon Sign calendar to express reverence towards the guru, teacher or mentor. It falls on the day of the full moon or Poornima of Ashadh month.
It is the first of the two months that comprise the monsoon season. It is a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds to June/July in the Gregorian calendar, meaning the English calendar.
A guru is either enlightened or a knowledgeable guru. An enlightened guru is wise and shares wisdom that points out that everyone’s guru is life, meaning God or light.
Knowledgeable gurus are many and teach in many ways about what to do, how to do and what not to do. They teach what to speak, what not to speak and how to speak. They also teach what to think and what not to think as well.
An enlightened guru, on the other hand, shares and points out to all that whatever is meant to happen only happens and no force on earth can stop whatever that is meant to happen. This includes whatever that is spoken and whatever that is thought.
An enlightened guru shares and points out to all to accept everyone as they are, because life has made them to be what they are and they cannot be other than what they are.
An enlightened guru shares that, if everyone in life could do and be what they believe, they should do and be only if they were able to make the moment in life. But no one can make the moment in life. So, it is impossible for anyone in life to do and be what they believe and expect they should do and be in any moment.
An enlightened guru shares and points to the fact that we cannot make any moment in life, including the weather and whatever is in the moment. Guru Poornima is the day to offer our respects to the enlightened guru, who points to the ignorance or darkness that we can do and be whatever we are expected to do and be, while we cannot.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar,© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2017
Editor’s Note:
Life has blessed mankind with the gift of enlightened beings who offer their deep understanding of life unsparingly and without judgement. Thus, they bring comfort and consolation to all fortunate enough to share this understanding.
Thank you, Dr Shankar. We are all eternally grateful.
Julian Capper, U.K
German Translator’s Note:
The many knowledgeable gurus make it difficult for man to find one of the few wise gurus. The mind wants to take the knowledgeable as a wise guru, because it fits the mind’s beliefs. However, only the wise point the way out of the mind, into life. Grateful are those who are guided by life to find a wise guru.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.