Guru Purnima 2020: What The Day is All About And Why it is Dedicated to Acharya Ved Vyasa

On this day, Indian academics celebrate by giving thanks to their teachers.

We all have a person in our life who we look up to for guidance and knowledge, and they could be our spiritual or academic teacher. These people could be humans who are evolved or enlightened and who are willing to share their wisdom for little or no monetary gain. To give thanks to them for all that they have taught us, Guru Purnima or Vyasa Purnima is held in India every year as a dedication to Acharya Ved Vyasa. This year the day falls on July 5.

Acharya Ved Vyasa was the legendary author of the Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas, which are some of the most important works in the Hindu culture. It is believed that Guru Purnima is the day he was born on and also the day when he divided the Vedas. He is considered to be one of the seven Chiranjivis (long-lived, or immortals), who are still in existence according to Hindu tradition.

History of Guru Purnima:

According to the Hindu legend, this is the day Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman’s daughter Satyavati. Ved Vyasa did service for the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all the Vedic hymns extant during his times. He divided them into four parts based on their use in the rites, and characteristics.

He taught them to his four chief disciples and it was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific “Vyasa”, meaning to edit, to divide. The Holy Veda was divided into four parts, namely, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. It is believed that he was the expansion of Vishnu, who came in Dwaparayuga to make all the Vedic knowledge from oral tradition available in written form.

This day is also said to be the day when Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh. And Hindus believe that Guru Purnima is the day when Lord Shiva became the Adi Guru or the first guru to impart yogic knowledge to seven disciples, who are known as Saptarishis.

On this day, Indian academics celebrate by giving thanks to their teachers, and many schools, colleges and universities hold events for their teachers. In India, a teacher is always held in high esteem, and even parents consider them to be Gurus of their children.