Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima is a religious festival dedicated to offering respect to all the spiritual and academic gurus. It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. This festival is traditionally observed to honour one's chosen spiritual teachers or leaders. It is observed on the full moon day (Purnima) in the month of Ashadha (June–July) according to the Hindu Calendar. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it marks the birthday of Veda Vyasa, the sage who authored the Mahabharata and compiled the Vedas.

The word guru is derived from the Sanskrit root words, gu and ru. Gu means "darkness" or "ignorance", and guru means "dispeller." Therefore, a guru is the dispeller of darkness or ignorance.

The celebration of Guru Purnima is marked by spiritual activities and may include a ritualistic event, Guru puja, in honour of the guru or teacher. Gurus are believed by many to be the most necessary part of life. On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their guru. In addition to having religious importance, this festival has great importance for Indian academics and scholars. Indian academics celebrate this day by thanking their teachers as well as remembering past teachers and scholars. Hindu Gurus are revered on this day by remembering their life and teachings. The festivities are usually followed by a feast for the disciples, shishya, where the prasada and charnamrita (nectar of the feet), the symbolic wash of Guru's feet, which represents his kripa is distributed. 

Special recitations of the Hindu scriptures like the Guru Gita are held all day. Apart from the singing of bhajans, hymns and of special kirtan session and havan at many places, where devotees from all over gather at the ashrams, matha or place where the seat of Guru, Guru Gaddi exists. This day also sees the ritual of padapuja, the worships of Guru's sandals, which represent his holy feet and is seen a way of rededicating to all that a Guru stands for. Disciples also recommit themselves on this day, towards following their teacher's guidance and teachings, for the coming year. This day is also seen as an occasion when fellow devotees, Guru Bhai, express their solidarity to one another in their spiritual journey. In Vedic Hindu tradition, the day is celebrated in honour of the sage Vyasa, who is seen as one of the greatest gurus in ancient Hindu traditions and a symbol of the guru-shishya tradition. Their recitations are a dedication to him and are organised on this day, which is also known as Vyasa Purnima. Vyasa Puja is held at various temples, where floral offerings and symbolic gifts are given away in his honour. Hindu ascetics and wandering sanyasis observe this day by offering puja to their guru, during Chaturmasya, a four-month period during the rainy season, when they choose seclusion and stay at one chosen place; some also give discourses to the local public. Students of Indian classical music and Indian classical dance, also celebrate this festival.

The festival is celebrated by Buddhists in honour of the Buddha, who gave his first sermon on this day at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India. In the yogic tradition, the day is celebrated as the occasion when Shiva became the first guru, as he began the transmission of Yoga to the Saptarishis. Buddhists observe uposatha, i.e., to observe eight precepts on this day. Rainy season vassa also starts on this day, lasting for three lunar months, from July to October. During this time, Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking.

In Nepal, Guru Purnima is a big day in schools. This day is teacher's day for Nepalese. Students honour their teachers by offering delicacies, garlands, and special hats called topi made with indigenous fabric. Students often organize fanfares in schools to appreciate the hard work done by teachers. This is taken as a great opportunity to consolidate the bond of teacher-student relationships.

This was the day when Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati; thus, this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. Veda Vyasa did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his times and dividing them into four parts based on their characteristics and use in rites. He then taught them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu. It was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific "Vyasa". He divided the Vedas into four parts, namely, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva.