The Official Website of his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Guru Purnima, a festival dedicated to the expression of gratitude by a disciple towards his/her teacher, was celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm. The occasion brought together thousands of people, from different ethnicities around the world, who came to pay tribute to Sri Sri at the Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford.

The festivities began in the morning with Sri Sri meeting with participants who had been on various courses, including the Art of Living Course, Art of Silence Course, Art of meditation Course and YES+, for the past week.

The afternoon celebrations were open to all who wanted to participate in the festivities. The hall was brimming with around five thousand attendees who had gathered to sing bhajans (devotional songs), meditate and honor Sri Sri. Swami Sukhchaitanya and Swami Pragyapad, shared the significance of being physically present with the Guru on the auspicious day of Guru Purnima. Sanskrit chanting performed by the Vedic priests marked the arrival of Sri Sri, followed by Guru Puja (an offering to honor the tradition of masters), meditation, and hours of singing.

Sri Sri spoke to the significance of Guru Purnima and the importance of spreading this knowledge to benefit the community. Sri Sri met with many who had come to seek his blessings on this auspicious day. “Guru Purnima is a day of reflection - a new year for the spiritual seeker, one who is on the path, “ he said. “Like you calendar the New Year on January 1st , for a spiritual seeker, Guru Purnima is a day to be grateful for all you achieved in the past and resolving to do what you are here for.”

The wisdom and joy of Guru Purnima was evident as everyone beamed with happiness and gratitude – and their smiles lit up the Convention Center after Sri Sri left.

What Sri Sri said on Guru Purnima

“Guru Purnima is a day of reflection. It’s a new year for the spiritual seeker, one who is on the path. Like you calendar new year on January 1, for a spiritual seeker, Guru Purnima is a day of reflection. Its is a day to be grateful for all you achieved in the past and resolving to do what you are here to do. That is the essence, the celebration of Guru Purnima: being grateful for the blessings we have received from the knowledge, how knowledge has transformed life. Without the knowledge we’d be nowhere. We thank all the masters of the tradition, for ages, who have brought this knowledge to us. Then also ask for more, whatever you want. Go for the highest desire because the best wish is to desire for knowledge, for freedom.

Our body has millions of cells, and each cell has its own life. Many cells are being born every day and many are dying. So, you are a walking, moving township. So many cities are on the planet Earth and planet Earth is revolving and moving around the Sun. Same way, there are so many cells and so many living beings inside you and you are moving around. You are a moving township. Like in a beehive, there are so many bees which come and sit, but there is one queen bee. If the queen bee goes away, every other bee goes away. In the same way, there is an atom in our body, the queen bee. If that is not there, everything else goes away. Locate in that, in that tiniest of the tiny atom, the atma or the self. It is everywhere, yet nowhere. That is the queen bee and that is what you are. That is what the Divine is, and that is the Guru principle. Like there is fatherhood, motherhood, there is Guru-hood also.

You all have to play Guru at least to somebody. You keep giving advice and guiding people consciously or unconsciously. Give them love and care. Do it 100 percent without expecting anything in return. That is living the Guru-hood, living the self. There is no difference between the Divine, you and the Guru Principle. It is all coming to one thing, the queen bee.

Meditation is relaxing and reposing in that atom. So, think of all the things that you could be grateful for, and ask what you want for the future. And bless everybody. We receive, but not just receiving is enough, we should give and bless those who are in need.”