New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on Guru Purnima to the nation on Monday night. "Greetings to all citizens on the occasion of Guru Purnima. On the auspicious day, we bow in reverence to all our gurus, who have played an important role in inspiring, moulding and shaping our society," he tweeted.

Guru Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Shakha Samavat in the Hindu calendar. The festival commemorates the goodness of spiritual gurus and teachers as devotees thank their gurus for enlightenment. It is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains every year. 

The day marks the first peak of the lunar cycle after the peak of the solar cycle.

The day is dedicated to spiritual and academic teachers, according to Hindu tradition. The word ‘guru’ means someone who removes all the darkness in our lives and brings out the light as ‘gu’ means darkness and ‘ru’ means removal of darkness.

The Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar also took to Twitter to share his thoughts about the relationship with a guru. He tweeted, “The relationship with the Guru is beyond action, speech and feelings. It's a connection of the very being. When you know this, you become calm and confident. #GuruPurnima.”