Rakshabandhan – The Festival of Protection and Trust

– Dr. Shruchi Singh

Rakshabandhan (Raksha – Protection, Bandhan – Bondage, Relationship) is famously defined as the festival of brother and sister, though it is not limited to these two alone. In a world where fancy rākhīs have established their roots deeply, to know the importance of Rakshabandhan, we need to focus on Rakshasutra (sutra – thread), the thread of protection. This thread is important, as in Bhāratiya sabhyatā sutra holds great value, it represents the manifestation of thoughts, beliefs, and wisdom. This is the reason several philosophical works are called sutra, such as Yoga-sutra, Brahma-sutra, and so on. When this manifestation is for a person, this sutra is symbolized with a sacred thread.

(Source of Image : https://images.app.goo.gl/s73MCBys9QHEFCsS6)

Rakshasutra is tied to the wrist of the person for protection, popularly observed when the purohit applies tilak and then ties the rakshasutra (also referred to as maulī or kalāvā) on the wrist of his yajmān on special occasions such as hawan, kathā, and so on. While tying this thread following mantra is recited,

येन बद्धो बली राजा दानवेन्द्रो महाबल:।
 तेन त्वामनुबध्नामि रक्षे मा चल मा चल।। (रक्षासूत्र का मंत्र)

I am tying you with the thread of Raksha, by which the most powerful dānav king Bali was tied. O Raksha be firm, be firm.

This mantra is in two parts, where first part refers to the person the thread is tied to, and the second part is a prayer to the thread/Raksha. Here the thread/rakshasutra is the indication of the dharma that one must follow. Rājā Bali’s association here is from the time when Sri Vishnu granted him a boon after pushing him down to pātāla lok in his Vāmana avtār. Rājā Bali requested Sri Vishnu to reside with him and protect his kingdom. Mata Laxmi, the consort of Sri Vishnu, was not pleased with this and went to Rājā Bali disguised as a poor Brāhmin woman for a stay until her husband’s return. During her stay, Bali’s kingdom prospered, and on the day of Śrāvan Pūrṇīmā, Mata Laxmi tied a rakshasutra to Bali while praying for his protection. Pleased with her gesture, Bali offered her a boon, to which Mata Laxmi pointed to the doorkeeper and asked Bali to free her husband. Mata Laxmi and Sri Vishnu then revealed their true selves to Bali, who realized Devi Laxmi’s sorrow as the sorrow of his sister, and happily allowed them to leave. This is also the reason, why sisters are invited to their brother’s home to tie the rākhī. Inspired by Rājā Bali, this sutra constantly reminds the wearer of their dharma or duties. The second part of the mantra, which is the prayer for Raksha, is about her being firm, that is, Raksha must stay and protect the wearer, for if she moves, the protection will be lost.

(Source of Image : https://images.app.goo.gl/go8nJTkaJt8ud2aM7)

The intention with which the rakshasutra is tied also plays an important role in the bond/relationship established between the two. This is the reason, Indrani (wife of Indra) tied the first rakshasutra to Indra for his protection, when he was going to war. Needless to say, Indra was not only protected due to the thread, but also won the war. Another tale associated is of Draupadi and Sri Krishna, where Draupadi upon seeing the blood oozing out of her friend Sri Krishna’s finger, without even a second’s delay, tore the end of her saree and tied it around his finger to stop bleeding. This incident can be viewed in the link when the attempt to disrobe Draupadi was made, where all the mighty warriors became helpless pawns. Here, Draupadi was left with the trust of Sri Krishna alone, who was not even present there. She prayed to him for help and protection. Sri Krishna saved her by extending her saree’s end that was being pulled, thereby not only keeping the robe in its place intact, but also turning it into a never-ending, uncontrollable, and untouchable cloth. In this instant, the threads that were tied as a bandage for protection from blood loss were transformed into a huge pile of never-ending cloth. Thus, the bond these two shared, became the definition of unshakable trust. This is the similar trust, that is displayed when Rakhi is tied to the wrists of the soldiers of our country by our women and girls, and in a similar fashion also tied to the wrist of our Prime Minister as well. This is the definition of trust that we the people of Bhārat display through the festival of Rakshabandhan.

Rakshabandhan is celebrated on the sacred day of Śrāvan (the month in the Hindu calendar) Pūrṇīmā (full moon day) by energizing the thread through our prayers for protection and dharma. This festival thus, can be celebrated by anyone, for the aim is to seek protection for or by the person. Also, to save the environment, now-a-days, rākhīs are tied to the trees as well, something that reminds us of our mother’s tale, where they used to tie rākhī to everything, including the animate-inanimate in their childhood days. This is the reminder that living or non-living, we co-exist in nature, hence we must protect our environment and nature to the best of our abilities while realizing it to be our basic duty as well.

Rakshasutra when used as kalāvā/maulī is of red and yellow colour, where red represents shakti (energy), and yellow represents auspiciousness. Also, there is a concept of Vedic rākhī, where in a yellow cloth following items are tied,

• Durvā (a type of grass, that grows on its own and never ends) indicates the purity of mind, progress, and continuity of lineage,
• Haldī (turmeric) indicates good health,
• Kesar (saffron) indicating radiance through spirituality, and/or Chandan (sandalwood) indicating peace,
• Akshat (that cannot be broken/crushed, traditionally referred to unbroken rice) indicates the invincibility, and
• Mustard seeds indicate the zeal to eliminate the negatives/problems from life.

(Souce of Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/kUaqipeczisU5q5GA)

All these items after being carefully tied in a piece of cloth, are sewed with the rakshasutra. This rākhī then offers the best kind of protection that is prayed. It is a reminder of maintaining and seeking purity in life through dharma, maintaining good health, a balance between social and spiritual life, peace inside as well as outside, and complete dedication in our efforts while getting rid of vices. This rākhī thus offers well-being (both spiritual and material) along with protection. 

Custom, that is how a festival is celebrated is its very important part, as it holds various meanings. In Rakshabandhan, the following steps are followed, which are like the steps of worshipping a Deity as well:

1. Covering heads with a piece of cloth (for both the people). It is for better concentration, and safety from harmful environmental factors such as heat, and so on.
2. Application of tilak made of vermillion from our right thumb in between the eyebrows of the person for his/her self-consciousness.
3. Application of akshat on tilak, additionally thrown on the head for invincibility at both spiritual and social levels.
4. Performing ārti (circular rotations of diyā/lamp of ghee around the face) to ward off evil energies.
5. Prayer of protection with the mantra stated before while tying the rākhī/rakshasutra around the wrist.
6. Offering sweet, it is auspicious, probably due to it being simply the source of instant energy, followed by water.
7. Giving gifts for tying the rākhī.

Rakshabandhan, thus is the festival of protection from our vices, evils, and realization of our duties. It is the festival, that is though popularly famous for brother and sister, is the festival that can be celebrated by anyone irrespective of their relationships, even with nature. It is, however, notable that the brother and sister relationship represents the purest love and care of each other for a variety of reasons, including growing up together with common experiences.  As the name of the thread, rakshasutra, it is the festival tying us in the bonds of dharma, responsibility, and hence protection. Therefore, it can be tied amongst parents and children, brothers and sisters, husband and wife, friends, and so on, that is from anyone by whom one seeks protection, and to anyone one wants to be protected.

(Source of image : https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/nature-lovers-tie-rakhi-to-136-year-old-banyan-tree-in-visakhapatnam/article67244541.ece)

Dr. Shruchi Singh, Research Associate, Kuruom School of Advanced Sciences (An Associate Institute of INADS)

Pañcāṅga – The Mirror of the Sky

Sh. Sameer Barve

The term Pañcāṅga is made up of two words- Pañc means five and aṅga means aspects. Hence, Pañcāṅga refers to the book containing details of five aspects that keep track of time. These five aspects are tithī, vāra, nakṣatra, yoga and karaṇa. In India, the Pañcāṅga is mainly used for religious purposes. However, not many of us know that the Pañcāṅga is actually ‘a mirror of the sky’ since it has detailed information of almost everything that takes place in the sky every day. I shall briefly discuss the five aspects first and then move on to main topic of this article – Sāyaṇa and Nirayaṇa Pañcāṅga.

