This Guru Purnima, we remember the great spiritual gurus whose wisdom still guides our lives and thoughts.
In Indian culture, the Guru is deeply revered as the one who removes ignorance and guides seekers on the path to wisdom and enlightenment. Guru Purnima is a sacred occasion dedicated to honoring all spiritual and scholarly mentors whose teachings continue to shape our understanding of philosophy, ethics, and life itself. Also known as Vyasa Purnima, the day commemorates the birth of Sage Veda Vyasa, the legendary figure behind the Mahabharata and the compiler of the Vedas. As we observe this auspicious day, we pay tribute to the great ancient Indian saints and gurus whose insights and spiritual legacies have left an enduring impact on Hindu philosophy, influencing how we perceive life, the cosmos, and the journey of self-realization.
Adi Shankaracharya was a revered Vedic scholar, philosopher, and spiritual teacher (Acharya) of Advaita Vedanta. He journeyed across India to spread the profound philosophy of non-dualism, which asserts that the individual soul (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman) are essentially one. His teachings emphasized the unity of all existence and the illusory nature of the material world. Adi Shankara played a pivotal role in shaping Hindu spiritual thought by establishing the Dashanami monastic order and promoting the Shanmata system—integrating various forms of worship into a unified tradition.
Tulsidas, a celebrated poet-saint, composed numerous works in Sanskrit, Awadhi, and Braj Bhasha, but is most renowned for authoring the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ and the ‘Ramcharitmanas’—a retelling of the Sanskrit ‘Ramayana’ in the Awadhi dialect. By translating the epic into the local language, Tulsidas made the life and teachings of Lord Rama accessible to the masses, inspiring widespread devotion and spiritual awakening. His contribution extended beyond literature; he also initiated the tradition of ‘Ramlila’, a folk-theatre performance of the ‘Ramayana’, which became a cultural cornerstone in India.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a revered 19th-century Hindu mystic and spiritual teacher whose life and teachings left a lasting impact on Indian spirituality. Deeply devoted to Goddess Kali, he emphasized direct personal experience of the divine and upheld the belief that all religions ultimately lead to the same truth. Ramakrishna practiced various religious paths—including Islam and Christianity—to affirm the unity of all faiths. His message of universal tolerance, selfless service, and spiritual realization laid the foundation for the Ramakrishna Movement. His foremost disciple, Swami Vivekananda, went on to establish the Ramakrishna Mission, carrying forward his guru’s ideals of serving humanity as a form of worship.
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, is revered as a great spiritual teacher. He is believed to have travelled extensively across Asia, spreading the message of ‘Ik Onkar’—the belief in ‘one God’ who exists within all of creation and embodies the eternal truth. With this core teaching, Guru Nanak laid the groundwork for a distinct spiritual, social, and political framework rooted in equality, brotherhood, compassion, and moral values.
Saint Ramana Maharshi is widely revered for his teachings on self-enquiry and the path to self-realization. He emphasized discovering the true nature of the self (‘Atman’) through deep meditation and introspective questioning. At the heart of his philosophy was the profound question, “Who am I?”—a tool he believed could help individuals go beyond the ego and uncover the ultimate reality. In his later years, an ashram formed around him, where followers and visitors sought ‘upadesa’ (spiritual instruction) either by asking questions or simply sitting in his silent presence.
