Celebrations Of Sri Guru Poornima At Ramakrishna Mission

The Ramakrishna Mission in Singapore consecrates the auspicious Sri Guru Poornima Day on Sunday, the 9th of July 2017.

Prayers begin at 6.15 pm with:

Puja and Chanting of Stotras

7 pm Sandhya Arati

7.20 pm with Discourse on “Guru of Gurus” by our very Reverend Swami Vimokshananda

8.00 pm Bhajans

8.20 pm Pushpanjali

8.30 pm Prasad at Sarada Hall

Come and join the prayers and be in tune with your Guru and God as it is the highest sadhana. From this, you will derive many splendid blessings, joy in your soul, enhancing the condition of your mind to higher divine levels giving you a deeper understanding of the purpose of your life. The Gurus  have ancient wisdom to impart on you, so harness it, drink off the cup of divine nectar and you will see  and experience bountiful   harvest in your spiritual growth.

This is a very auspicious occasion particularly   for Hindus .The Guru is the teacher and the channel through which the devotee or disciple receives his instruction on how to pray, when to pray and why to pray. The rivers of crystal clear running waters of spiritual energies and ambrosial nectar that flow from the divine throne of God Almighty come to the disciple through worship .It is the Guru that   leads his devotee or disciple to these green pastures of heavenly bliss .The Guru is the guide not only on prayers and worship but is also there to teach his devotee on character building. It is not a one time thing but a life long journey with the Guru and God. Every aspect of life is consecrated to God through ardent worship and veneration. Life is not a bed of roses and there are many down times but even when the chips are down one must persevere with faith, devotion shraddha or bakthi. And it  is God that will take you through your difficulties and bring light into your life .Since God is an unseen phenomena the Guru is the closest  you can get to in seeing worship in human form meaning it is  to the Guru that you relate your problems to and he is meant to give you divine guidance. The Guru is  believed to be chosen by God to lead his flock to  upright,  holy and spiritual  lifestyles, adopt good practices of worship and to practice the preachings  of the Guru. So the Guru , your teacher, can also  be your friend  and confidante and he is steadfast in his devotion to God and is suppose to instill and inculcate  good values to his devotee or disciple.

WHAT IS GURU PURNIMA?

Hindus attach paramount importance to spiritual gurus. Gurus are often equated with God and always regarded as a link between the individual and the Immortal. Just as the moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun, and glorifies it, all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining from their Gurus

SIGNIFICANCE OF GURU PURNIMA

On this day, all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honor of his divine personage and all disciples perform a ‘puja’ of their respective spiritual preceptor or ‘Gurudevs’.

This day is of deep significance to the farmers, for it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains, as the advent of cool showers ushers in fresh life in the fields. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence intensifying their spiritual ‘sadhana’ from this day.

The period ‘Chaturmas’ (“four months”) begins from this day. In the past, wandering spiritual masters and their disciples used to settle down at a place to study and discourse on the Brahma Sutras composed by Vyasa, and engage themselves in Vedantic discussions.

The word ‘guru’ has its roots in the Sanskrit language, where ‘gu’ means darkness and ‘ru’ stands for the removal of darkness.

Hence, it becomes only understandable for an entire day to be bestowed upon the teachers who illuminate our lives with the light of knowledge and wisdom.

Here are 5 other things you should know about the festival.

1. According to the Hindu calendar, Guru Purnima generally falls on a full-moon day in the Hindu month of Ashadh (June to August).

2. Hindus dedicate Guru Purnima to Maharshi Veda Vyasa, the sage who is believed to be responsible for editing the sacred Hindu text, the Vedas and writing the 18 Puranas, Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavatam–all of which form the very foundation of the Hindu religion.

3. For Buddhists, the festival is an occasion to rejoice in the divinity of their guru, Lord Buddha, who is said to have delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, on this very day.

4. The festival is also believed to mark the onset of monsoons, and is thus a prime source of celebration for farmers.

5. The day of Guru Purnima is considered auspicious for those who are willing to give a start to a spiritual learning of any kind.

If you are an earnest seeker and a devout Hindu, this day is very special and you should join the prayers. There in much blessing in it .Join the celebrations, enjoy fellowship with other like minded people whilst you eat the prasad .This is the holy food of God  prepared and given  to you  with love in the hearts of devotees  and volunteers of  Ramakrishna Mission

BY SUCHITTHRA SHREIYAA VASU