Guru Pournami is the full moon of Ashadha, kept in honour of the guru: the teacher who, in the word's own explanation, removes darkness. It is the birthday of Veda Vyasa, who arranged the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata, and so is also Vyasa Pournami. In the Telugu states it is above all a day of Sai Baba and Dattatreya temples, of mathas, and of students calling on their teachers.
The story
Vyasa, son of the sage Parasara and the fisherwoman Satyavati, stands behind every teacher in the tradition; the seat from which scripture is taught is still called the Vyasa Peetham. Buddhists keep the same full moon as the day the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath.
For monks the day begins Chaturmasyam, the four months of the rains, spent in one place and given to teaching.
గురుర్బ్రహ్మా గురుర్విష్ణుః గురుర్దేవో మహేశ్వరః । గురుః సాక్షాత్ పరబ్రహ్మ తస్మై శ్రీగురవే నమః
The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu, the guru is Maheswara; the guru is the supreme reality itself. To that guru I bow
From the Guru Stotram
How it is kept
- Vyasa pujaMathas and ashrams worship Vyasa and the whole line of teachers after him.
- Calling on teachersStudents visit their teachers, of school, of music and dance, of scripture, with fruit, flowers and a gift.
- Sai and Datta templesDay-long worship, palanquin processions and the feeding of all who come.
- StudyA good day to begin a course of learning, or to go back to one.
Why this date
Guru Pournami is the full-moon tithi of Ashadha, given on the day it is in force at sunrise.
Guru Pournami in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday | |
| 2027 | Sunday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Wednesday | |
| 2030 | Monday | |
| 2031 | Friday |
More Telugu festivals
14 JulyTholi Ekadasiతొలి ఏకాదశి
13 AugustVaralakshmi Vratamవరలక్ష్మీ వ్రతం
17 AugustRakhi Pournamiరాఖీ పౌర్ణమి
31 MayHanuman Jayantiహనుమజ్జయంతి
8 MayAkshaya Tritiyaఅక్షయ తృతీయ
24 AugustSri Krishnashtamiశ్రీకృష్ణాష్టమి
Where to see Guru Pournami
In the Telugu states
- Gnana Saraswati Temple, BasarTelanganaBy tradition it was Vyasa who came to this bank of the Godavari after the Kurukshetra war and set up the goddess of learning.
- PithapuramAndhra PradeshBirthplace of Sripada Sri Vallabha, revered as the first incarnation of Dattatreya, the guru of gurus.
- Prasanthi Nilayam, PuttaparthiAndhra PradeshThe ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, where the day is one of the main gatherings of the year.
Across India
- ShirdiMaharashtraThree days of festival at Sai Baba's samadhi; the temple stays open through the night.
- SarnathUttar PradeshWhere the Buddha first taught, on this full moon.
- SringeriKarnatakaThe Sharada Peetham founded by Adi Shankara; the Jagadguru performs Vyasa puja and begins his Chaturmasya.
- GanagapuraKarnatakaThe chief pilgrimage of the Dattatreya tradition, at the meeting of the Bhima and the Amarja.