Guru Purnima 2015

July 30, Shabad Surat Sangam Ashram: There is no question about it that every Guru Purnima is special. This year’s Guru Purnima too was no exception to this tradition, and yet it was different also: It was the first occasion in recent times when Guru Purnima celebrations at the ashram, were held during the night – truly making it a celebration of Purnima (full moon). Also, in previous years, the devotees celebrated it in the physical presence of Maharaj Ji; however this time, they ascended to the next level of freeing the conception of a Master from being bound to just a physical form – for this year, the devotees celebrated Guru Purnima with the Guru, present in form of the sangat, and of course led by both Swami Suryendu Puri Ji and Sadhwi Yoganjali Chaitanyaa Puri Ji.

Both Sadhviji (Listen to Audio or Download ^{right click & download}) and Swamiji (Listen to Audio or Download ^{right click & download}) spoke on the occasion in their characteristic ways, but despite their distinct styles the crux of the message they imparted was the same. Both began by explaining the profound importance of Guru Purnima to a disciple (Sadhwiji, quoting from Gurbani and Swamiji from the Upanishads). Where Sadhwiji went on to narrate the immense guru-bhakti of Sage Bhartrihari, Swamiji’s talk was interspersed with instances and teachings from Shri Maharaj Ji’s life. Sadhwiji stressed the importance of doing sadhana and seva under the hukum of the guru, in contrast to doing it as per one’s own wishes, while Swamiji said that the test of love for Guru and his hukum lies in loving the guru-roop satsangis. Swamiji also narrated the greatly touching instance from the life of Bhai Kanhaiyaa Ji, in whose vision the entire world was but a stage to serve his Guru. Both of them kept the sangat inspired enough to keep the assault of the very attractive deity of sleep at bay, through the night. The festivities concluded with Guru Pujan that took place in the morning. For a deeper dive into what was said, please pursue the links to the audio files on this page.