TODAY IS GURU PURNIMA
We seek today to shed some light on the meaning, importance and value of this day that is called Guru Purnima Day.
A teacher in a school setting, called an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. A teacher's role may vary among cultures, but basically, a teacher provides instruction in literacy and numeracy, craftsmanship or vocational training, the arts, religion, civics, community roles, or life skills.
A teacher's professional duties may extend beyond formal teaching. Outside of the classroom he may accompany students on field trips, supervise study halls, help with the organization of school functions, and serve as supervisors for extracurricular activities. In some education systems, teachers may be responsible for student discipline.
A teacher in a spiritual setting is practically the same as a teacher in a school setting. The principal difference is that a spiritual teacher helps his student to understand the mechanics of one day discovering spiritual freedom, called Mukti, something that the school teacher does not focus on.
There are two principal words in Sanskrit that refer to ‘teacher’, and they are ‘Guru’ and ‘Acharya’. Sanskrit etymologists define ‘Guru’ as ‘a venerable teacher held in the highest esteem’, and ‘Acharya’ as ‘he who systematically arranges the intellect of the student, certifies for him meanings of important concepts and passes on to him acceptable norms of behavior’. A teacher so defined assumes critical importance in the evolving life of a student, someone who is expected to graduate from his course of study and take up a responsible role in society. Such a teacher must, of necessity, be a master of knowledge and also must be equipped with an ability to psychologize his student and understand his specific learning needs. He will not be addressed as 'Acharya' or 'Guru' if his knowledge and skills are questionable. A person can teach only if he knows. A 'Guru-Acharya' knows, and so, he is qualified to teach.
On today’s Guru Purnima Day, we bow:
to God, the initial teacher of the first asexually-born human beings,
to the first four Rishis – Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Angiras – who received the four Vedas from God,
to the long line of Rishis, Gurus, Yogis and Acharyas,
to Adi Swami Shankar Acharya,
to Brahma Rishi Swami Virjananda Saraswati,
to Mahaa Rishi Dayananda Saraswati, and finally,
to all Gurukula Acharyas, to missionaries coming from India, to teachers of Sanskrit, Hindi and Yoga, and to local pandits all over the world.
Namaste!
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