Guru Purnima Puja Vidhi · गुरु पूर्णिमा पूजा विधि

How Guru Purnima is kept: honouring one's guru, or Ved Vyasa if one has no personal guru, with flowers, fruit, sweets and dakshina, and honouring parents and elders, as the published guides describe it.

How the puja is done

When

Guru Purnima falls on Ashadha Purnima, the full moon of Ashadha. It is also called Vyasa Purnima, because Ved Vyasa, who is credited with dividing the Veda into four and composing the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Brahma Sutras, is said to have been born on this day. See the Guru Purnima page for the date.

Why the guru

"Gu" is explained as darkness and "ru" as the one who removes it: the guru is the one who leads from the darkness of ignorance to light.

The puja

Rise early, bathe and wear clean clothes.
Set up a picture or image of your guru in a clean place; if you have no personal guru, worship Ved Vyasa.
Light a lamp and offer flowers, fruit and sweets.
If your guru is present, wash or touch their feet, apply tilak, offer a garland and bhog, and ask for their blessing.
Offer dakshina: a gift, money, fruit or books, as a sign of gratitude.
Many recite the verse "Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshvarah", which salutes the guru as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Parents and elders

Treat your parents and elders in the family as gurus too, and take their blessings.

Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.

These steps are written in our own words; each appears in at least two of the published sources linked below, and steps found in only one source are left out. Puja customs differ by family, region and tradition; your family priest or family custom comes first.

About this text

Guru Purnima is the day of gratitude to the guru, the teacher who leads from ignorance to knowledge. It falls on the full moon of Ashadha and is also kept as Vyasa Purnima, in honour of Ved Vyasa, regarded as the first guru of the Vedic tradition. This page gives the observance as the published guides listed below describe it. Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.