For those of us living on the West Coast of the United States, today is Guru Purnima (10:13 PM, Jul 22–07:36 PM), the full moon celebration of the Guru. Purnima means “full moon” in Sanskrit, and it is the full moon in the Vedic month of Ashada (late June to late July) dedicated to this occasion.
Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima. Vyasa was the sage who arranged the single eternal Veda into four parts. Veda means “knowledge,” and the Vedas are comprised of direct revelation and oral tradition passed down through generations before finally being written in Vedic Sanskrit. Vyasa was later called Veda Vyasa, or “Splitter of the Vedas,” the splitting being a feat that allowed people to better understand Veda’s divine knowledge.
Vyasa is also the author of:
- the 18 Puranas
- the Brahma Sutras
- the Srimad Bhagavatam, known as “the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature.” It is said that anyone who reads the 12 books of the Srimad Bhagavatam will achieve the spiritual success meant for all human beings.
- Vyasa also composed the 100,000 verse Mahabharata to enable ordinary people to understand the highest knowledge most easily. When the Sage Vyasa decided to compose the Mahabharata, he thought he would dictate the epic, and someone could write it down. But who would write down the great epic? After a careful search, Veda Vyasa selected Ganesha, the Lord of Wisdom. Vyasa and Ganesha are depicted above.
Mark Griffin has stated that the sages are “gears of reality.” Mark also said that he believes our Lineage Master, Bhagwan Nityananda, to be a sage. Every time we recite the Guru Gita, we honor the Guru and Vyasa, author of the Sri Skanda Purana, from which the Guru Gita is drawn. There it is stated:
Luminous with the wisdom of Vedanta, like the sun continually radiating its light, the Guru’s lotus feet emanate the great Truths, the crest jewels of the four Vedas:
From the Sama Veda: Tat Tvam Asi – I Am That
From the Rig Veda: Prajñanam Brahman – Consciousness is Brahman
From the Vajur Veda: Aham Brahmaasmi – I Am Brahman
From the Atharva Veda: Ayam Atma Brahman – The Self is Brahman
Vyasa Purnima / Guru Purnima is celebrated to honor the Guru who moves us from darkness to light. From Gu to Ru.
Guru Om!
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