Guru Purnima

Gurubrahma Guruvishnu Gururdevo Maheshwaraha |
Guruhu sakshaat Parambrahman tasmai Shrigurave namaha ||    

This is a well known Sanskrit shloka that has been taught to us when we were kids which tells the importance and revelation of a Guru. This shloka means Guru ( a teacher) is a representative of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadeo. Also he helps us to remove ignorance in our life by imparting knowledge. I offer my salutations to the Guru. 

Keertan

        Guru Purnima falls in the Hindu month of Ashadh. As a child on this day our Marathi teacher would make us chant the above shloka and would ask us to offer her a coconut that she herself would bring to school. It was a gesture to offer blessings to the students. On this day people pay respect to their Gurus be it the three headed Datta deity the incarnation of the trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh or Sai Baba. You could find kirthankars singing songs in praise of the Gurus and the trinity.

           A Keertan is a call and response chanting that is performed in a group. Traditional instruments are used in this performance – taal (cymbals), veena and the mrudang are few to name. The leader would normally be found standing in the center singing or giving discourses with the accompanists around him.

Leader with the Veena

Cymbals

Sant Namdeo and Samarth Ramdass (Guru of Chatrapati Shivaji) are the well known Keerthankars of Maharashtra.  A salute to all my teachers and every individual who has showed me the spark of knowledge in some phase of my life.