Tonight is a special full moon in the Hindu month of Aashadh. It marks Guru Purnima, a religious festival dedicated to offering respect to all the spiritual and academic gurus.

It is celebrated as a festival in India, Nepal and Bhutan by Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. This festival is traditionally observed to honour one’s chosen spiritual teachers or leaders. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it marks the birthday of Veda Vyasa, the sage who authored the Mahabharata and compiled the Vedas.

This evening I attended a celebration by the Art Of Living. And I discovered the meaning of the word Guru.

The word guru is derived from the Sanskrit root words, gu and ru. Gu means “darkness” or “ignorance”, and ru means “dispeller.” Therefore, a guru is the dispeller of darkness or ignorance.

 I was also reminded that

Life is joy

Life is enthusiasm

Life is celebration

On that happy note, here is me bowing down in reverence and gratitude to each and every Guru in life who nudged me to take the road less taken. From my mother to my children and everyone in between, thank you for guiding me!