Significance of Guru Pooja

.........Hindus have always, in general been driven by their soul. By looking within and stirring the depths of the soul Hindus have been able to discover the all the wonders and the miracles of the universe. At the same time they have been able to appreciate the universe and accept the responsibility to preserve the God's creation. The basis of Dharma is in essence a unique pooja. That the well being of something else guarantees also personal well being also.

However, we have become totally material driven. Our views of the universe is so narrow, it has become very 'me, myself and I'. This is a very primitive view of life and the universe. The act of giving is only a limited gesture of charity when the external circumstance drives.

The Hindu value and Dharma dictates a continual act of giving.
Our Sangh work is nothing but the living practice of these ideal Hindu values. The reason for this is simple. We are driven by our conscience and not by the external senses and the desires. The working in the shakha awakens and stirs our souls to the depths and drives us.
Our Guru Puja Utsav, the Dakshina is an expression of this element of giving. The utsav can be looked at in isolation, as the one-off event and ritual of offering a monetary donation.

On the other hand it is far complex, and intense. The swayamsevak live by this sentiment of giving and submitting himself for the whole of society (symbolised as the god himself) and represented in the form of the Bhagwa Dhwaj. Now the monetary donation is considered as 'Gangajali', a culmination of smaller collection throughout the year, and a spiritual act. A sense of humility dawns on him. This aspect of giving is call 'Dhan daan' And this is simple the first step in the act of sacrifice and is the most easiest to achieve.

The next phase in ones life is to give more time for the work of Sangh and the service of samaj.

When a swayamsevak becomes attached to the nature of giving through the dakshina, he
immediately starts to think deeper. This aspect enables him to focus more on the work and spend more time. The third phase is when one is totally convinced of his role in holy work, he is prepared to sacrifice everything. You see the examples of Vivekananda and Chhatrapati Shivaji who have attained this height.

The role of the senior karyakartas and the shakhas is simply to awaken the souls and stir the innermost. Once the conscience is stirred the rest simply follows. The fountain that springs out is in all forms of contribution, which in simple terms can be identified as the guru puja of the s/sevak. The once a year ceremony is just symbolic. The real puja is all year round.

In short the level of Guru Puja is determined by the strength of the shakhas. How awakened are the s/sevaks in relation to the understanding of the cause? How far deep has there been the soul searching exercise? The answer to these questions determines the puja and the dakshina. The reason for our success is based on winning the hearts and minds of s/sevaks, and not on any isolated fund raising activities.

Source: HSS UK