Guru Poornima
Today is " Guru Poornima " or " Vyasa Poornima ". It falls on a full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June or July). 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. Many Hindus celebrate the day in honor 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. Vyasa was not only believed to have been born on this day, but also to have started writing the Brahma Sutras on ashadha suddha padyami . Gu- means darkness or ignorance and ru- means remover/dispeller.So Guru is one who removes ignorance. At an individual level Guru is many things, including being a teacher of skills, a counselor, one who helps in the birth of mind and realization of one's Self (Atma) , who instills values and experiential knowledge, an inspiration and who helps guide a student's (shishya) sp...