There are very few places in the world where there are certain days dedicated to the teacher, also known as guru. We have a strong tradition of staunch love and respect for teacher. Who can forget the sacrifice of Eklavya who cut his fingers to offer guru dakshina to the Guru.He had only received the blessings of the statute of his Guru.
It is said that Guru word is made of two words ‘gu’ and ‘ru’. ‘Gu’ means ignorance and ‘ru’ means remover.Guru is the person who erases the traces of darkness and replaces it with light of knowledge. Therefore guru is considered to be the source of light which illuminates the life of students. No wonder full moon light day is chosen for honoring guru.
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Guru Purnima is celebrated by different people for the varied reasons. Hindus celebrate to honour the sage Maharishi Vyas who wrote Mahabharata.He is believed to have taken birth on this day and luckily on the same day he finished writing BrahmaSutra.Traditionally, this day is celebrated by the students seek the blessings of their guru and express their gratitude for what they have received from their mentors
This day has a significant importance in the religion Buddhism. It is believed that on this day only the lord Buddha delivered sermon to his five companions after getting enlightenment.
Besides India, this festival is celebrated in Nepal also. There also the students honour their teachers by offering sweets and garlands. It is very heartening to see that and ancient festivals are still alive in this advanced age.