Since ancient times, our ancestors used sky observation as a tool to keep track of time. The usual trend was to begin working with sunrise and finish by sunset. As a result, they began observing the sky after sunset and gradually learned to record the movements of the stellar objects. The easiest object for this purpose was obviously the Moon since the change in its phases was clearly visible to the naked eyes. By clearly observing the change in phases of the Moon, our ancestors deduced that the Moon takes about 30 days to return to the same phase by going through the full cycle of crescent, gibbous, full in waxing fortnight and through gibbous, crescent and new in waning fortnight. During waxing fortnight, the Moon is available in the sky immediately after the sunset and during the waning fortnight, it was not. Hence, the former was called Śukla Pakṣa (the white fortnight) – when we get white light from the Moon immediately after the sunset – while the latter was called Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa (the dark fortnight) – when there was no moon immediately after the sunset.

Let us now discuss the five aspects of the Pañcāṅga.

The first is Tithī or the phase of the Moon. Since the Moon took about 30 days to return to the same phase, each of these phases was called the Tithī. The Śukla Pakṣa began with pratipadā (the first crescent after the new Moon) and ended with Purṇimā (the full Moon). The Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa began after the Full Moon and ended on the Amāvāsyā (the new Moon) completing full month. There were two more types considered for counting month – the Purṇimānt (month ending with full moon) and the Amānta (month ending with new moon) systems. The former system begins (and ends!) after the full Moon while the latter does the same with the new Moon. Over a period of time, it was possible to observe that the Sun moves about 1° per day while the Moon moves 13° per day. Hence, the tithī was considered to get over when the angular separation between the Sun and the Moon was 12°. Moreover, the tithī for any day was taken at the tithī at the time of sunrise – even if it gets changed soon after the sunrise.

Source of Image : https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/phases-of-the-moon-moon-lunar-cycle-gm995429640-269441927

The second aspect is Vāra or the day. The duration of the full day was taken as the duration from one sunrise to the next one. Careful observation of the sky revealed the fact that excluding the Sun and the Moon, there were five bright objects in the sky that change their positions regularly. Here, regular means at regular intervals at which change of position in the sky becomes noticeable. Apart from the Sun and the Moon, five other objects were found to be moving against background of fixed nakṣatras. Together with the Sun and the Moon, each planet was considered as the Lord of the successive hours on each day by arranging them in descending order of time period of revolution. On Sunday, the Sun will be the lord of 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd hours. Venus and Mercury will be the lords for 23rd and 24th hours respectively. The Moon will be the lord of the 1st hour of the next day and hence, that day will be called Monday. Following same logic, we get the sequence of all 7 days of the week. These were called graha and they were considered for naming days along with the Sun and the Moon.

The third aspect is Nakṣatra. By definition, it means ‘na kṣarati iti nakṣatra’. The path of the Moon in the sky over a period of one full month (which also happens to be annual path of the Sun) was divided into 27 equal parts. This number 27 comes from the fact that the Moon takes about 27 days to complete one revolution around the Earth. Hence, the Moon remains in one nakṣatra per day on an average. This logic helps us in nomenclature of the lunar months. Out of 27, only 12 nakṣatras are selected for the nomenclature of the lunar months depending on the position of the full Moon in the vicinity of that particular nakṣatra (Synodic lunar month (either amānta or purṇimānt) has about 29.5 days making 12 such complete lunar months possible in a year. This means number of days in a lunar year will be about 354 that will fall short of solar year by about 11 days every year. Having an additional month (intercalary month or adhik māsa) after about every 3 years covers this gap and ensures that festivals won’t get deviated too much. Hence, having 12 nakṣatras corresponding to the full Moon out of 27 possible ones is a logical choice. Having 13 nakṣatras won’t be useful since it will lead to difficulties in synchronizing lunar months with solar year). So, if the full Moon occurs near Citrā, the corresponding lunar month is Caitra. If it happens near Aśvinī, the lunar month would be Aśvin and so on. Most of the nakṣatras have a specific bright star in their vicinity that is known as yogatārā (the identifying star) for that particular nakṣatra.

The fourth aspect is Yoga. One yoga is complete when the total angular distance covered by the Sun and the Moon is 13°20’ or 800’. This angular separation is equivalent to the span of a nakṣatra. Hence, yogas are also 27 in number and mainly used for religious purposes, such as Gṛha-parvesh, muhurta for marriage, joining new job etc.

The fifth aspect is Karaṇa. It is defined as the half of a tithi. As a result, each tithi consists of two karaṇas. These are also used mainly for religious purposes.

(Date Pañcāṅga published from Solapur, Maharashtra in Marathi)

In the above image, the top of the page shows Śālivāhan Śaka number (शालिवाहन शके १९४४), name of the saṃvatsar (शुभकृतनामसंवत्सर), current ayana (उत्तरायण) and ṛtu as per lunar calendar (वसंतऋतु), the present lunar month (वैशाख) and the fortnight (शुक्लपक्ष). Note that the actual solar ṛtu is Grīṣma. It also mentions Gregorian (मे 2022), Islamic (हिजरी १४४३) and Vikram Saṃvat (संवत् २०७८). Few column headers are highlighted that are explained below: -

The first column (highlighted in red) shows the tithi no. (ति = तिथि) and the day (वा = वार). The second column (highlighted in green) shows the time (क. मि. = कलाक मिनिटे means hours and minutes) when tithi ends. These are shown with respect to the local sunrise and any number more than 24 in hours column indicates that the time is past midnight. For example, २७ | २६ (27 | 26) means 03:26 AM local time in early morning. In some cases, tithi begins before sunrise and ends after the next sunrise. In such cases, the word अहोरात्र is shown. Such instances are known as वृद्धितिथि (additional tithi).

The third column (highlighted in blue) shows the nakṣatra (न = नक्षत्र) and the time (क. मि.) when that nakṣatra ends. Similar to tithi, nakṣatras too can continue for two sunrises as अहोरात्र.

The next column (highlighted in orange) shows similar details for yoga.

The fifth (highlighted in violet) (दिवा करण) and the sixth (highlighted in yellow) (रात्रौ करण) shows the similar details for karaṇa. Since karaṇa is equivalent to half tithi, the fifth column shows the end time for karaṇa during the day and the sixth one shows the same during night.

The next column (highlighted in light green) (दि = दिनमान) shows the duration of the day. It is followed by the local sunrise (र उ = रवि उदय) and sunset (र अ = रवि अस्त) times in the following columns (highlighted in dark pink). The duration between sunrise and sunset is the duration of the day.

The next column (highlighted in pink) (चंद्र राशीप्रवेश) shows the time when the Moon changes its zodiac sign. The last column (highlighted in light brown) (इं = इंग्रजी दिनांक) shows dates as per Gregorian calendar. Apart from this, there is a description column located at the extreme right that shows important events for that particular day. At the top of this column, duration of night (रात्रिमान) is shown along with the Ayanāṃśa (अयनांश). Ayanāṃśa is the angular separation along the ecliptic between vernal equinox. The zodiacs defined in most of the Nirayaṇa Pañcāṅga consider this point as the beginning of Aries and Aświni nakṣatra. For this reason, it is sometimes called मेषादि or अश्विन्यादी.

The Ayanāṃśa can also be defined as the angular separation between autumnal equinox and the star Spica. At present, it is 24°09’55” indicating that vernal equinox has shifted (due to precession of equinoxes) to the west of First point of Aries by this amount. This value keeps changing by about 50.2” every year due to the precession of equinoxes.

The table on the bottom left shows the end times for every quarter of nakṣatra when the Moon changes its position from one quarter to the other. However, this is shown as per IST (Indian Standard Time) (भारतीय प्रमाणवेळ)

Moreover, there are few interesting methods of preparation of Pañcāṅga – Sāyaṇa and Nirayaṇa. The former method considers the precession of equinoxes and considers vernal equinox as the ‘First point of Aries’. This method ensures that the calculations are in synchronization with the cycle of seasons. But it is not useful for observing the night sky. The latter uses a different ‘First point of Aries’ – (either the star Zeta Piscium or the point diametrically opposite to the star Spica) and it’s independent of precession. This method is not in synchronization with the seasons cycle but useful for sky observation. We shall discuss them in details in the next article.

(to be continued….)

Mr. Sameer Barve, Insurance Professional, Mumbai

“Tamaso Mā Jyotirgamaya”- Finding a Guru in Modern Times

– Dr. Aparna (Dhir) Khandelwal and Prof. Bal Ram Singh

Knowledge is a supreme reality that is not limited to experience, education, reasoning and practice. It is an awareness, or understanding of facts that helps in awakening the intellect of a person for making one wise, and use that wisdom (बुद्धि) to pursue naturally the purpose of life through चित्त, अहंकार (अस्तित्व), and महत (the supreme mind) according to the Sankhya Darśan. The mahat concept is the gateway to understanding the brahm (ब्रह्म), the ultimate seat of the knowledge. Thus, a journey of this kind requires training, practice, guidance, and ultimately the sākśātkār (साक्षात्कार) or darśan. An important individual who effectively guides in this journey is known as ‘Guru’. Since Vedic era the word ‘Guru’ is well recognised in various texts like Muṇdaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12), Śvetāśvetara Upaniṣad and Advayatāraka Upaniṣad.

Source of Image : http://www.allfestivalimage.com/2018/07/free-hd-happy-guru-purnima-wallpapers.html

Literally, ‘Guru’ word is constructed from two Sanskrit words, gu (गु) and ru (रु), gu (गु) means dark, ignorance, superficial, confusion, etc., depending on the context, and ru (रु) means to break, to remove, to end, deeper/heavier, or enlighten. Guru-Gītā, a Hindu scripture (Guru Gītā is a spiritual text originally constructed by Sage Vyasa, and narrated again in  the Sakanda Purāṇa where the nature of the guru and the guru/disciple relationship is described in the form of a dialogue between Śiva and Pārvatī). Śiva narrated the etymological derivation of the word ‘guru’ that is based on the syllables gu (गु) and ru (रु), and their meanings in different contexts. According to Wikipedia, there are different versions of Guru-Gita ranging in verses from 100 to 400. According to a Guru-Gita following verses are directly defining the term Guru. It is interesting to note that the primary meaning of the gu (गु) as dark and ru (रु) as the remover is retained to describe the concepts of the ślokas. –

गुकारश्चान्धकारो हि रुकारस्तेज उच्यते |

अज्ञानग्रासकं ब्रह्म गुरुरेव न संशयः||33||

‘गु’ शब्द का अर्थ है अंधकार (अज्ञान) और ‘रु’ शब्द का अर्थ है प्रकाश (ज्ञान) | अज्ञान को नष्ट करने वाला जो ब्रह्मरूप प्रकाश है, वह गुरु है | इसमें कोई संशय नहीं है |

 In this translation the physical reality of dark is removed by the physical element of light, and that is then metaphorically used to indicate that the guru removes the ignorance by eating it away (grāsakam), means destroying it permanently.

गुकारश्चान्धकारस्तु रुकारस्तन्निरोधकृत् | 

अन्धकारविनाशित्वात् गुरुरित्यभिधीयते ||34||

‘गु’ कार अंधकार है और उसको दूर करनेवाल ‘रु’ कार है | अज्ञानरूपी अन्धकार को नष्ट करने के कारण ही गुरु कहलाते हैं |

Here the guru is presented as someone who does not allow the darkness to continue, in other words the guru destroys it. Implications are here that the guru is a dynamic personality who can spot, assess, and prevent the ignorance from continuing.

गुकारः प्रथमो वर्णो मायादि गुणभासकः |

रुकारोऽस्ति परं ब्रह्म मायाभ्रान्तिविमोचकम् ||36||

‘गुरु’ शब्द का प्रथम अक्षर ‘गु’ माया आदि गुणों का प्रकाशक है और दूसरा अक्षर ‘रु’ माया की भ्रान्ति से मुक्ति देनेवाला परब्रह्म है |

Here guru is projected as someone who removes confusion from the illusionary māyā. Two points worth noting are (1) gu (गु) here is presented as the promoter of illusion by highlighting its qualities or features; and (2) ru (रु) means not just a remover of the confusion from this illusion but doing this from the perspective of the parbrahm (परब्रह्म), meaning after attaining that status.

Thus, a guru is a very dynamic personality who can provide guidance to his/her disciple (शिष्य) under a variety of natural and artificial (illusionary) conditions of activities to develop wisdom and vivek in the pursuits of the ultimate goals of life.  

The attributes of guru have to be such that such a dynamism in developing the disciple is readily feasible. Some of those attributes are described under stanzas on ‘आचार्यलक्षणम्’ in Śukla Yajurveda’s Advayatāraka Upaniṣad (an ancient Sanskrit text on Yoga), as outlined below.

आचार्यो वेदसम्पन्नो विष्णुभक्तो विमत्सरः ।

योगज्ञो योगनिष्ठश्च सदा योगात्मकः शुचिः ॥14॥

A truly competent teacher is, armed with Vedic knowledge, a devotee of Viśṇu to mean that the guru has full knowledge of the causal world, free from envy/jealousy through the knowledge, devotion, and practice of yoga. This is important for a guru so that there is no envy with the disciple, providing total devotion to the guidance of the of the disciple.

गुरुभक्तिसमायुक्तः पुरुष्ज्ञो विशेषतः ।

एवं लक्षणसम्पन्नो गुरुरित्यभिधीयते ॥15॥

He should be devoted to his own guru, meaning continues to remain a śiṣya in practice, thus being able to develop the camaraderie with his own disciple, is particularly well versed with the knowledge of puruśa and prakriti, the source and expressive powers of the universe, He who possesses various types of  such virtues is designated as a guru.

गुशब्दस्त्वन्धकारः स्यात् रुशब्दस्तन्निरोधकः ।

अन्धकारनिरोधित्वात् गुरुरित्यभिधीयते ॥16॥

The syllable gu (signifies) darkness. The syllable ru (signifies) the destroyer of the darkness. By the reason of the ability to destroy darkness he is called a guru.

गुरुरेव परं ब्रह्म गुरुरेव परा गतिः ।

गुरुरेव परा विद्या गुरुरेव परायणं ॥17॥

The guru alone is the supreme absolute brahm. Guru alone is the supreme way. Guru alone is the master of parā (as opposed to only aparā) vidyā. Guru alone is the supreme and last resort.

गुरुरेव परा काष्ठा गुरुरेव परं धनं ।

यस्मात्तदुपदेष्टाऽसौ तस्माद्गुरुतरो गुरुरिति ॥18॥

The guru alone is the limit of all knowledge. The guru alone is the ultimate wealth. He is the teacher of the non-dual reality. Therefore, he is the ultimate guru.

The tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring, where teachings are transmitted from a guru to a disciple, is known as guru–śiṣya paramparā. This guru–śiṣya relationship has evolved in Indian tradition since Upaniṣad era where guru and śiṣya developed resonance of thoughts and then guru transmits his knowledge to the person who respectfully sits down near him with śraddhā, in the quest for knowledge. A guru–śiṣya relationship are beyond age, gender, and battlefield, as the guru can be Yama to a teenage boy Naciketā, lord Kṛśṇa to warrier Arjuna, or sage Yājñavalkya to his own wife (Gārgī / Maitreyī).

The concept of guru and Guru Purṇimā is quite old, the oldest being celebrated as the birthday of Ved Vyāsa, on the day of Aṣāḍa Purṇimā. The latest revival of Guru Purṇimā festival was done by Mahatma Gandhi in honor of his spiritual guru, Rajchandra. In its true tradition a guru does not expect anything in return from a śiṣya, and performs the imparting of knowledge as a karmayoga.  

