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Notes: All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Lancaster, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable).
Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise.
According to the Hindu Panchang, full moon day during Ashadha month is known as Guru Purnima day. Traditionally this day is reserved for Guru Puja or Guru Worship. On this day disciples offer Puja or pay respect to their Gurus. A Guru is a spiritual guide who enlightens disciples through his knowledge and teachings.
Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima and this day is commemorated as the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa was the author as well as a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, Maharishi Vedavyasa is described as one of the twenty-four Avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Adi Shankara, Sri Ramanuja Acharya and Sri Madhvacharya are some of the noteworthy Gurus in Hinduism. Vyasa Purnima is observed to express gratitude towards such great spiritual masters and many other revered saints. Hindu scriptures describe the Guru as the one who helps a person cross the ocean of worldly existence. The knowledge imparted by the Guru is like a boat that carries a person across the Bhava Sagara, the ocean of birth and death. Therefore, one should choose a Guru with great discernment and wisdom.
Guru Purnima is also celebrated by Buddhists in the honor of Gautama Buddha to commemorate the day when Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The word Guru has been defined in various ways in different scriptures. While offering salutations to the Guru at the beginning of Shri Ramcharitmanas, Goswami Tulsidas Ji says -
बंदउँ गुरु पद कंज कृपा सिंधु नररूप हरि।
महामोह तम पुंज जासु बचन रबि कर निंकर॥
बंदउँ गुरु पद पदुम परागा।
सुरुचि सुबास सरस अनुरागा॥
Bandaun Guru Pada Kanja Kripa Sindhu Nararupa Hari।
Mahamoha Tama Punja Jasu Bachana Rabi Kara Ninkara॥
Bandaun Guru Pada Paduma Paraga।
Suruchi Subasa Sarasa Anuraga॥
Meaning - "I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru, who is an ocean of compassion and Lord Hari Himself in human form. His words are like the rays of the Sun, which dispel the dense darkness of great delusion. I offer my salutations to the dust of the Guru's lotus feet, which is filled with noble taste, divine fragrance, and sweet devotion. That sacred dust fills the devotee's heart with Bhakti, love, and virtuous qualities."
Some popular explanations of the word Guru are as follows -
गरति सिञ्चत्ति कर्णयोर्ज्ञानामृतम् इति गुरुः।
Garati Sinchatti Karnayorjnananritam Iti Guruh।
Meaning - One who pours the nectar of knowledge into the ears of the disciple is called a Guru.
गिरति अज्ञानान्धकारम् इति गुरुः।
Girati Ajnanandhakaram Iti Guruh।
Meaning - One who destroys the darkness of ignorance through righteous teachings is called a Guru.
गृणाति धर्मादिरहस्यम् इति गुरुः।
Grinati Dharmadirahasyam Iti Guruh।
Meaning - One who teaches the disciple about Dharma and other subjects worthy of understanding is called a Guru.
गारयते विज्ञापयति शास्त्ररहस्यम् इति गुरुः।
Garayate Vijnapayati Shastrarahasyam Iti Guruh।
Meaning - One who explains the hidden meanings and mysteries of the Vedas and other scriptures is called a Guru.
Thus, the glory of the Guru has been described in various Vedas, Puranas, and other sacred texts. Bhagavan Vedavyasa is regarded as the Guru of all Gurus. Therefore, worshipping the Guru and performing Vyasa Puja on this day is believed to bestow immense spiritual merit.
On Ashadha Shukla Purnima, after completing the morning bath and daily rituals, one should take the following Sankalpa in the presence of Brahmins -
गुरुपरम्परासिद्ध्यर्थं व्यासपूजां करिष्ये।
Guruparamparasiddhyartham Vyasapujam Karishye।
After taking the above Sankalpa, spread Dhauta Vastra, i.e., a freshly washed white cloth on a platform made from the wood of the Shriparni tree. Thereafter, on the cloth, draw twelve lines from east to west and twelve lines from north to south using sandalwood paste and other sacred substances, and designate it as the Vyasa Peetha.
After establishing the Vyasa Peetha, perform Digbandhana by sprinkling Akshata in all ten directions. Thereafter, invoke and worship Brahman, Brahma, Para-Apara Shakti, Vyasa, Shukadeva, Gaudapada, Govindaswami, and Shankaracharya with their respective Mantras. One should then worship one's Diksha Guru, father, grandfather, brother, and other elders with the same reverence accorded to the deities. A detailed procedure for Vyasa Puja has been described in the work "Vyasa Puja Vidhi" composed by Shri Shankaracharya.
