Guru Purnima 2027

About Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima is the full moon of the lunar month of Ashadha, kept as a day to thank one's guru, whether a spiritual teacher, a music or dance guru, a coach or a parent. In 2027 it falls on Sunday, 18 July 2027. Hindus also call it Vyasa Purnima after the sage Veda Vyasa, Buddhists remember the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath on the same full moon, and many Jains keep it as the day Mahavira took his first disciple.

How the date is set

Guru Purnima falls on Purnima, the full moon, of Ashadha, between late June and late July. Panchangs usually choose the day on which the full-moon tithi, or lunar day, is current at sunrise. In 2026 the tithi began on the evening of 28 July, so the festival was kept on 29 July. The date moves by about eleven days a year and jumps later in a year with an extra lunar month, as 2026 had.

It is not among the central government's compulsory holidays, so offices and schools stay open, and many schools hold a morning assembly for teachers.

Vyasa, Shiva and the guru in Hindu tradition

Hindus call the day Vyasa Purnima and keep it as the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa. Tradition credits him with arranging the Vedic hymns into four Vedas, composing the Mahabharata, in which he also appears, and compiling the Puranas. Some Vaishnava texts count him among the avatars of Vishnu.

At Sringeri and at the Kanchi matha, the Shankaracharyas begin their rainy-season retreat with a Vyasa Puja on this day, worshipping the whole line of teachers that runs back to Vyasa.

Some yoga traditions tell a different story. The Isha Foundation teaches that on this full moon Shiva, as Adiyogi, the first yogi, turned south and began teaching the seven sages, the Saptarishis, beside Kanti Sarovar above Kedarnath. So some yoga students honour Shiva as Dakshinamurthy, the south-facing teacher, on Guru Purnima.

The verse most often recited on the day comes from the Guru Gita.

It says the guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the supreme reality itself, and bows to that guru. A popular reading of the word guru splits it into "gu", darkness, and "ru", the one who removes it.

The same full moon for Buddhists and Jains

For Buddhists, the full moon of Ashadha is the day the Buddha gave his first sermon, in the Deer Park at Sarnath near Varanasi, to five former companions. He taught the Four Noble Truths, and when one of the five asked to be ordained, the Sangha began. The Ministry of Culture calls it Dhamma Chakra Pravartana Divas, the first turning of the wheel of the Dhamma, and the second most sacred day for Buddhists after Buddha Purnima. The International Buddhist Confederation marks it at the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara in Sarnath. Thailand calls it Asanha Bucha and Sri Lanka, Esala Poya.

Many Jains keep the day as Guru Purnima because, in their tradition, Mahavira accepted the scholar Indrabhuti Gautama as his first ganadhara, or chief disciple, later revered as Gautama Swami. Jain accounts differ on the timing. In a Digambara account, Indrabhuti came to Mahavira on Vipulachal hill near Rajgir, and Mahavira's first sermon followed on Shravan Krishna Pratipada, the day after this full moon, which Digambaras keep as Veer Shasan Jayanti.

Why the guru stays put after this day

Guru Purnima sits at the start of the monsoon retreat all three traditions share. Hindu Chaturmas begins four days earlier, on Devshayani Ekadashi, and runs to Dev Uthani Ekadashi in Kartika. Hindu sannyasis count their own retreat from this full moon to the full moon of Bhadrapada and do not travel during it.

Jain monks and nuns settle in one place a day earlier, on Ashadha Shukla Chaturdashi, and stay until Kartika; Paryushan falls within these months. Buddhist monks begin the three-month Vassa the day after the full moon.

So the teacher stops walking and the disciples come to them, which is why ashrams and monasteries hold their largest gatherings now.

How people honour their gurus

In ashrams and mathas the day usually begins with a guru puja: washing or worshipping the teacher's feet or sandals (padapuja), singing the Guru Gita and bhajans, and sharing prasad. At Shirdi, where devotees regard Sai Baba as their sadguru, the Sai Baba temple holds a three-day festival, decorating the samadhi, Gurusthan, Dwarkamai and Chavadi.

In Hindustani music the bond with a guru is formalised by the ganda bandhan, when the teacher ties a coloured thread on the student's wrist. Hindu and Muslim musicians both keep this custom. On Guru Purnima students of music and dance visit their teachers, touch their feet, and often perform for them at a small baithak or a public concert.

In Nepal, Guru Purnima is Teachers' Day, and students garland their teachers.

Guru Purnima is not Teachers' Day, 5 September, which is Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday and honours schoolteachers, nor World Teachers' Day on 5 October. It comes from religious tradition and covers any guru, from a monk to a tabla master to a parent.

What to write on Guru Purnima

A good message names one thing the person taught you. Teachers forget the gifts and remember the student who wrote back years later.

Guru

A teacher, especially one who guides a student's spiritual or artistic life.

Shishya

A disciple or student in the guru's line.

Padapuja

Worship of the guru's feet or sandals, done on Guru Purnima in many ashrams.

Ganda bandhan

The thread-tying that binds a music student to a teacher in Hindustani music.

Chaturmas

The four-month rainy-season period of restraint, when monks and sannyasis stop travelling.

Vassa

The Buddhist rains retreat, which begins the day after this full moon.

Ganadhara

In Jainism, a chief disciple of a Tirthankara; Indrabhuti Gautama was Mahavira's first.

How to wish someone on Guru Purnima

A Guru Purnima wish is a thank-you to one person for what they taught you, so name the lesson. For a spiritual or music guru, open with "Pranam" and keep it humble. For a schoolteacher, coach, manager or parent, a plain, specific thank-you works better than devotional language. For Buddhist friends, "Happy Dhamma Day" or a line about the first sermon fits; for Jain friends, "Jai Jinendra" and good wishes for chaturmas.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Hindi + regional language.

When is Guru Purnima in each year?

Guru Purnima is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 11 days earlier than in 2026.

Frequently asked questions