GURU PURNIMA - Associated Traditions and Gurus

    Today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I thought about shedding some light on the traditions which are associated with "Gurus". To begin, Guru Purnima is traditionally celebrated by Buddhists, when Gautama Buddha went to Sarnath after his enlightenment and met with his former companions and taught them "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta" (The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dharma Sutta) and enlightened them. This event was marked by the establishment of 'Sangha' on the full moon day of 'Asadha' (the fourth month of the year, according to the Hindu Calendar.)

On another hand, this day is also celebrated as a Vyasa Purnima as on this day Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, author of "Mahabharata" has born. He was not only the author of this epic but also has made huge contributions to Vedic studies - he gathered the Vedic hymns and divided them into 4 parts (Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) according to their rites and characteristics and teaches over his four disciples Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu.

However, this day has an impact on Jainism as well. Mahavira, the last and 24th Thirtankara made his first disciple known as Gautam Swami and Mahavira become Treenok Guha (Guru) himself, thus this day in Jainism has been celebrated as Treenok Guha Purnima which is celebrated in honour to teachers.

In Nepal, this day is celebrated as Teachers Day, students honour their teachers by offering delicacies, garlands, and special hats called ‘topi’ made with indigenous fabric.

After knowing the traditions of this celebration, it is also important to understand the importance of the Gurus. Guru appears to be the dominant partner in the relationship under discussion. It is the guru who teaches Vedanta-shastra. The treatise "Agamasara" explains the three syllables in the word “guru” (the 'ga' helps in accomplishing tasks undertaken, the 'ra' eliminates sins, 'u' is the unmanifest Vishnu. Guru includes all three qualities and is therefore great.

Many eminent scholars have been classified as gurus according to their ability to teach. Similarly, the Namchintamani lists have twelve types of gurus:

1. The Dhatuvadi-guru, who makes the disciple undertake pilgrimage and follow other procedures before giving the final Upadesha;
2. the Chandan-guru, who helps by just being nearby, just as sandalwood spreads fragrance even among ordinary people;
3. the Vichar-guru, who teaches the disciple to think and attain realization by pipeelika marga;
4. the Anugraha-guru, who imparts knowledge to the disciple by anugraha, i.e. grace.
5. the Pans-guru, who gives divine knowledge to the disciple by mere touches, like the philosopher's stone;
6. the Kacchap-guru, who imparts knowledge as the tortoise-mother nurtures her off-spring by merely looking at them;
7. the Chandra-guru, who helps by the stream of compassion in his heart for the disciple, like the stone which oozes when moonlight falls on it;
8. the Darpan-guru, who shows you your real self, like a mirror;
9. the Chayanidhi-guru, a guru whose shadow makes the disciple king of his own self, or of a kingdom of inner joy - named after the bird whose shadow makes one a king;
10. the Nadanidhi-guru, who turns a person into a self-realized soul the moment he prays for it, is named after the bead which turns any metal into gold;
11. the Krauncha-guru, who takes his disciples to the blessed state merely by remembering them, like the krauncha bird (Sarus Crane) which only thinks of her off-springs while gathering food for their nurture;
12. the Suryakant-guru, who lights up disciples into the blessed state, like the Suryakant bead which lights up on being touched by sunlight.

The tantra texts also provide some interesting typologies. For example. the Piscila tantra mentions a Deeksha-guru and a Shiksha-guru with obvious functions associated with them.

Another tantra text, the Kulagama, refers to six types of gurus;

1. Preraka, one who creates an initiative about initiation in the disciple's min;
2. Suchaka, one who describes both initiation and practice;
3. Vachaka, one who describes various devices to attain the goal;
4. Darshaka, one who explains how to discriminate between proper and improper sadhana and deeksha;
5. Bodhaka, who explains philosophical differences between sadhana and deeksha;
6. Shikshaka, who initiates and teaches sadhana.

Apart from these, the tradition of Guru Purnima exists in different forms and traditions in the rich and diverse cultures of India. Thus, let us celebrate this Guru Purnima by honouring the Gurus who have guided many of us from different cultures and walks of life and gift them the product of their teachings to the best of our capabilities.

Further Reading

    Desk, L. (2019, July 16). Guru Purnima 2019: History, Importance, Significance of Guru Purnima. The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/guru-purnima-2019-history-importance-significance-guru-purnima-5828002/

    Jain, J. P. (2010). Religion and Culture of The Jains (2010th ed.). Bharatiya Jnanpith.

    Jha, M. (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms. M.D. Publications.

    Pimputkar, S. (2019, May 30). Why do Buddhists celebrate Guru Purnima? Free Press Journal. https://www.freepressjournal.in/cmcm/why-do-buddhists-celebrate-guru-purnima

    Ranade, A. D. (1998). The Guru-shishya Parampara: A Broader View. Sangeet Natak, 39–54.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The author, Pushpita Mondal, is a research scholar in the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta. She specializes in the Archaeology of Dance and her interests lie in prehistory, performance archaeology, and art & culture.