Guru poornima & chitra pournami

Guru Pournami

Swami Muktananda said: "When God was distributing the full moon, He
gave the most perfect one to the Guru".

Hindus attach paramount impor-tance to spiritual gurus. Gurus are
often equated with God and always regarded as a link be-tween the
individual and the Immortal. Just as the moon shines by reflecting the
light of the sun, all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining
from their Gurus.

The full-moon day in the month of Ashad (July-August) is the extremely
auspicious and holy day of Guru Poornima. This day is dedicated to the
memory of the great sage, Bhagavan Sri Vyasa who edited the four
Vedas, wrote the eighteen Puranas, the Ma-habharata and the Srimad
Bhagavata. In honour of Him, all spiritual aspirants and devotees
perform Vyasa Puja on this day, and disciples worship their spiritual
preceptor. Saints, monks and men of God are honoured and enter-tained
with sincere acts of charity by all the householders. The period
Chatur-mas (the "four months") begins from this day, when Sannyasins
stay at one place during the ensuing four rainy months, engaging in
the study of the Brahma Sutras and the practice of meditation.On this
day, generate fresh waves of spirituality. Allow all that you have
read, heard, seen and learnt to transform you, through Sadhana, and
express a continuous outpouring of universal love, ceaseless loving
service, and
continuous prayer and worship of the Lord seated in all beings.
Devotees should take only milk and fruit on this day, study the Brahma
Sutras, meditate and practise rigorous Japa of their Guru Mantra
during the four months following the Guru Poornima.

The day of worship of one's preceptor, should be a day of pure joy to
the sincere spiritual aspirant. Thrilled by the expectation of
offering his reverent homage to the beloved Guru, aspirants should
await this occasion with eagerness and devotion as it is the Guru
alone that breaks the binding cords of attachment and releases the
aspirant from the trammels of earthly existence.The Srutis say: "To
that high-souled aspirant, whose devotion to the Lord is great and
whose devotion to his Guru is as great as that to the Lord, the
secrets explained herein become illuminated". The Guru is Brahman, the
Absolute, or God Himself who guides and inspires aspirants from the
innermost core of being. He is every-where. They should transform
their spiritual vision and behold the entire universe as the form of
the Guru, and see the guiding hand, the awakening voice, the
illuminating touch of the Guru in every object of creation.Sri Swami
Sivananda says, "they
who will look and listen, will learn. Become a personification of
receptivity. Empty yourself of your petty ego and all the treasures
locked up in the bosom of Nature will become yours. You will progress
and attain perfection in an amazingly short time. Become pure and
unattached as the mountain breeze. As the river flows continuously,
steadily and constantly towards its goal, the ocean, so also let your
life flow ceaselessly towards the supreme state of absolute
Existence-Know-ledge-Bliss, by letting all your thoughts, all your
words and all your actions be directed only towards the goal. The moon
shines by reflecting the dazzling light of the sun. It is the full
moon on the Poornima day that reflects in full splendour the glorious
light of the sun. It glorifies the sun. Purify yourself through the
fire of selfless service and Sadhana, and like the full moon, reflect
the glorious light of the Self. The Supreme Self alone is real. He is
the Soul of all.
He is all-in-all. He is the essence of this universe. He is the unity
that never admits of a duality under all the varieties and diversities
of nature. Thou art this immortal, all-pervading, all-blissful Self.
Thou art That! Realise this and be free."

Remember these four important lines of the Brahma Sutras:

1. Athatho brahma jijnasaa - Now, therefore, the enquiry of Brahman.
2. Janmasya yathah - From which proceed the origin.
3. Sastra yonitwat - The scriptures are the means of right knowledge.
4. Tat tu samanvayat - For, That is the main support (of the universe).

Jaya Guru Shiva Guru Hari Guru Ram;
Jagad Guru Param Guru Sat Guru Shyam.

It is through the medium of the preceptor that the individual can
raise himself to Cosmic-Consciousness. It is also through that medium
that the imperfect can become perfect, the finite can become infinite
and the mortal can pass into the eternal life of blessed-ness. The
Guru is a link between the individual and the Immortal. He is a being
who has raised himself from this to That and thus has a free and
unhampered access to both realms. He stands, as it were, upon the
threshold of immortality, and, bending down, he raises the struggling
individuals with his one hand, and with the other, lifts them up into
the kingdom of everlasting joy and infinite Truth-Consciousness.Do you
realise now the sacred significance and the supreme importance of the
Guru's role in the evolution of man? It was not without reason that
the India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of
Guru-Tattva.

It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year, age
after age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the Guru, adores
it and pays homage to it again and again, and thereby re-affirms its
belief and allegiance to it. For the true Indian knows that the Guru
is the only guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of
sorrow and death, and experience the Consciousness of the Reality.

The best form of worship of the Guru is to follow his teachings, to
shine as the very embodiment of his teachings, and to propagate his
glory and his message. Remember and adore Sri Vyasa and the Gurus who
are fully established in knowledge of the Self. May their blessings be
upon you! May you cut asunder the knot of ignorance and shine as
blessed sages shedding peace, joy and light everywhere!

Chitirai Pournami

Chitra Pournami, or Chitirai Purnima, is a unique Tamil festival
observed on the full moon day (Poornima) in the month of Chitirai
(April – May). The day is dedicated to Chitragupta, the official
keeper of deeds in the abode of Yama. It is believed that bathing in
holy rivers and temple ponds on the day will wash away the sins
committed.In 2009, the date of Chitirai Pournami is May 9. (It must be
note that in 2009 that Pournami Tithi begins on May 8 in some regions
and ends on May 9). Pournami is marked on May 9 in such calendars

n Hinduism, Chitragupta, the first assistant of Lord Yama, is the one
who keeps record of the good and bad deeds of human beings on earth.
After death, when one reaches the abode of yama, it is he who tallies
the good and bad deeds and declares it to Yama. Therefore, the day is
dedicated to Chitragupta and devotees pray to him to forgive their
sins.

Another important legend associated with Chitra Poornima, involves
Lord Indra, the king of Gods, and his Guru Brihaspati. Once Indra and
Brihaspati had an altercation, and the Guru stopped advising his
pupil. Without the sound counsel of his Guru, Indra committed numerous
sins. Finally, when Brihaspati relented and took up his duty. He then
advised Indra to undertake a pilgrimage to the earth to alleviate the
burden of sins committed by him in his absence.

One day during his pilgrimage, Indra had a sudden realization that he
has been redeemed from his sins. He looked around and noticed a
Shivling under a Kadamba tree. He was sure that it was Lord Shiva who
had helped him in alleviating his sins. He decided to worship the
Lingam and to his surprise he found golden lotus in a nearby pond. He
prayed to Shiva by offering the golden lotus. This happened on a
Chitra Pournami day and the place was Madurai in Tamil Nadu. In
remembrance of this event, in the Madurai Meenakshi temple, a Devendra
Puja is observed on Chitra Poornima.

Elaborate pujas are done on Chitirai Pournami in temples and a special
rice offering is made to Chitragupta.

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God