Guru Purnima

The word Guru is made up of two words - ‘Gur’ meaning darkness and ‘Ru’ that is opposite of darkness. So, the word Guru refers to someone who extricates us from the darkness of ignorance and enlightens us with knowledge and awareness. The importance of this festival lies in the very meaning of this word.

In Indian culture, Guru is a person or a mentor who drives out all fear and ignorance from a person. In the words of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, “He alone is the genuine teacher who is illumined by the light of true knowledge”. It is believed that our Guru resides in our Vishuddha Chakra in the throat and awakens when we deliver ourselves to our higher self.