In Hindu religious tradition, the role of the 'Guru' or Spiritual Guide has been exalted even beyond the role of God - the Universal Father. Because it is the 'Guru' who alone can initiate you into the spiritual life by breathing the 'powerful living word' - the 'mantra' in your ear, which then becomes, through daily chanting, your very own channel of communication with the Supreme Being.

It is indeed striking that a similar parallel is found in some of the other major religions and cultures of the world. In Greek Mythology this function is more or less performed by the Oracle, who serves as the medium through whom the Gods speak. In Judaic-Christian scriptures, we have the Prophets who alone could speak and intercede with God on behalf of their people.

While in most cultures these chosen individuals in actuality fulfill the function of an intermediary between God and his people, it is in Hindu culture alone that a unique 'Guru-Shishya' or Guru-Disciple relationship exists. Here, the Guru becomes a Spiritual Guide on the path of his disciple's journey whose final destination is Oneness with God. He is always there to guide, answer queries and help his disciple overcome any obstacles on the path to realization of the ultimate Truth.

Therefore, it is not surprising that in a culture which has days of worship set aside for almost every God or Goddess, a special day called 'Guru Purnima' has been sanctified as the day on which to honor one's Guru.

Shower your gratitude... honor your Guru on this 'Guru Purnima' which falls on July 24 this year, with this Special Greeting Card titled 'For My Guru'. This has been selected from a series of divine revelations illustrated by Santosh Sachdeva, authoress of the 'Conscious Flight Into The Empyrean' - and created exclusively by indiayogi for you.

Some more offerings on this Guru Purnima from indiayogi to all its members include: the 'Brahma Vidya Course' in a series of lectures compiled in a book by the Founder of the Brahma Vidya Mission in India, Guru Jyotirmayananda. There is a 'Brahma Vidya' course also available in a series of 31 Audio Cassettes, along with the Books.

indiayogi also sheds new light and reveals deep insights into the lives and teachings of 4 popular Saints from our new articles in the 'Gurus' section on 'Sant Tukaram' - whose simple poetry used colloquial speech patterns and wit to endear itself to the masses, 'Sant Gnyaneshwar' - the singing boy saint who preached the Geeta in the vernacular to the masses, 'Surdas' - the blind poet who mesmerized the people with his devotional songs to Krishna and 'Mahadeviyakka' - the female shaivite poet saint who devoted her life to Shiva.

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Considering how important the Guru is to Indian culture and how the word has become part of the vocabulary of mankind, it is somewhat strange to realize that the Guru was not always such a dominant feature of the spiritual and cultural landscape of the Hindus. In the Vedas and Upanishads we encounter the word but infrequently, and never in terms of such reverence as it is currently used. They were texts concerned with direct revelation, with the nature of seers and the divine word. It was only later, much later, that the necessity of a Guru indeed its non-negotiable character became part of the Hindu psyche.

Initially, a Guru was merely somebody who initiated you into the life spiritual after which you were more or less left on your own. The story of Buddha is one such example; nobody makes a fuss about who was his Guru. This reflected the norms of the time. About one thousand five hundred years ago, however, there grew up a new trend of thought, which held that the spiritual life could never come to full and complete fruition unless the person was initiated with the living word of power by the Guru. This rapidly became the dominant motif of all the various faiths that made up the mosaic of Hinduism. No matter their differences in theology and outlook, the unparalleled importance of the Guru was never seriously doubted. This was especially true after the great tsunami of bhakti began to overpower India from the 10th century inwards. For the bhakti poets the Guru was the real father, the real giver of life for they alone could initiate them into the love of God. Thus arose the famous formulation

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu,
Gurur Devo Maheshwara
Guru sakshat Parabrahma
Tasmeye Shri Guruev Namaha

The Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahdeva (Shiva)
The Guru is indeed the very Brahman (the Impersonal Absolute Form of God)
I revere that mighty Guru

Considering the change in the stature of the Guru, mystics going so far as to say that the Guru is to be revered before God for without the Guru you would never have found Him, it was inevitable that there was a special day marked off in the Hindu festival calendar to celebrate their importance. This is the great day of Guru Purnima. It is hardly ever mentioned in anthologies of festivals but in sheer impact and import to the collective consciousness of the people it is certainly one of the most important days of the year. For ashrams and matths and all the spiritual centers it is certainly and obviously a great day but the festival has some of its greatest members and celebrants from the community of the performing arts. The Guru in those fields is held in no less reverence than a purely religious Guru and in many cases there is no difference as the arts are regarded as spiritual practice anyway. As a very pleasant consequence the day is now marked with a great many dance and classical music performances all over the country and even in the places where the Indian Diaspora has reached. De facto if not de jure, Guru Purnima has become one of the most important expressions of the Hindu cultural ethos.

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