Guru Purnima is traditionally held to be Bhagawan Vyasa's birthday. According to the Indian calendar IT falls on the 15th of the month of Ashada. Bhagawan Vyasa is called Veda Vyasa - or the Compiler of the Vedas. Bhagawan Vyasa saw that, in the coming yugas, men would be of grosser mind and would lack the ability to learn and retain all of the Vedas. So he compiled the Vedas into four parts - the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda.

Furthermore he wrote the Puranas so that the common people could also benefit from the knowledge of the Vedas - he conveyed the same spiritual principles through the medium of stories and parables. He is also the author of the Brahma Sutras - the quintessence of Vedanta. So it is but fitting that his birthday is celebrated as Guru Purnima.

Today we worship our Guru. It is said one cannot gain full knowledge without the help of good Guru. Upanishad says, "The guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, guru is Shiv. Indeed the guru is another form of God. I bow to you, guru". Without guru, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to reach God. Therefore Sage Tulsidas says in Ramayan, "If ever God and guru are standing together, first bow to guru. Because guru has helped us realise God." To show our appreciation and gratitude, we should worship our guru on this day. By worshipping guru, we are not in any way being dishonest with God. God Himself has sanctioned guru worship on this day. Guru may be equivalent of God, but how do we find the right guru? Lord Swaminarayan has done us a great favour by giving us guru in form of Acharya Maharaj. He installed two Acharyas as gurus of all satsangis.

Read More about Guru Purnimha at Wikipedia

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