KATHMANDU: The Guru Purnima festival is being celebrated today on the occasion of the Ashadh Shukla Purnima, the full moon day in the Nepali month of Ashadh as per the lunar calendar.

On this day, people pay respects and express gratitude to their gurus who first gave them the Gayatri mantra and read out the Vedic hymns to them as well as teachers, mentors and guides who introduced them to knowledge, wisdom and education.

Etymologically, the word ‘guru’ has two roots – ‘gu’ meaning darkness and ‘ru’ meaning light. So the word guru means the person who helps us to remove the ‘darkness’ of ignorance with the help of the ‘light’ of knowledge. This is stated in the Tantrik and religious scriptures.

According to theologian Prof Dr. Ram Chandra Gautam, the Hindu scriptures consider guru as the embodiment of Bramha, Vishnu and Maheshwar, the trinity of Hindu gods.

At normal times, schools and educational institutions would organize special programs dedicated to the teachers on the occasion of Guru Purnima today. But this time only a few such functions would be held due to the risk of coronavirus. Still, students and pupils would be paying respects to their gurus through social media and others.
Byas Jayanti

Today also marks the Byas Jayanti which commemorates the birth anniversary of sage Ved Byas. Ved Byas is a hermit who composed the Hindu scriptures – The Vedas, the 18 Puranas and the 18 lesser Puranas.

Meanwhile, the Byas municipality in Tanhun district has announced a public holiday on the occasion of Byas Jayanti today.