Om

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

Significance of Guru Purnima
(Essence of Anugraha Bhashanam of
PUJYASRI OMKARANANDA MAHASWAMIGAL
On Guru Purnima Day at Sendamangalam
on 18/07/2008)
Our ancestors have designed a complete set of rituals to be
performed right from birth to death, in line with the cultural
traditions of Vedic Bharath. We have been following these
practices since ancient times.
Generally, wealth, worldly comforts, wife and family are the
criteria of a happy life to most people. However, it is
necessary to have earned a lot of punyam or good karma to
beget wealth, to save and protect it and use it for the benefit
of oneself as well as the society around.
If there is no punyam earned there would be no wealth.
Even if there is wealth it would not yield benefits. It is only
rituals that give us punyam, set our minds in the right
path,and sanctify us. Knowing this our ancestors introduced
different types of ritualistic worship.
Of all the pujas we perform the puja for Sri VedaVyasa is the
most important. Sri Veda Vyasa is considered to be the very
Avatara or incarnation of Sri Mahavishnu. (Vyasaya Vishnu
rupaya Vyasa roopaya Vishnave...).
In ancient times Brahmins followed the practice of regularly
chanting the entire Vedas. As time went by, their memory
was losing strength and so learning the Vedas (by rote)
became less prevalent.
It was then that Sri Veda Vyasa came into this world as an
Avatara. He empathised with the condition of the Brahmins.
He made the four great Rishis, namely Sumantu,
Vaisampayana, Jaimini, Pyla, responsible for propagating the
Vedas categorised by him into four, ie: Rg, Yajur, Sama and
Atharvana.
They were to create groups of people and pass on from
generation to generation one of the Vedas per each clan of
people, who would learn and chant either that particular
Veda, or part thereof or even two of the four Vedas. Due to
his effort in creating such a tradition, the Vedas are alive even
today to an extent.
Veda Vyasa is celebrated as Brahma sans four faces, Vishnu
with two arms and Siva without his third eye. Sri Veda Vyasa
gave this world Mahabharata, the eighteen Puranas and
Srimad Bhagavatam.
Vyasocchishtam Jagat trayam is the saying : There are no
words that have not been uttered by Sri Vyasa. On Ashada
Purnima every year, therefore, we worship with great
affection and gratitude, that Veda Vyasa who gave us the
valued treasures mentioned above.
On the same auspicious day, along with Sri Veda Vyasa, we
also offer puja to the four Rishis Sumantu, Vaisampayana,
Jaimini, Pyla;
Sri Krishna, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha;
Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada, Sri Adi Sankara, his disciples -
Suresvaracharya, Padmapada, Hasthamalaka and Thodaka;
those sages who wrote treatises on Adi Sankara’s
Bhashyams;
Dravida Acharyas; Acharyas from the Brahma Vidya tradition;
Sri Dattatreya and Acharyas from the Avadhuta tradition.
In olden days Sanyasins, generally, never used to stay in one
place beyond a single night. But in the rainy season,
travelling would be difficult due to slush and mud resulting
from the rains. Wet grounds were home to small worms and
insects.
Sanyasis who practised Ahimsa or non violence towards all
beings were wary of walking on wet paths. Therefore, as
soon as the rainy season started, they would camp in one
place and start travelling from place to place only after four
months of rains were over.
People used to wait eagerly in their respective places for the
arrival of such great sages to receive their blessings. When a
sage arrived, the people would welcome him, greet and
beseech him to stay in their place for the next four months
and undertake to assure all his comforts.
The sage would also perform Sri Vedavyasa puja and take a
sankalpam that he would stay there and observe his
Chaturmasya Vratam in that place.
Paksha vai Maasaa: are the words from the Vedas according
to which sages may also conduct the vratam for four pakshas
(two months) in lieu of four months.
In this Vratam there are severe food restrictions. During the
first month they do not partake of vegetables, the second
month they go without curds, the next month milk and the last
month cereals.
As per tradition, may you all worship these sages who
perform the Chathurmasya Vratam and offer them Biksha
Vandhanam etc, be of service to them and earn punya as
well as their immense grace, and so be blessed.
I bless you all to reach great heights in life and to this end I
pray to Adiguru Sri Prajna Dakshinamurti, Adiguru Sri
Dattatreya, and Jaganmata Sri Bhuvaneswari.
ll Om Namo Narayanaya ll
(English Translation by Srimati Chhaya Ramachandran,
Chennai)