गुरुपूर्णिमाguru-pūrṇimā · the full moon of the teacher
Guru Pūrṇimā, the full moon of the teacher
3 min read · Updated October 18, 2026 · sources checked October 18, 2026
In short
Guru Pūrṇimā is the day Hindus, Buddhists and Jains honour their spiritual teachers. It falls on the full moon of the month of Āṣāḍha, in June or July: on 10 July in 2025 and on 29 July in 2026. Also called Vyāsa Pūrṇimā, it celebrates Vyāsa, compiler of the Vedas; Buddhists mark the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath.
The full moon of Āṣāḍha
Guru Pūrṇimā (गुरुपूर्णिमा) joins guru, teacher, and pūrṇimā, the full-moon day. It falls on the full moon of the lunar month of Āṣāḍha (आषाढ), which the Maharashtra tourism department places "either in June or July". Because the Indian sacred year follows the moon, the date moves every year in the Western calendar:
| Year | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Thursday 10 July | Prime Minister's Office greetings and Ministry of Culture celebration at Sarnath, both on 10 July 2025 |
| 2026 | Wednesday 29 July | Prime Minister's Office greetings, 29 July 2026 |
For the following years, check a pañcāṅga (almanac) for your city or the official Indian announcements: the full moon can begin in the afternoon of one day and end on the next, and almanacs sometimes differ by a day.
Why this day: Vyāsa, the Buddha, Mahāvīra
The day is also called Vyāsa Pūrṇimā. Tradition holds that Vyāsa was born on it: the sage credited with arranging the Vedas, and composing the Mahābhārata, which contains the Bhagavad Gita. The Maharashtra tourism department adds a story in which Vyāsa, on this day, shared the teaching of the Vedas with his four students. Honouring him is honouring the teacher of teachers.
The day belongs to three traditions. For Buddhists, the full moon of Āṣāḍha is the day the Buddha gave his first sermon, at Sarnath near Varanasi; India's Ministry of Culture notes that it is "observed as Esala Poya in Sri Lanka and Asanha Bucha in Thailand", and that "Āshāḍha Pūrṇimā is observed as Guru Purnima by Buddhists and Hindus alike". Jains, according to the Maharashtra tourism department, celebrate it as the day Mahāvīra gained his first follower.
The word guru
In Monier-Williams, guru (गुरु) is first an adjective: "heavy, weighty", then "venerable, respectable". As a noun it means "any venerable or respectable person (father, mother, or any relative older than one's self)" and "a spiritual parent or preceptor". The guru is the one who carries weight. A traditional explanation reads the word as "the remover of darkness" (gu, darkness; ru, what removes it): a devotional etymology rather than a grammatical one, beautiful as such.
How the teaching passes from teacher to pupil, the paramparā, has its own page: guru and parampara.
Verses of the teacher
Patañjali calls the Lord (Īśvara) the first teacher:
पूर्वेषामपि गुरुः कालेनानवच्छेदात् ॥
pūrveṣām api guruḥ kālenānavacchedāt ||
He is the teacher even of the ancients, for he is not limited by time.
The next sutra gives his name, the praṇava, Om (1.27): see Om, the sacred syllable.
The Bhagavad Gītā gives the attitude of the student:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया । उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā / upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattvadarśinaḥ ||
Learn it by bowing down, by asking questions and by serving. Those who know, who have seen the truth, will teach you knowledge.
Three gestures, still those of Guru Pūrṇimā: bowing, questioning, serving (sevā, see seva, selfless service).
The Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the advice a teacher gives his student at the end of his studies:
मातृदेवो भव । पितृदेवो भव । आचार्यदेवो भव । अतिथिदेवो भव ।
mātṛdevo bhava | pitṛdevo bhava | ācāryadevo bhava | atithidevo bhava |
Be one for whom the mother is a god. Be one for whom the father is a god. Be one for whom the teacher is a god. Be one for whom the guest is a god.
How it is celebrated
In India, disciples perform a pūjā for their teacher, offer flowers and gifts, sing devotional songs (bhajan) and listen to a talk; some keep a fast; schools and colleges hold programmes in honour of their teachers. If you are in an ashram on Guru Pūrṇimā, follow its programme and its customs: dress modestly, arrive early, and ask before photographing.
At home: a day of gratitude (45 minutes and a letter)
- Open with Om three times and Yoga Sutra 1.26, read aloud.
- Write your lineage. List everyone who taught you something of yoga: your first teacher, the author of a book, a friend who showed you a posture. Go back as far as you can. This is your own paramparā.
- Practise the session a teacher taught you, as faithfully as you can.
- Sit for fifteen minutes; at the end, bring each name to mind and thank them silently.
- Write a letter to a living teacher: what they taught you, what changed. Send it or give it by hand.
- Give: in India the student offers dakṣiṇā, a gift to the teacher. A book, a donation to the place where you learnt, an hour of your time.
If you fast, do so only in good health, and never if you are pregnant, diabetic, take medicines with food or have had an eating disorder.
Our book The Yogi's Sacred Year devotes a chapter to Guru Pūrṇimā, with the teacher verses, this practice and a journal page, alongside eleven other festivals of the Indian year and a wall calendar to fill in every year.
Questions people ask
What is Guru Purnima?
A festival in honour of the guru, the spiritual teacher, kept on the full moon of Āṣāḍha. Disciples worship their teacher, offer flowers and gifts, sing and listen to teaching; schools and colleges also hold programmes for their teachers.
When is Guru Purnima?
On the full moon (pūrṇimā) of the lunar month of Āṣāḍha, which falls in June or July. The date changes every year: it was 10 July in 2025 and 29 July in 2026. For the coming year, check an almanac (pañcāṅga) for your city or official Indian announcements.
Why is it also called Vyasa Purnima?
Because tradition holds that Vyāsa, the sage credited with arranging the Vedas and composing the Mahābhārata, was born on this day. For Buddhists, it is the day of the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath; Jains associate it with Mahāvīra receiving his first disciple.
Do you fast on Guru Purnima?
Some devotees do, but fasting is not required. If you wish to, keep it light (water and fruit, for example) and only if you are in good health; never if you are pregnant, diabetic, take medicines with food or have had an eating disorder.
Which mantra to chant on Guru Purnima?
There is no single prescribed mantra. Many chant a verse to the guru from their own lineage. From the sources, you can recite Yoga Sutra 1.26, which calls Īśvara 'the teacher even of the ancients', then Om, which Patañjali names in the next sutra.
Sources
- PM shares Sanskrit Subhashitam highlighting the role of teachers on Guru Purnima, Prime Minister's Office (India), 29 July 2026 checked October 18, 2026
- PM greets everyone on Guru Purnima, Prime Minister's Office (India), 10 July 2025 checked October 18, 2026
- IBC to celebrate Āshāḍha Pūrṇimā, Dhammacakkappavattana Divas at Sarnath on 10 July, Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Culture), 8 July 2025 checked October 18, 2026
- Guru Purnima, Directorate of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra checked October 18, 2026
- Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 18, 2026
- Bhagavadgītā, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute), Sanskrit text (GRETIL) checked October 18, 2026
- Taittirīya Upaniṣad with Śaṅkara's commentary, Sanskrit text (GRETIL) checked October 18, 2026
- Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry guru, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 18, 2026