Guru Poornima Yagya
A day to honor the Guru in all forms
Kanchipuram South India
July 2 , 2004
On July 2, 25 priests gathered in Kanchipuram, south of Madras to celebrate Guru Poornima; the day on which gurus or teachers are honored. In the Vedic tradition, the form of Shiva that enlightens is called Dakshinamurti. So the day began with a Dakshinamurti puja at one of the local temples.
From Dakshinamurti Stotram
Upasakanam yad upasaniyam
upattavasam vatasakhimule
Taddama daksinyajusa svamurtya
Jagartu citte mama bodharupam. (v1)
May that Supreme Spirit who has taken a human form, seated under a banyan tree, remain in my awareness and guide my intellect towards divine knowledge.
Vyalambinibhih parito jatabhih
Kalavasesena kaladharena
Pasyallalatena mukhenduna ca
Prakasase cetasi nirmalanam. (v17)
Thou with the long matted tresses hanging around your face, who is adorned with the moon that is not full, having an eye on his forehead and a face that is beautiful like the full moon, may you shine in the minds of those who pursue and honor purity.
The Guru's feet are honored as an act of humility and appreciation for the power of true knowledge to uplift and enlighten.
Kanchipurma is a famous temple town partly because of the many Shiva temples there. But it is also known as a center for worship of the feminine forms of divinity. One of the temples is devoted to Annapurni; the goddess of food. She is a manifestation of Parvati, wife of Shiva, and in that form of the Divine Mother, she feeds the universe.
If you look closely at the photo below, you will see that water is being poured over a small murti of Annapurni. After the puja, the priests went to one of the largest patasalas (priest schools) and fed a special meal to all 45 students.