With time, people started observing guru as a mentor, counsellor, advisor, who inculcates values in his disciples by sharing knowledge and his own experiences, and who cares about the wellbeing of his disciples. A guru, however, in its true tradition will dedicate his/her life caring about disciples spiritually, and educating them in accordance with their nature. Thus, he is an inspirational source for the spiritual evolution of the disciple. The tradition of guru runs deep in India. The entire Sikhism concept is laid down based on the the teachings of Guru. Its main scripture is called Guru Granth Sahib and the words therein called Gurbaṇī.

In present society too, we have come across many such gurus. Like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekānanda, Swami Dayānanda Saraswatī, His Holiness Dalai Lama for Buddhism, ISKCON founder A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada for Bhakti Yoga, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for Art of living, Radha Swami, Swami Rāmdev Bābā for Yoga, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for Spirituality, and many others in such tradition. Their disciples usually refer to them as Gurudev! These spiritual leaders are kind of role models and sometimes preferred by people as an alternative to established religions to know more about divinity.

In olden days, the school or pāṭhśālā ran by guru was known as gurukula, later on in modern times they are called as āśrama, although the gurukula system of education is still in practice. Both of these are residential places of learning, without requiring any fees. Guru treats disciples or followers as part of their own family. In gurukula, students received complete knowledge of Vedic scriptures, philosophical-spiritual-medicinal-political, etc. along with various art forms, whereas in āśrama followers received spiritual preaching from their guru. Ultimately these are concentrated on such education that helps in revealing the purpose of life. While pursuing teaching or preaching, guru focuses on self-discipline among learners that result in inner perfection leading to liberation in the form of mokṣa.

Guru–śiṣya tradition superficially still is observed in modern educational institutions, at least in traditional ones, where students in general pay respect to their teachers on occasions of Guru Purṇimā. Sometimes these occasions are observed in United States by Hindu groups, such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad America, and American teachers really appreciate such a devotion. The devotion to teachers, no matter where they are, is always beneficial to students, as śraddhā is critical for earning knowledge.

श्रद्धावान् लभते ज्ञानं तत्पर: संयतेन्द्रिय: |

ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति || Bhagvadgita 4.39||

Those who are devoted and who are ready willing to control their mind and senses attain knowledge. Through such knowledge, they quickly attain everlasting supreme peace.

Thus, in Indian tradition the position of Guru is more or less same as Deva, the lord. One should be devoted to his Guru just like he is devoted to his Deva.  

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । Śvetāśvetara Upaniṣad 6.23

Will this system ever return, is it the right time for its return, can this system adapt to the modern time, can it compete with modern educational system, and will it be allowed in a time when education itself has become an over $6 trillion business? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear with forced adaptation during the Corona time, that the bluff of traditional system of institutional classroom has largely been called out! With the cost of education spiraling out of control at all levels throughout the world, the educational practices adapted during the Corona lockdown may in fact have provided the needed pause for pondering.

A trillion dollar question is whether gurus are ready to take their place! Let’s hope the answer would be YES by the next Guru Purṇimā!!

Worthy Gurus are absolutely needed!

– Dr. Aparna (Dhir) Khandelwal, Assistant Professor and Prof. Bal Ram Singh, Director, School of Indic Studies, INADS, Dartmouth, USA

ज्ञान की महिमा स्वीकार करने का दिन – गुरुपूर्णिमा

– डॉ. शशि तिवारी

गुरुब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णु: गुरुर्देवो महेश्वर: |

 गुरु: साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ||

’उस गुरु को प्रणाम है जो ब्रह्मा है, जो विष्णु है और जो महेश्वर का रूप है। साक्षात् परमब्रह्म गुरु ही है।’ इसी तरह एक हिंदी दोहे में कहा गया है कि-

