Guru Puja Celebration – Sunday, April 1st, 2012 -10AM-1PM

Guru Puja (literally “worship of the guru”) the practice of worshiping the guru through the making of offerings and requesting inspiration from the guru. Vows and commitments made by the disciple or shishya, which might have lost their strength, are renewed. In the Saiva Sidhandha, the 63 Nayanmars (devotional poets of Tamil speaking lands) are considered the apostles of the Bakthi Movement (worship through loving devotion of God). Through their efforts the Bakthi Movement spread across the Tamil lands.

Murugan Temple has been celebrating the Guru puja every month and once a year we celebrate all the Guru’s that helped instill the beauty and simplicity of worshiping our dear God through devotion and love. We celebrate by reading their wonderful poems. We celebrate by recognizing their contribution to our wonderful thread that connects us all that we call – faith. We celebrate by recognizing their hardships they endured to express their love and devotion to their faith and to God.

We hope you would join us in this annual Guru Puja celebration. To learn more about Guru Puja and the 63 Nayanmars visit the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayanars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti_movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru

Guru and God both appear before me. To whom should I prostrate?
I bow before Guru who introduced God to me.

-Kabir

Guru is Shiva without his three eyes,
Vishnu without his four arms
Brahma without his four heads.
He is parama Shiva himself in human form

– Brahmanda Purana

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara. Guru Sakshath Parambrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha. (tr: Guru is the creator Brahma, Guru is the preserver Vishnu, Guru is the destroyer Siva. Guru is directly the supreme spirit — I offer my salutations to this Guru.)

– Adi Shankara