Festival · 2026
Guru Purnima 2026 — Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Guru Purnima is the full Moon of Ashadha, set aside to honour Veda Vyasa and every teacher who has shaped a life.
In 2026
Wednesday, 29 July 2026
- Tithi
- Purnima: 28 Jul, 6:19 PM – 29 Jul, 8:05 PM
- Lunar month
- Ashadha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:40 AM / 7:14 PM
Rule: Ashadha Purnima at sunrise.
In 2027
Sunday, 18 July 2027
- Tithi
- Purnima: 17 Jul, 6:48 PM – 18 Jul, 9:14 PM
- Lunar month
- Ashadha
- Sunrise / sunset
- 5:34 AM / 7:19 PM
Rule: Ashadha Purnima at sunrise.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Guru Purnima?
Guru Purnima is the full Moon of Ashadha, a day set aside to honour one’s teachers, whether spiritual, academic or those met in everyday life. It is also called Vyasa Purnima, after the sage Veda Vyasa, who tradition holds was born on this day and who is credited with arranging the Vedas and composing the Mahabharata. Falling early in the monsoon, it opens the chaturmas season for many monastic traditions.
The word guru is often explained as one who removes darkness. Buddhists mark this full Moon as the day the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath after his enlightenment, and Jains honour it as the day Mahavira accepted his first disciple. In some yogic traditions it is the day Shiva, as the Adiyogi, first taught the seven sages. Across these threads, the shared idea is gratitude to those who pass on knowledge.
For students, disciples and ordinary families alike, Guru Purnima is less about ritual than about acknowledgement. People visit teachers, touch the feet of elders and spend time with the texts or practices a teacher gave them. Ashrams hold day-long satsangs, and many use the day to renew a commitment to study or practice. It is a quiet, reflective festival whose meaning travels well beyond any single tradition.
How it is observed
- Visiting one’s guru, teachers or elders to offer respect, with flowers, fruit or a gift (guru dakshina).
- Worshipping Veda Vyasa or one’s own line of teachers (guru parampara).
- Reading from the Gita, the Guru Gita or a text central to one’s tradition.
- Attending satsang, bhajans and discourses at ashrams and temples.
- Keeping a light fast or eating simple food, in some households.
- Beginning or renewing a course of study, music lessons or a spiritual practice.
- In some traditions, monks and nuns beginning the monsoon retreat of chaturmas.
How the date is fixed
Guru Purnima is Ashadha Purnima, the full Moon of Ashadha. Our calendar takes the day on which Purnima is running at sunrise, following the common rule that the tithi present at sunrise belongs to that day. Ashadha Purnima carries the same name in both the purnimanta and amanta calendars, so regions do not differ over which month it belongs to.
Where practice differs
In Hindu homes and ashrams the day honours Vyasa and one’s own teachers, while Buddhists in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka observe it as Asalha or Esala Poya, remembering the first sermon. In Nepal it is also marked in schools as a teachers’ day. Across India, music lineages in both the Hindustani and Carnatic traditions hold gatherings where students honour their gurus.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why is Guru Purnima also called Vyasa Purnima?
Tradition holds that the sage Veda Vyasa, who arranged the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata, was born on this full Moon. Honouring him is a way of honouring the first teacher of the tradition.
What do people do on Guru Purnima?
People visit and thank their teachers and elders, attend satsang at ashrams, and read or practise what their guru taught them. Some keep a light fast.
Is Guru Purnima only for spiritual gurus?
No. Many people use the day to thank school teachers, music teachers, parents and mentors as well. Buddhists and Jains also mark this full Moon with their own teachers in mind.