गुरु गोविंद दोनों खड़े काके लागू पांव ।

बलिहारी गुरु आपने जिन गोविंद दियो बताए ॥

‘यदि गुरु और गोविन्द दोनो खडे हों तो किसके पैर छुएं ? मैं तो गुरु की बलिहारी जाऊंगा  जिन्होंने गोविन्द के बारे में बताया।’

(Source of Image : https://www.livehindustan.com/astrology/story-guru-purnima-2632220.html )

वास्तव में गुरु ब्रह्म के समान हैं; कुछ माने में उससे भी बड़े हैं क्योंकि ज्ञान का रास्ता गुरु ही बताते हैं। वेद में तो साफ-साफ निर्देश है- मातृदेवो भव, पितृदेवो भव, आचार्यदेवो भव । ’माता, पिता और आचार्य का सम्मान करने वाले बनो’। संस्कृत के एक श्लोक में कहा गया है -’जो ज्ञान की शलाका से अज्ञान के अंधकार को दूर कर आंखों को खोल देता है, ऐसी श्री गुरु को प्रणाम है।’

हिंदू कैलेंडर के अनुसार प्रत्येक मास के अंतिम दिन पूर्णिमा की तिथि होती है इसे ही पूर्णमासी भी कहते हैं। यह पूर्णता की प्रतीक है। देखने की बात है कि लगभग सभी माह की पूर्णिमाएं किसी विशेष नाम से भी जानी जाती है -जैसे चैत्र मास की पूर्णिमा हनुमान जयंती,  वैसाख मास की पूर्णिमा गंगा स्नान, श्रावण मास की पूर्णिमा रक्षाबंधन या श्रावणी, आश्विन मास की पूर्णिमा शरद पूर्णिमा । आषाढ़ मास की पूर्णिमा गुरुपूर्णिमा या व्यासपूर्णिमा के नाम से जानी जाती हैं ।

गुरुपूर्णिमा उन महर्षि व्यास के नाम पर है, जिन्होंने चारों वेदों का व्यास  किया था, पंचम वेद महाभारत की रचना की थी और पुराणों का प्रणयन भी किया था। ये वेदव्यास के नाम से भी जाने जाते हैं। महर्षि व्यास एक श्रेष्ठ गुरु के प्रतिनिधि हैं। विचारणीय है कि कैसे गुरुपूर्णिमा का पवित्र दिन एक बहुत बड़ा दिन हो जाता है-  गुरु की पूजन, वंदन और विश्वास का दिन। माता-पिता के बाद यदि कोई पूजनीय माना गया है तो वह गुरु ही है। वह हमें ज्ञान देता है जिससे हमारा व्यक्तित्व विकसित होता है। भारतीय संस्कृति में ज्ञान की सर्वाधिक महत्ता है, इसीलिए समाज में गुरु का भी विशेष स्थान है। वैसे तो प्रतिदिन गुरुवन्दन करणीय है, पर  इसे समारोहपूर्वक मनाने के लिए एक दिन पर्व के रूप में रखा गया है।

पिता और गुरु अपने पुत्र और शिष्य को सब कुछ दे देना चाहते हैं । उससे पराजय की कामना करते हैं जिससे उनका यश हो। कभी पिता लोभवश कुछ अपने पास बचा कर रख भी ले, परन्तु गुरु कभी भी कुछ भी ज्ञान अपने पास छुपा कर नहीं रखना चाहते, सब कुछ निस्पृह भाव से शिष्य को दे देना चाहते हैं उसके जीवन को विश्वास से परिपूर्ण करना चाहते हैं ।

गुरुपूर्णिमा मना कर हम अपने आदरणीय गुरुजनों को सादर स्मरण करते हैं और इस तरह् जीवन में ज्ञान की उपयोगिता को स्वीकार करते हैं। गुरुपूर्णिमा अप्रत्यक्ष रूप से उदात्त चरित्र, अनुशासित जीवन, और सम्यक ज्ञान की महिमा स्वीकार करने का दिन है – तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ।

– डॉ. शशि तिवारी,अध्यक्ष, वेव्स –भारत