Sadhguru on significance of Guru Pooja

"This particular guru pooja is known as Shodashupachara. Shodasha means sixteen; sixteen ways of treating a guru. So these sixteen ways of treating a guru is a certain way of making your system an invitation to the divine.

Guru pooja is a way of making your whole system say that. You can make your whole body into such a way that it becomes an invitation to the divine. It’s an energy invitation, not an oral invitation or a written invitation.
Divine cannot say no, has no choice. You make your energy in a certain way that he has to come. So if you learn this, initially you just learn the words and you just learn the method of it. As you give yourself to the process it can become a wonderful way to manifest something in your own house in such a big way. Within yourself and in the spaces where you live you can manifest something so powerful that you have constant company, excellent company, not ordinary company.

So guru pooja can be a wonderful tool. If you give yourself on a daily basis, it will bring a different quality into your life. Just one more tool. Just one more tool to bring that dimension into your life. Emotion is a beautiful thing if it’s pleasant. If it turns unpleasant it is ugly. So if one knows how to keep his emotions pleasant all the time, not just pleasant, intensely sweet all the time, then emotion can become a powerful tool to bring a different dimension.

It’s based on this all the devotion aspect came into life, to make your emotion very sweet and beautiful. So guru pooja is a tool which operates on that level. But it is not just emotion because we don’t do anything without the involvement of the energy. It involves a certain reorientation of the energy using the emotion as a tool which can become an invitation to the divine. You should become an invitation to the divine.” -Sadhguru

Swami Rama on this auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima

Swami Rama :

In all spiritual traditions this day is considered to be very holy. For on this day students become aware that life is not to believed only in the external world—that there is something higher, deeper, than what they have been doing. They become aware of their internal states. But to find this something you need a guide. Then it becomes easy. Your guide shares his experiences, which have been imparted by his guide. There is a long chain of sages and traditions, and they impart knowledge to their students lovingly and selflessly.

For me, today is a great day. When this day comes I remember the way I was looked after by my master. He was so loving. When I see darkness everywhere, in all relationships in the world, form one corner gleams light. I call it the light of the guru. If you find a real guru, he can give you his help. He can sacrifice his whole life for you if that time comes. He will pray for you. He never wants his students to suffer.

But remember that suffering comes from within, and if you cry for help, you are helped. Many times help comes from the invisible world, and you don’t see it. Yet you get help when no one can help you and you say, “God help me!” If you have a guru or teacher, and he is very sincere, and if he is in touch with the tradition, then anyone from that tradition can appear and help, provided you are on the path. It is said, “When you are ready, the guru appears”; it is never said, “If you are not ready, the guru appears.” When you have a burning desire to attain enlightenment, definitely you get guidance.
You are never lonely on the path of spirituality. That which makes you lonely is the world and its external relationships. On the path of spirituality you are all alone, which means all-in-one, but you are not lonely. And as you attain the heights a time comes when you are totally alone—because all peaks are lonely. But that is not the sort of loneliness you find in the world. This loneliness is fulfilling. You don’t feel alone. You feel one with the Absolute Reality.
You can do this. Not by worrying, not by taxing your mind, not by physical exercises, but just by purifying your heart and mind. The easiest and surest way is that of self-surrender. You don’t surrender yourself to any external force. No. You surrender your ego to the Atman within you. And then a fount of knowledge flows. Then you come in touch with that happiness which is self-existent and unending, from eternity to eternity.
So this day reminds students that mere living in the external world is not fulfilling. The purpose of living should also be attained. You have to do certain duties—that’s a must. But all duties should lead you to the awareness, “God exists in me. I am a shrine of the Lord. Why am I afraid? From where does this fear come?” If you remember that you are a shrine of the Lord, you will never be afraid. When you get fears, it means you have forgotten. God provides, providing you have that confidence.
You develop that confidence slowly. But remember—God is merciful, but at the same time he is a cruel fire. You have to understand both aspects. You have to accept life as it is, and enjoy. Don’t postpone enjoyments for tomorrow. Enjoy today—right now! Smile. Smile and understand. “The Lord is within me. Why am I worrying?” This way, make your life easy.
This day reminds us that we have come to this earth to become complete, to attain perfection. And you can do it. Use all your might, all human effort. This is called the ascending force. Then you come in touch with the descending force, which is the grace of God. The moment you have done your work, you’ll find grace. So do your job skillfully. Surrender all the fruits to Him. Before going to bed, say, “O Lord, anything good I have done, I surrender to you. Help me, guide me.” This way awareness develops. You become constantly aware of the Reality within you.
So today is a day when I, when everyone, remembers his teacher, his teachings, and becomes aware of the Reality within. This day makes you aware that you have to tread the path faithfully, loyally, and honestly so that you complete your journey happily. It is called Guru Purnima day.

