If Indian tradition has accorded the highest respect and pride of place to the teacher, it is Lord Dakshinamurthy who is looked upon and worshipped as the divine personification of the supreme ‘Guru’ or world teacher in the Hindu pantheon, says well-known poet and spiritual speaker M K Ramanan on the significance of Guru Peyarchi.
One of the 25 incarnations of Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in three forms – Moha (desire-Somaskandar), Yoga (Dakshinamurthy) and Gora (destructive-Veerabadran and Bhairavar) – this silent and supreme being is considered to be the fountainhead of all knowledge and wealth (Vidyadharan and Dhanadaran). “In Tamil Nadu, the worship of Dakshinamurthy goes back to more than 2,500 years. Sangam literature refers to him as Alamar Kadavul,” Ramanan says.
Dakshinamurthy, literally meaning one who is facing south (dakshin), uses his yoga prowess to help his devotees in defeating the cycle of birth and death. “Since he is facing south, he destroys both kama and yama, which are believed to be located in that direction.”
Add to that is the looming presence of another ‘Guru’ figure – Brihaspati or Jupiter – in the Navagraha or Zodiac system of Hinduism. “Brihaspati, son of Sage Angiras, was the guru of the Devas and leader of the planets,” the writer points out. “He was human. But with the passage of time, the divine and celestial beings got merged. Today, the two Gurus are mentioned and worshipped in the same breath,” he points out.
Quoting the traditional dictum ‘Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam’, Ramanan says that it is the teacher who helps a human being, brought to the world by the mother and father, to reach God. “Guru arul indri thiruvarul Illai (Sans a teacher’s blessing there can be no divine benediction),” he mentions another oft-quoted saying. “Any wonder then that among all the nine planets, it is Jupiter which is the biggest.”
Waxing eloquent on the position of gurus in ancient India, he said that students approached the teachers in the gurukuls and sat at their feet to acquire knowledge. “Now, with the commercialisation of education, it is the teachers who go to the homes of students to take tuition,” he rues. “In the class, the teacher stands while the students remain seated.”
Although the two gurus are spoken off in the same breath, Guru Peyarchi indicates the transit of the Navagraha ‘Guru’ or planet Jupiter from one Raasi to another Raasi. Jupiter sojourns in one Raasi for a year and then moves to the next one. This year, the Guru is transiting from Rishaba Raasi to Midhuna Raasi. However, there seems to be no unanimity on the time of transit.
According to one calculation based on Thirukkanitha Panjangam, Guru Peyarchi takes place on May 30 at 8.16 pm. According to the Suddha Vaakiya Panjangam, Guru Peyarchi takes place at 9.18 pm on May 28.
While the Guru’s transit influences and gives varying benefits to different raasis, people should not fall prey to the machinations of fake astrologers, Ramanan warns.