Guru Purnima mantra: verses to honour your teacher
Guru Purnima mantras with meaning: Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu, Akhanda Mandalakaram, Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah and the Guru Gayatri. On Sunday 18 July 2027.
The best-known Guru Purnima mantra is Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu, the verse that honours the teacher as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together. With it, people chant Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah, a short mantra of thanks to every teacher, and the Guru Gayatri. In 2027, Guru Purnima falls on Sunday 18 July.
Dates are for New Delhi; tithi timings shift slightly by city.
What Guru Purnima is
Guru Purnima is the full moon of Ashadha, kept as a day to thank the people who taught us. It is also called Vyasa Purnima, after Veda Vyasa, the sage who arranged the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata, and who is remembered as the first teacher of the tradition. Buddhists keep the same full moon as the day the Buddha gave his first teaching at Sarnath.
"Guru" is often explained as the one who removes darkness. Your guru may be a spiritual teacher, but the day belongs just as much to a school teacher, a music teacher, a parent, or anyone whose guidance changed your life. Many people visit their teacher, touch their feet or send a note of thanks, and spend some quiet time with a mantra.
Guru Purnima mantras
Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
गुरुर ब्रह्मा गुरुर विष्णु गुरुर देवो महेश्वरः गुरुर साक्षात्परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwarah, Gurur Sakshat Parabrahma Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah
"The teacher is Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector, and Shiva. The teacher is the Supreme itself, made visible: to that teacher, I bow." The most widely recited guru vandana, in homes, schools and ashrams. Traditionally chanted for devotion and self-discipline. Listen on Mahakatha.
Akhanda Mandalakaram
अखण्डमण्डलाकारं व्याप्तं येन चराचरम्। तत्पदं दर्शितं येन तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥ Akhanda Mandalakaram Vyaptam Yena Characharam, Tatpadam Darshitam Yena Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah
"To the teacher who showed me That which pervades the whole unbroken circle of the universe, everything that moves and does not move: to that teacher, I bow." From the Guru Stotram, and often recited just before or after Guru Brahma.
Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah
ॐ गुं गुरुभ्यो नमः Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah
"I offer my respect and gratitude to all the teachers, and to their lineage." Gum is the seed sound of the guru. Short enough for a full mala, and traditionally chanted for guidance and confidence in study. Listen on Mahakatha.
Guru Gayatri
ॐ गुरुदेवाय विद्महे ब्रह्मानन्दाय धीमहि तन्नो गुरुः प्रचोदयात् Om Gurudevaya Vidmahe, Brahmanandaya Dhimahi, Tanno Guruh Prachodayat
"We know the divine teacher, we meditate on the one who is the joy of the Supreme: may the guru light up our minds." Traditionally chanted for learning and remembering well. Listen on Mahakatha.
Medha Dakshinamurthi mantra
ॐ नमो भगवते दक्षिणामूर्तये मह्यं मेधां प्रज्ञां प्रयच्छ स्वाहा Om Namo Bhagavate Dakshinamurthaye Mahyam Medham Prajnam Prayaccha Swaha
"I bow to Lord Dakshinamurthi: grant me understanding and wisdom." Dakshinamurthi is Shiva as the silent teacher, seated facing south under a banyan tree, teaching through stillness. Traditionally chanted for focus and memory in study. Listen on Mahakatha.
Om Saha Navavatu
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ Om Saha Navavatu, Saha Nau Bhunaktu, Saha Viryam Karavavahai, Tejasvi Navadhitamastu, Ma Vidvishavahai, Om Shantih Shantih Shantih
"May we both be protected, may we both be nourished, may we work together with strength. May our study be bright, and may there be no ill will between us. Peace, peace, peace." From the Upanishads, the prayer that teacher and student say together before a lesson. Listen on Mahakatha.
How to keep Guru Purnima
- Begin early. After a bath, sit quietly before a picture of your teacher, a lamp, or simply an open book.
- Recite Guru Brahma and Akhanda Mandalakaram three times each, slowly.
- Chant Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah 108 times on a mala, holding in mind each teacher you are grateful for. New to the mala? See how to use a japa mala.
- Thank someone in person. Visit, call or write to a teacher. Many people offer flowers, fruit or a small gift, and touch their teacher's feet.
- Study something. Read a page of a book that matters to you, or sit in meditation. Using what you were taught is the truest thanks.
If you have been initiated by a teacher and given a personal mantra, chant that today: it comes before anything on this page.
Listen on the day
Mahakatha Radio plays mantras like these, day and night, free and without ads. On Guru Purnima, tune in while you sit. If a teacher of yours is unwell, or you want to remember one who has passed, you can offer a prayer to be read aloud on Prayer Requests, at 7:00 am or 7:00 pm India time. For students, see mantras for study.
Questions people ask
Which is the best guru mantra?
Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu is the most widely recited, and Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah is the simplest to chant 108 times. If your own teacher has given you a mantra, that one is best for you.
What is Premanand Maharaj ji's guru mantra?
A guru mantra given at initiation is personal and kept private by tradition, so we do not publish any teacher's initiation mantra. If you follow a teacher, ask within their community or ashram.
What is the guru vandana mantra?
Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwarah, Gurur Sakshat Parabrahma Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah. It is often paired with Akhanda Mandalakaram, from the same Guru Stotram tradition.
Which mantra pleases the guru?
A teacher is pleased less by words than by a student who learns and lives well. Chant Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah with gratitude, then put what you were taught into practice.
What is the root mantra of the guru?
Om Gum Gurubhyo Namah, built on Gum, the seed sound of the guru, is often called the guru's root mantra. Some astrologers also use ॐ ग्राँ ग्रीँ ग्रौँ सः गुरुवे नमः (Om Graam Greem Graum Sah Guruve Namah), the mantra of Brihaspati, the planet Jupiter.
Which is the number one most powerful mantra?
Many teachers would say Om, the sound from which every mantra begins. But the most powerful mantra for you is the one you chant regularly, with attention, and ideally one received from a teacher you trust.