Guru Purnima 2022: Date, history, significance, auspicious time

Today (July 13) is Guru Purnima. The day marks the honouring of teachers or gurus who have guided us. It is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.

Guru Purnima 2022 falls on the full moon day in the month of Ashadha. As per the Hindu calendar, the auspicious time for Guru Purnima 2022 starts at 4 AM morning (July 13) and ends at 12:06 am (July 14).

The Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon on this day after attaining enlightenment. Guru Purnima is celebrated in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. On this day, more than 2,500 years ago, Buddha, the teacher, delivered his first sermon at Sarnath to his five colleagues who later became his followers. Once he attained enlightenment, Buddha ensured that humanity too benefitted from it.

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Guru Poornima is also associated with the birth of Veda Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata.

On the occasion of Guru Purnima 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his Twitter account to convey his wishes.

“Greetings on Guru Purnima. This is a day of expressing gratitude to all exemplary Gurus who have inspired us, mentored us and taught us so much about life. Our society attaches immense importance to learning and wisdom. May the blessings of our Gurus take India to newer heights,” Modi wrote.

Greetings on Guru Purnima. This is a day of expressing gratitude to all exemplary Gurus who have inspired us, mentored us and taught us so much about life. Our society attaches immense importance to learning and wisdom. May the blessings of our Gurus take India to newer heights.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 13, 2022

On Guru Purnima 2022, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), New Delhi, is organising Dhammacakka Day 2022, Ashaḍha Purṇima in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind will address Ashadha Purnima celebrations in Sarnath, IBC said.

According to IBC, “Dhammacakka Day 2022, Ashaḍha Purṇima is the second most important sacred day of observance for Buddhists after Vaishakha Buddha Purṇima. It commemorates Buddha’s First Sermon or the First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma, when he taught the Dhammacakka-pavattana Sutta (Pāli) or Dharmacakra pravartana Sūtra (Sanskrit).”

“Seven weeks after his enlightenment, he gave this discourse to pancavargiya – the first five ascetic disciples- at the ‘Deer Park’, Ṛṣipatana Mrigadaya in the current day Sarnath, which is in Varanasi. It is here that the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Paths and the Middle Path: avoiding the two extremes, i.e., life of extreme indulgence and the life of extreme penance,” it added.