For thousands of years the Guru-Shishya tradition has been a pillar of Ancient Indian or Vedic culture. It is a Parampara. The Master and Disciple share a bond, which is a vital element of the spiritual relationship. Another hallmark on Indian culture is in celebrating all things of great importance for the evolution of a person or growth of society. It is natural that we also celebrate this bond between Master and Disciple. There are many tithi (specific days of the lunar months in the Indian calendar) when different Masters are offered gratitude and celebrated – like Datta Jayanti, for the Master of Master of Masters, Shri Dattatreya, or Guru Pratipada, for Shri Narsimha Saraswati, or Shri Adi Shankaracharya Jayanti or even Gurus of different communities, like Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gur Purab. We are lucky in our culture to have so many Masters. However, the main or most important, is the Day for All Masters, or the Master Principle i.e. Guru Purnima.
We all love to celebrate, We have International Yoga day or St. Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, and several such things to create reasons to celebrate. The Indian culture has researched how nature’s energy behaves and therefore uncovered how and when to celebrate the different energies available to us. The spiritual relationship of the seeker to the Master is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Ashadh, as Guru Purnima. In celebration, the Disciple visits the Master with a traditional offering to communicate his or her devotion and surrender and recharge the bond.
What are we celebrating? The Sadguru or Master helps the initiate to walk on the path towards the highest purpose of human existence. In other words, the Master takes the Dsiciple towards Trust, or towards God, that is the message behind the these golden words from Saint Kabir…
गुरु गोविंद दोउ खड़े, काके लागूं पाँय ।
बलिहारी गुरु आपने, गोविंद दियो मिलाय॥
When the Master and God Himself stand before me, to whom should I bow first?
I surrender foremost to you O my Master, for You are the One who will take me to God!
The Master principle is above all for the Disciple. If in one’s journey, there arises an occasion where The Master and God, Shri Krishna (Govinda) both appear simultaneously, the disciple may be in a dilemma about whose feet he should offer his veneration first? Saint Kabir says the Disciple ought prostrate to the Master first. This is to illustrate the importance of the Master, as it is only by His Grace that the Disciple can hope to actually receive the ‘darshan’ or experience of the Supreme Lord. What this verse implies is that only the Master can show the way by which the student reaches the realisation of the Supreme Consciousness.
On this auspicious day, the disciple visits the Master or His nucleus space with offerings of devotion. The Sadguru is self-realised and doesn’t need anything from the disciple. By prostrating to the physical form or the photo of the Master, the third eye centre, in the middle of the forehead, comes in contact with the earth element and this completes the circle of the interaction between the Earth and Space elements and triggers a cycle of energy transformation. As it is the best offering to the Master is when the Disciple follows the meditation techniques suggested by the Master, and practices them with discipline and sincerity.
The Master longs for only one thing and that is complete Trust. Only an unwavering Trust can help the spiritual aspirant to overcome all obstacles big and small and come to a point of experiencing limitless bliss and peace.