Guru Purnima is the day when people celebrate and worship Guru Ved Vyas. It is also known to be his birthday. Ved Vyas is very famous in Indian history because he was the one who wrote 18 puranas and the Mahabharata and not to forget the four Vedas. If we go back to the ancient times then we will see that people from generations used to pass the Vedas to their next generation by telling stories. The Vedas were such that it need not require learning by heart. They were in the form of stories and that helped the disciples to understand the concept in a better manner.
On this day the disciples are seen to offer Pujans to their Gurus and also there is also the Guru Purnima vrat which means fasting for the Guru on that auspicious day. There are also many shloks that are recited on this day. One of the most famous shloks that is read on this day is:
“Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Gurudevo Maheshwaraha
Gurhu sakshat Parambrahma tasmai Shri gurave namaha.”
The shloka means the Guru that we know is the Vishnu, Shiv and Brahma and if we stay in touch with the guru then we will be able to see God or the Parabhrahma through the Guru. The above shlok also depicts how important a Guru is to people. It has also been said that through a Guru it is possible to reach God. This day is celebrated to worship the works of the Guru, Ved Vyasa. In his Vedas and the Puranas he has mentioned the facts about good deeds and wrong deeds. A guru is someone who clears the path of all the wrong deeds from a person because the word Guru means the remover of the darkness and ignorance.