The auspicious occasion of Guru Pournami will be celebrated at Isha centers worldwide on Thursday, July the 14th.

This month is seen as the best time to receive the Grace of the Guru. With Grace, a human being can catapult himself to another dimension of existence, capability and possibility.

- Sadhguru

The full moon day in the month of Ashadha (July-August) is known as Guru Poornima. This sacred day honors the ancient lineage of enlightened beings who have graced the world with their presence, imparting the knowledge of the ‘Self’ to those who seek inner transformation.
The word “Guru” in Sanskrit is translated as “dispeller of darkness.” Hence the Guru dispels the darkness of ignorance and leads seekers on the path to enlightenment.
Sadhguru tells us that a Guru is like a roadmap; without the guidance of such a teacher one may eventually reach the desired destination, but could wander lost for a very long time.
The day of Guru Poornima is traditionally the time when seekers offer the Guru their gratitude and receive his blessings. Guru Poornima is also considered an especially beneficial day to practice yogic sadhana and meditation.



The auspicious occasion of Guru Pournami will be celebrated at Isha centers worldwide on Thursday, July the 14th.
Please join us on this day – an opportunity to receive the Grace of the Guru.

Spiritual Knowledge & Guru Puja - Sadhguru

Devotion (+) creativity (-) limitations = Happenings at Isha Ashram.

Did You Know… that a Blue Whale’s tongue weighs almost 3,ooo kilograms – as much as a full-grown elephant? Or that the largest known star is 4 million times larger than our Sun? Or that the human brain generates enough power when you are awake to light up a small light bulb? Well, we needn’t stretch ourselves from blue whale tongues to mankind’s brains to find something that will leave us awestruck. Over the next few weeks we will be posting some amazing facts that have been hiding under our very noses right here at Isha. Here’s the first post in this series…( This page comes from Official Isha Yoga Blog)

                                                   The Aadhi Yogi Aalayam and the new Theerthakund are coming up at the Isha Yoga Center and construction is going ahead at great pace. Granite is being used extensively as a construction material to ensure the longevity of the structure so that future generations can benefit for thousands of years to come. Can you guess how heavy the largest block of stone used in the construction of these two massive buildings is?

A computer-generated view of the interior of the soon to be finished Theerthakund at the Isha Yoga Center. Devotees can be seen around the three submerged Rasalingas

50 tonnes!
Each of the stones that will form the wall of the new Theerthakund will weigh in at 50 tonnes, while some of the stones used for the base of Aadhi Yogi Aalayam will weigh in at 34 tonnes.

Massive blocks of granite, lie piled up against the backdrop of the Velliangiri Mountains at the Isha Yoga Center, waiting to be used in the construction.

If you think that’s amazing, take a guess at the weight of the heaviest stone ever used in a construction…
An estimated 800 tonnes! Three stones of limestone, each of which weigh 800 tonnes, were used in the construction of the Temple of Baalbek in Lebanon a few thousand years ago.

