The Significance of Guru and Guru Poornima

Image SourceToday is Guru Poornima. It is celebrated on the full-moon day in the month of Ashada (July-August). It is the day to express our gratitude and respect to our Gurus, a day to celebrate the wisdom they handed over to us. It is also the day to look backward and acknowledge how far we have succeeded in eliminating ignorance.
'Gu' means 'the darkness created by ignorance' and 'Ru' means 'the one who removes' in Sanskrit. Anyone who has removed ignorance from our lives hence attains the status of a Guru.
Learning begins at home; our parents are our first Gurus. They teach us to speak, to walk and affiliate us to different ways of living, our culture, and religion. Our school and college teachers, our friends, our children, and our family teach us lessons in their own unique way.
Life assumes its role as a Guru through experiences that mould us into the persons that we become. When I turn back, I find that the person I am now is vastly different from the person I was a decade ago. Life has taught me many important lessons than all my teachers ever did. It made sure that even my enemies leave behind important lessons that would shape and mould the person I am today.
Google, the most benevolent Guru of our generation has made things simple like never before. Knowledge is at our fingertips, the world has become a tiny village. YouTube videos are my biggest knowledge reserves. Be it writing tips, author interviews, crochet, painting, portraiture or self-help, I turn to Youtube first. 

My spiritual gurus are numerous. Ironically, it was my Athiest father who gave me the first nudge towards spirituality. It was from his book collection that I first read about the amazing powers of the saints in a foregone era, their power to do astral travel, the power of human mind and also about transcendence. I learnt Yoga from him. I read about Reiki, Pranic healing, Acupuncture and Hypnotism from the vast collection of books on alternative healing that adorned his bookshelves. His advice was to never stop learning. 

Today, I pay my sincere gratitude and respect to all my Gurus. I bow before you. All that I am today is because of you. I especially thank all my English teachers who made me fall in love with the English language. I thank the many authors who kept me glued to books and gave birth to a bibliophile and author. Every book I read has added to my learning, every word has enriched my world. 

Happy Guru Poornima to one and all. Like the splendid moon, may our Gurus brighten our paths and continue to lead us towards the light.

How much importance do you give to your teachers? Is there a memorable teacher who taught you a significant lesson?