Guru Purnima - Vyasa Purnima

Name: Guru Purnima
Start: 2026-07-29
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

The full-moon day dedicated to the guru; morning worship of the teacher's feet.

Wednesday, 29 July 2026·Ashadha Shukla Purnima, at Pratahkala (morning)·Mumbai, Maharashtra

Main Muhurta★★★★★

Guru Puja - Pratahkala Muhurat

6:14 am – 8:50 am(2 hr 36 min)

Time to muhurta…

On the Day

Perform guru puja and paduka worship in the morning
Offer dakshina, flowers and service to the guru
Recite the Guru Gita and Vyasa's works
Take a vow of study or discipline for Chaturmas

Muhurtas

Guru Puja - Pratahkala Muhurat★★★★★

6:14 am – 8:50 am · 2 hr 36 min

Guru puja, paduka worship and offering of dakshina.

Why this rank: The morning window is the traditional time to worship the guru's paduka and take vows before the day's work.

Deity: One's GuruDo: Paduka worship, Recitation of the Guru GitaAvoid: Rahu Kalam

Abhijit Muhurat★★★★☆

Not available at this location

Alternative window for guru worship and sankalpa.

Why this rank: The auspicious solar-noon window; a reliable alternative for puja and vows.

Deity: Sage Vyasa

Auspicious Choghadiya★★★☆☆

Labh 6:14 am – 7:51 am
Amrit 7:51 am – 9:29 am
Shubh 11:07 am – 12:44 pm
Labh 5:37 pm – 7:15 pm

General auspicious activity, charity and study.

Why this rank: The day's good Choghadiya blocks for general auspicious activity.

This day's panchang

TithiShukla Purnima

NakshatraUttara Ashadha

YogaPriti

KaranaVishti (Bhadra)

MasaAshadha

SamvatVikram 2082

Significance

Importance

Guru Purnima is the day disciples honour their teacher - the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. Also called Vyasa Purnima, it marks the birthday of Sage Veda Vyasa, who compiled the four Vedas, wrote the Mahabharata and the Puranas, and is revered as the Adi Guru. The morning is set aside for guru puja, paduka (sandal) worship and the taking of vows, and it opens the four-month Chaturmas period of intensified study and austerity.

Religious significance

The guru is the bridge between the seeker and the divine; this day repays, in reverence and service, the debt owed to the teacher who imparts knowledge. It affirms that self-realisation is transmitted through an unbroken lineage rather than acquired alone.

Why it is celebrated

To express gratitude to one's guru and to Sage Vyasa, to renew the vow of disciplined study, and to begin Chaturmas.

The story

Sage Veda Vyasa was born on this Ashadha full moon to the sage Parashara and Satyavati. He divided the single primordial Veda into four - Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva - so that it could be preserved and taught, and composed the Mahabharata, the eighteen Puranas and the Brahma Sutra. Because he is regarded as the guru of all gurus, the day carries his name, Vyasa Purnima. In the parampara tradition the guru is seen as the living embodiment of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, and Dattatreya - the combined form of the trinity - is honoured as the archetypal teacher. Buddhists mark this same full moon as the day the Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, setting the wheel of Dharma in motion.

Who celebratesDisciples of every spiritual tradition, students, ashrams and monastic orders; also observed by Buddhists and Jains.

Where observedPan-India and wherever guru lineages are followed; ashrams and maths across the country hold special observances.

Associated deities

Sage VyasaDattatreyaOne's Guru

What to do

Avoid

Disrespect or ingratitude toward teachers and elders
Beginning the day's worship during Rahu Kalam
Tamasic food and indulgence on a day of restraint

Regional variations

Ashrams and maths hold grand guru puja and pada puja for the presiding acharya.
Buddhists observe it as the anniversary of the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath.
Nepal marks it as Guru Purnima with students honouring their schoolteachers.

Special notes

The day opens Chaturmas - four months of intensified study, austerity and vratas.
Fixed by the Ashadha Shukla Purnima; the guru worship is prescribed for the morning.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it also called Vyasa Purnima?

It is the birthday of Sage Veda Vyasa, the Adi Guru who compiled the Vedas and the Mahabharata.

What is the best time for guru puja?

The Pratahkala (morning) muhurat shown above; the Abhijit window is a good alternative.

Do I need a formal guru to observe it?

No - one may honour any teacher, elder or the divine as guru, and Sage Vyasa as the guru of all.

All timings are computed for Mumbai, Maharashtra and follow Drik-style rules (sunrise/sunset, Pradosh-vyapini placement, sthir-lagna muhurtas). Times shift with your location - change your city on the calendar to recompute.