Gorakhpur: On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered his prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur on Sunday.
CM Adityanath was seen pouring milk on Lord Shiva and offering his prayers to Lord Gorakhnath at the temple. Adityanath also interacted with children, distributing chocolates on the temple premises.
Adityanath also took to X, wishing the people of the state on the occasion of Guru Purnima.
"Heartiest greetings to the people of the state on the sacred festival of 'Guru Purnima'! Guru's grace protects the disciple from all kinds of obstacles. It removes the physical, divine, and material sufferings of the surrendered disciple and grants him salvation. My heartfelt greetings and salutations to all the teachers," he said.
On the occasion of Guru Purnima, many devotees across the nation reached the temple to pay their respects and seek blessings from their spiritual teachers. They also took a dip in holy waters and paid their respects to their gurus.
In Uttar Pradesh, thousands of devotees took a dip in the holy Saryu river in Ayodhya. There was a similar situation at Prayagraj Sangam and Kanpur, where devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga.
Devotees were also seen offering their prayers to Lord Shiva in Garhmukteshwar. Devotees at Haridwar in Uttarakhand were also seen taking a holy dip in the Ganga River.
Speaking on this auspicious day, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Chief Priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, said, "It is a very significant festival. On this day, devotees visit the temples to pray in the name of their gurus and also take their blessings."
"There is a lot of pride in being called a guru... A guru's responsibility is to end the ignorance in their students and provide them with knowledge. The way God is worshipped, the same way one's guru should also be worshipped," he further added.
Today is also the end of the month of Ashadh and the beginning of the month of Sawan.
After taking a holy dip, devotees go to the temple. The devotees who have taken initiation from their guru and have taken Guru Mantra will go to their guru and worship them today.
Guru is considered an important link for the success of one's life. Thousands of people come to see their respected gurus on this day and please them by giving gifts to their gurus as per their abilities.
The belief behind this is that respecting the gurus on the day of Guru Purnima brings positive changes in life. There is also a tradition of taking the Guru Mantra on this day in Varanasi.
Today, i.e., on the day of Ashadha Purnima, bathing and giving donations are considered very auspicious.
Guru Purnima is also known as Ashadhi Purnima and Vyas Purnima because Maharishi Ved Vyas was born on this day.
A guru has special importance in this worldly life. This is the reason why, in Indian culture, a guru is considered more important than God. This festival is celebrated not only by Hindus but also by people of the Jain, Buddhist, and Sikh religions. In Buddhism, Lord Buddha gave the first Dharma Chakra Pravartan on this day.