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    Two days before Gurupurnima, I spent a couple of nights with my sister, who is experiencing dementia. Doing so gave her husband time away to work on their retirement home in another city.

     

    My sister and I once had the honor of being in Shree Muktananda Ashram and meeting the Guru, so our time together always feels like an extended satsang. However, this particular visit was filled with a particularly fresh, sweet, yet undefined presence. After leaving my sister, I became aware that this special feeling was due to my visit taking place so close to Gurupurnima. So I called my sister, and she immediately and joyfully agreed that our time together had been suffused with Gurumayi’s love and all-encompassing grace.

     

    Michigan, United States

    Before beginning my journey on the Siddha Yoga path, I was unaware of the significance of the Gurupurnima celebration. I did not know that this holiday had been initiated by the great sage Veda Vyasa’s guidance to his disciples.
     
    Each year, as I have advanced in my sadhana, I have begun to deepen and embrace my understanding of the Siddha Yoga celebrations and their meaning.

    Come July, I align with the auspiciousness of Gurupurnima. My heart expands with tremendous love. My gratitude overflows freely. I feel so fortunate that my destiny has opened the doors to the Siddha Yoga path for me.

    Nairobi, Kenya

    In my experience, every single day is filled with Guru’s grace. I feel protected by the Guru’s teachings and wisdom whenever I practice contemplation, staying alert, and being present in each moment. And the core practices like meditation and repeating the mantra help me to have more easefulness in my daily life. I am very grateful for the Guru’s compassion and valuable teachings, which are very helpful to me in every situation of my life.
     

    Pune, India

    I was born in the month of Ashadha (which can be in June or July) and in certain years Gurupurnima falls on my birthday. When this happens, I feel that the year ahead is going to be especially blessed.

    As I was contemplating this, I recalled how in the month of Ashadha 1988, I received the gift of shaktipat and, to quote the title of one of Baba Muktananda’s books, “I have become alive.” This second life belongs to God through the grace of Shri Guru. I wish to remember this immense gift at every moment and to nourish the feeling of gratitude in my heart.
     

    Issy les Moulineaux, France

    Every day, every single day, I am grateful to my beloved Guru. I am grateful for the knowledge that my birth was and is a gift rather than the burden I sometimes thought it was. It’s taken me many years to get there, but I have moved from that perspective to “This is perfect, that is perfect…” My life here has been entirely transformed, renewed in a way I can only describe as miraculous. I want to shout from the mountaintops: “Look! Look what I have found here!”

    Connecticut, United States

    Today, I went outside when the sun was setting. The white half-moon in the blue sky caught my attention. I noticed that the other part of the moon was totally invisible and that it was the light of the sun that revealed the presence of the moon.

    I reflected that, in the same way, the light of the Guru reveals the presence of God in my life. I am able to see God’s presence in my life when my mind is enlightened by the teachings and the grace of the Guru. 

    I thought about how Gurupurnima occurs on the full-moon night when the entire moon is fully revealed by the sun. This reinforced for me why Veda Vyasa chose this occasion. It is the perfect time to celebrate the Guru, who experiences God permanently and guides me toward this sublime summit.

    Rodez, France

    What better way to commence the monthlong satsang in honor of Gurupurnima than by reading about the tradition from which this most auspicious celebration comes!


    One of the things that I find most moving about this story is that the holiday of Gurupurnima emerged from the disciples’ love for their Guru and their wish to offer to the Guru—and the Guru’s incredibly generous response to that pure longing. Reading about this connects me to my love for my own Guru, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. And it inspires me to think about all that I wish to offer to her (for example, by giving dakshina or, more broadly, by making good on all that she has taught me and given to me)—and to take concrete actions to actualize that wish.

    New York, United States

    Today I kept “The Story of Gurupurnima” in my mind and heart. It was a day full of activity and fulfillment.

    In my evening meditation, I noticed how all my senses had turned inward, and then I was immersed in a peaceful, deep silence. As if from nowhere, a feeling of bliss bubbled up inside me. It was as if I myself were a spring from which I could drink and nourish myself on all levels. An indescribable feeling of freedom and independence filled me!

    And then I realized that Gurumayi had shown me the way to my own divine Self through meditation, and that I owe my awakened life to Shri Guru.
     

    Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

    As I finish reading this uplifting story, here in my house in London I experience the ongoing, infinite chain linking Guru to disciple throughout all of time. I feel deeply grateful to be a part of this.
     

    London, United Kingdom

    As I read this delightful story of Gurupurnima and gaze at the drawing of Veda Vyasa and his disciples, I am reminded of the great gift that my own Guru, Gurumayi, has given me. My life is enriched by following the Siddha Yoga path in this very time and place. As I walk the path to the best of my ability and knowledge, it sometimes seems like my effort is small compared to the benefits I receive. At this time of honoring Gurupurnima, I am immensely grateful to be forever under Gurumayi’s grace-filled gaze.

    Hampton Hill, United Kingdom

    Every time I read this story, I feel gratitude toward Veda Vyasa and his disciples. I thank them for beginning such a beautiful tradition of honoring Shri Guru. And I am grateful for the grace of my beloved Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Baba Muktananda, and Bhagavan Nityananda.


    Over the years, I have seen myself becoming a better person because of the Siddha Yoga practices and the grace, love, and blessings of Shri Guru.

    Pune, India

    I love this story.
     
    The celebration of Gurupurnima reminds me that, by the grace and guidance of a Sadguru, I find the strength to persevere in sadhana and experience my full divine potential. Through the sadhana of discipleship and the cultivation of purity and humility, I can evolve beyond limitations. And as I contemplate the blessings and teachings I have received, I am so grateful to my Guru and the Siddha Yoga lineage.

    Mar del Plata, Argentina

    As I read once again this timeless story, I feel that I am part of an ancient tradition that is so alive and relevant today. I’m grateful for a month dedicated to remembering and honoring the Guru. I look forward to thirty-one days of contemplation of the unfathomable gift of shaktipat-diksha.

    New Hampshire, United States