Srila Prabhupada on Guru Purnima

Tamala Krsna: It is also guru-purnima.

Prabhupada: Today?

Tamala Krsna: :Yes. Is there some special celebration or significance?

Prabhupada: Guru-puja, that you are doing daily. (Morning Walk -- July 11, 1976, New York)

 

I am glad to learn that you have performed the Guru Purnima Ceremony by Kirtana that is all right. But this Guru Purnima is generally performed by the Mayavadi sects. The idea of Guru Purnima is to offer gratitude to the Spiritual Master by the disciple once in a year. That is called Guru Purnima. So far as we are concerned, Gaudiya Vaisnavas, we offer all our gratefulness to the Spiritual Master on His Appearance Day Ceremony, called Vyasa Puja. So kirtana is our daily function; whatever you have done is all right, but actual worship of the Spiritual Master will be done by all of my disciples on the fifth day of September, just one day after Janmastami. (Letter to: Gaurasundara  --  Los Angeles 2 August, 1969)

In the Mayavadi Sampradaya they observe the Guru Purnima day to offer respect to the Spiritual Master. This system of offering respect to the Spiritual Master is current in all sections of Vedic followers, but so far we are the Gaudiya Sampradaya is concerned, we offer on the Appearance Day of the Spiritual Master our humble homage annually and this particular auspicious moment is called Vyasa Puja. (Letter to: Bali-mardana  --  Tokyo 25 August, 1970)