Seemingly miniscule men and animals are dwarfed by the gargantuan block of stone at the temple site in Baalbek, Lebanon

Sadhguru has spoken about this fabulous temple. Here’s an excerpt of the talk:
“Baalbek is an incredible monument. It is something that everybody should see. Some of the stones weigh 800 tonnes. I want you to just understand – to do this without equipment, without cranes, without trucks, without any big ships, what kind of human beings would even endeavour to think like that? Definitely not people who are thinking of just money and bread.
One interesting thing in this place is, if you look up at the ceiling, you will see stone lotuses hanging from the top of the temple. There is no lotus in the Middle East of course. It is the symbolism for Indian spirituality. And above all, in the museum at Baalbek, there is a stone with 16 corners called a Guru Pooja stone.

"This particular Guru Pooja is known as Shodashopachara which means 16 ways of treating a Guru. These 16 ways have something to do with the 112 chakras in the body. Guru Pooja is a way of making your whole system an invitation to the Divine."

Guru Pooja is not just an emotional thing, it is a whole system of creating a certain possibility. This is called Shodashopachara, which means 16 ways of treating a Guru. For this, 16-cornered stones are made which are called Guru Pooja Peetas which are unique to yogic culture. Such a thing exists nowhere else on the planet, but in Baalbek there is a 3700-year old Guru Pooja stone. So obviously, there was a very active commercial and spiritual connection between these two lands.”

Guru Pooja

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The Guru is looked upon as an embodiment of God himself. For, it is through his grace and guidance that one reaches the highest state of wisdom and bliss. "My salutations to the Guru who is Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. The Guru is Parabrahma incarnate" Gururbrahmaa gururvishnuh gururdevo Maheswarah | Guruh-saakshaat parabrahma tasmai shrigurave namah ||


When we infuse spirit to a ritual, it becomes spirit-uality. Without the spirit, even spirituality becomes just a ritual! What this means to say is that every act of ours can become spirituality when we infuse the intensity and enthusiasm. It could be a small thing like having a cup of tea, if the spirit is there then it becomes a blissful act. Otherwise it becomes another ritual, another chore. Our life becomes monotonous and mechanical.


So, coming back to Guru Puja. What does this ritual do? It's to offer our gratitude to existence for all that we have. We are taught only societal "thank you"s, but when true gratitude oozes out from inside, its a natural expression of the being. This ritual creates the ambience and triggers that expression from within - ONLY if we are open to allow this to happen. Let me explain to you briefly the meaning of the chants that accompany the Guru Puja. It basically says that we offer our entire mind-body system, part-by-part to existence in gratitude. Since Guru symbolises existences, we invite Him to our core, just like we would invite a guest and offer ourselves to Him. We make the Guru comfortable in the home of our inner space by offering Him water to drink, rinse His mouth, fresh clothes to wear, sandal perfume to adorn Him, food to eat etc. Inviting the Guru to our inner space is equivalent to invoking the divinity/existential energy/God/cosmic energy that is within us.


Now, you may ask, 'if I have the feeling of gratitude, it's enough; why should I perform the ritual?'. Very valid question. But the problem is that our mind and inner space is so polluted that it easily wanders away here and there not allowing us to even feel the emotion of gratitude intensely. By doing the external ritual, it integrates our actions with our thoughts and emotions. It only adds intensity. This is the reason, we physically offer flowers, fruits, incense etc. How beautiful! When we are connected to the external Guru, then the Guru Puja can becomes even more beautiful! We can literally experience the Master sitting in front of us accepting the puja. Guru Puja can become an intimate rendesvouz with the Master!


We unite our minds with the holy mind of the Spiritual Master, who is considered the root and life-force of the spiritual path, to receive blessings to generate realisations on the path to enlightenment. The word puja literally means "to please", thus Guru Puja means "to please the Gurus, or Spiritual Teachers". Why should we please them? Because they are fully dedicated to helping us develop our inner potential to be enlightened. In fact, we cannot become enlightened without their skilled guidance, and thus they are more important to us than anyone else. The idea of "pleasing" our Spiritual Teachers is for our own benefit, not for theirs. We need merit, or positive energy for our enlightened potential to grow and become perfect, and one of the best ways to do that is to make beautiful offering and prayers to our Spiritual Teachers. This is what happens in the Guru Puja.