Scores of devotees of the Chinmaya Mission came together on Monday July 03, 2023, to commemorate Guru Purnima, a period in the month of Ashad in the Hindu Calendar (June-July) dedicated to paying homage to the spiritual teacher.
Titled Sri Veda Bhagavan Sthapana, the event comprised of a procession, puja, and installation ceremony and dinner prasad. The program began at 4 p.m. with a procession beginning at the junction of Calcutta # 1 Road and the Southern Main Road, Mc Bean and along the Calcutta Road # 1 to the Chinmaya Vidyalaya. Copies of the Vedas, gifted to the Chinmaya Mission by the Guru Gangeshwar Ved Mission & Santhan of Pune, India, were carried on the shoulders of devotee accompanied with tassa drumming and the chanting of mantras and kirtans.
Arriving at the Vidyalaya a special pooja was performed accompanied with the chanting of mantras by Swami Prakashananda and students of the Vidyalaya to welcome the Vedas into Mission. The Vedas were compiled by Ved Vyas who is also the author of the Mahabharata which is considered the fifth Veda. It is said that Ved Vyas was born on this Purnima or full-moon and hence its dedication to acknowledging the role of gurus in the spiritual evolution of not just the disciple but in shaping the values of the entire society.
Pandit Sanjaya Yankatesu, officiating at the monthly full moon pooja at the Bamboo No 1 Mandir, delivered a discourse on the value and role of the guru in the life of the individual. He appealed to the devotees to use Guru Poornima to “reach out to their gurus and take along a gift to demonstrate your gratitude for all they have done for you.”
Youthful and learned in Hindu Dharma, Pandit Sanjaya gained his teachings from his father Pandit Buddharath Yankatesu of Bamboo No 3 and the Chinmaya Mission where he spent several years as a pupil at the Vidyalaya. Sanjaya had the benefit of not just learning academics but also studies in the scriptures including the Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit and Puja Bedi.
Guru Purnima is a demonstration of the emphasis Sanatan Dharma places on spiritual growth and the role of the guru. The guru, like the parents, is akin to the Divine with the knowledge and the wisdom to guide us safely across choppy waters.
