Guru Purnima 2020: San Francisco

Guru Purnima falls on the full moon (Pūrṇimā) of the Āṣāḍha month, typically in June or July. It is the single most sacred day in the Hindu guru-disciple tradition, observed across all lineages, from Vedic Śrotriya Brahmin households to Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, Śākta, Jain, and Buddhist sanghas.

On this day, disciples perform Vyāsa Pūjā (literally "worship of Vyāsa") honoring Maharishi Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana Vyāsa, the great compiler of the Vedas, narrator of the Mahābhārata, and author of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas. Tradition holds that Vyāsa was born on this very Āṣāḍha Pūrṇimā, making it both his birthday and the occasion for gratitude to all teachers across time.

Beyond the personal guru-disciple bond, Guru Purnima commemorates the day the Ādi Guru (Śiva as Dakṣiṇāmūrti) first imparted the knowledge of Yoga to the Saptaṛṣis (Seven Sages), and the day the Buddha delivered his first teaching (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) to his five disciples at Sarnath after his enlightenment.