By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Shining in the dark, the moon reflects the light of the sun. It is cooling, luminous light showing your way through the mounded shapes in the night.
Your mind shines with the reflected light of your own Self, your Divine Essence, found within. When your mind is clear, the light is cooling and luminous.
But the dark you are trying to find your way through is created by the mounds and masses in your mind. They block the very light that you need so greatly.
The Guru’s mind has been cleared, so their light shines through. Yet their purpose is not to merely shine light on your pathway, but to illumine you from the inside out. July’s full moon is dedicated to the Guru — Guru Purnima.
The ancient sages dedicated each purnima to a different purpose. Some of them are seasonal, like the fall moon dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi. She is the giver of earthly blessings including an abundant harvest. Dattatreya and Hanuman have their full moons, along with other deities.
On Vata Purnima, falling in May-June, married women do practices to insure the health and longevity of their husbands. One is to tie a string around the trunk of a banyan tree, in honor of Savitri, the wife who saved her husband by confronting the Lord of Death. Personally, I have seen many banyan trees circled with hundreds of strings, as I have often traveled to India for the July Purnima.
In India, it is rare to see the moon on Guru Purnima because the sky is covered with monsoon clouds. Many times I have sat under a shelter, seeing the light behind the clouds and waiting for the moon to peek out.
Perhaps this is why the ancients dedicated the moon to the Guru, since a true Guru is hard to find and even harder to follow.
Yet dedication does pay off. Every time I waited for the clouds to clear on Guru Purnima, my heart’s wish was fulfilled.
My Guru explained there are many false Gurus. Some of them lead you into worldliness. This is clearly described in today’s terminology: investment guru, fashion guru, advertising Guru and there is even a basement guru in my local area.
Other types of false gurus give spiritual teachings but without the depth of tradition that supports them and you. Baba said that zircons only exist because there are diamonds. In your spiritual search, you must find a diamond.
How can you tell? You measure the value of a Guru by the change in you. Do what the Guru recommends for six months and see if you like the changes in yourself. If so, plan on another six months. I did this with my Guru for six years, reevaluating twice a year, until I realized I was in the right place.
On Guru Purnima, the disciple makes every effort to spend time with their Guru. Traditionally, this is the day they give gifts to support the Guru and their mission. For me, back in the day, having time with my Guru on this auspicious day involved a trip to India. It is easier these days with internet programs zooming through.
If you cannot be with your Guru and are not able to zoom in, then do some extra practices on this day. For those studying with me, you can watch a discourse video, read a book or blog, or one of my monthly Teachings Article.
Chant the mantra, using one of my recordings. Do arati, the candle flame ceremony, to honor the Guru, including my Guru and his Guru.
And get darshan of the full moon, even a glimpse. In 2025, it is on July 10, peaking at 4:37 pm EDT, while it appears to be full on the nights before and after.
What’s so special about the Guru that they get a full moon? The book J~nanasindhu describes the Goddess Parvati telling her son:
Kartikeya, the Guru is without beginning or end, even though you can see him in a physical form.
While we can get caught up in appreciating the Guru’s physical presence as well as their unique qualities, it is their deeper essence that matters. As I described above, Divine light shines through their mind without obstruction, giving them the radiance that is so captivating.
I was definitely captivated by my Baba. I loved to watch him. Even now I watch videos of his discourses online, many English translations. I love to watch his expressions, his hand gestures, his eyes and his smile.
You can liken it to sunlight shining through a window in your home. While the same light shines through every window, you may have a favorite. You and the cat love to bask in the sun in that special spot.
In this way, you get to appreciate the unique qualities of your own Guru, while recognizing that it’s the Divine light shining through that matters.
Yet this is true of you as well. The same Divine light is full and intact within you, shining from deeper within than where you usually look. Yet your ability to access these deeper dimensions is limited until the Guru unlocks the door. Jaya Gurudev! Hail to the Divine Guru.
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