Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of NZ Inc is celebrating Shri Guru Poornima Festival on Saturday, July 24, at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, in Auckland.
The day starts with Kakad Aarati at 6.30am, followed by two major events - Ganapathi Homam (havan) and Sai Satyavrata pooja - before Madhyan (mid day) Aarati.
Dhoop Aarati will be followed by Bhajans and Palki seva (palanquin procession at 7pm). Day finishes with Sej Aarati followed by Mahaprasad. Mahaprasad is also served after Ganapathi Homam (breakfast) and Madhyan Aarati (lunch).
Guru Poornima is being celebrated as a three-day event in Shirdi starting on July 24 and temple officials say they are delighted to inform that all the baba devotees in New Zealand are blessed by Baba to be able to start the celebrations on the same day as Shirdi and also conducting the Palki Seva (palanquin procession) on the same day as in Shirdi.
Saibaba Temple would like to invite all the devotees to join along with family and friends in this celebrations. Baba devotees desiring to participate in Ganapathi Homam and Sai Satyavrata pooja, please contact Ravi on 09 845 3239 or secretary@saibabatemple.org.nz
For any further information, contact the secretary on 09 845 3239.
Guru Poornima background
Guru Poornima (Poornima means full-moon) is the one which disciples and devotees honour and felicitate their guru and seek his or her special blessing. Although it is of great importance in Shirdi, perhaps because it is the only festival which Baba asked us to celebrate.
The festival originated in the Buddha’s time when the monks used to take diksha (instructions on their spiritual practice) at the beginning of the rainy season. The practice was then borrowed be the Jain tradition and later the Hindus.
Hindus’ Puran says that programme respecting or worshiping “Guru” on this day started at the time of “Vyas” writer of Mahabharat Baba asserted the significance of this day indirectly.
(sourced from Shrisaibabasansthan.org)