In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshipped as a God. He is the Adiyogi, the first Yogi, and Adi Guru, the First Guru from whom the yogic sciences originated. The first full moon of Dakshinayana is Guru Purnima, when Adiyogi himself into the Adi Guru.
The first Guru was born and the Adiyogi started teaching the Saptarishis, his first seven disciples. Guru Purnima marks one of the greatest moments in the life of humanity. This is a day that is reminiscent of Adiyogi opening up and offering the possibility that a human being can evolve beyond all limitations set by his physical nature, if willing to strive.
This predates all religion. Before people devised divisive ways of fracturing humanity to a point where it seems almost impossible to fix, the most powerful tools necessary to raise human consciousness were realised and propagated. Every possible way in which you could approach and transform the human mechanism into an ultimate possibility was explored thousands years ago.
The sophistication of it is unbelievable. The question of whether people were so sophisticated at that time is irrelevant because this did not come from a certain civilisation or thought process. This came from an inner realisation.
This had nothing to do with what was happening around him. It was just an outpouring of himself. In great detail, he gave a meaning and a possibility of what you could do with every point in the human mechanism.
You cannot change a single thing even today because he said everything that could be said in such beautiful and intelligent ways. You can only spend your lifetime trying to decipher it. In this culture, Guru Purnima was always recognised and celebrated as the day when new possibilities opened up for the human race.
For a spiritual seeker, this day is like a boon from nature. Just a few hundred years ago, one of the most important festivals in the nation was Guru Purnima. But those who ruled this country in the last 300 years had their own plans; they saw that as long as people are spiritually rooted and strong, you cannot rule them.
Why isn’t Guru Purnima a holiday? Why should Sunday be a holiday? What are you doing on a Sunday — eating potato chips and watching television! It is time that a holiday is a day that is significant for us. Everyone should take this up. This Guru Purnima, do not go to the office.
Apply for leave and say, “It is Guru Purnima, so I am not coming.” Tell all your friends to apply for leave because it is Guru Purnima. What should you do on that day? Dedicate the day for your inner well-being; eat light, listen to music, meditate, and watch the moon — it will be fantastic for you because it is the first full moon day after the solstice.
Tell at least ten other people that this is a significant day. Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.
He is also the founder of the world’s largest people’s movement, Conscious Planet – Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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