Guru Purnima 2027: Sunday 18 July

Guru Purnima, the full moon on which teachers are honoured, falls on Sunday 18 July 2027. It is the Purnima of the month of Ashadha, and is also called Vyasa Purnima, after the sage Veda Vyasa, to whom the tradition credits the arrangement of the Vedas and the Mahabharata. This article shows how the day is chosen, gives the timings the site's panchang works out for New Delhi, and adds a short note for each Moon sign.

How the day is chosen

A tithi is the time the Moon takes to gain 12° on the Sun; the fifteenth tithi of the bright fortnight, when the Moon stands opposite the Sun, is the Purnima. Tithis do not keep to civil days, so the almanacs need a rule, and for Guru Purnima the rule is the simplest one: the day on whose sunrise the Purnima holds.

In 2027 the Ashadha Purnima begins at 18:48 IST on Saturday 17 July and ends at 21:14 IST on Sunday 18 July. At sunrise on the 17th the tithi was still the Chaturdashi; at sunrise on the 18th, 05:34 IST in New Delhi, it is the Purnima, and it holds through the whole day. So Guru Purnima is Sunday 18 July. Drik Panchang gives the same day, with the Chaturdashi ending at 06:48 PM on the 17th and the Purnima at 09:14 PM on the 18th: the same minutes the site's panchang gives.

The month is Ashadha in both reckonings, the amanta and the purnimanta, since a full moon ends the bright half of the same month in either. The site's panchang shows both names every day.

The day's timings for New Delhi

• Purnima: 18:48 IST, 17 July to 21:14 IST, 18 July.
• Sunrise: 05:34 IST. Sunset: 19:20 IST.
• Nakshatra at sunrise: Purva Ashadha, until 11:18 IST, then Uttara Ashadha.

Many people keep a fast or a simple meal through the day and worship their teacher, or the teacher's image, in the morning. The Purnima's evening, when the full moon rises in the east as the Sun sets, is a natural time for a lamp and a prayer. Sunrise, sunset and moonrise change with your place, so check your own city on the panchang page.

The sky that day

The day before, at 05:48 IST on 17 July 2027, the Sun entered Cancer: the Karka Sankranti. In the older, sidereal reckoning that is the start of Dakshinayana, the Sun's southern course, and on the site's panchang the Vedic ayana turns from Uttarayana on the 17th to Dakshinayana on the 18th. (Reckoned by the seasons, as Drik Panchang reckons it, Dakshinayana began at the June solstice.) So Guru Purnima this year falls on the first full day of the Sun's month in Cancer, which lasts until 17 August.

At sunrise the Moon is in Sagittarius, a sign ruled by Jupiter, and the Sun is in Cancer, the sign of Jupiter's exaltation. Jupiter itself, the guru among the planets, is in Leo, which it re-entered on 26 June 2027 after a few months back in Cancer. Saturn is in Aries, Mars in Virgo, and the nodes in Capricorn and Cancer, Ketu keeping company with the Sun. None of this decides the festival; it is what the sky holds while teachers are honoured.

Observances

The heart of the day is gratitude to the people who taught us: a spiritual teacher, a parent, a school teacher or anyone whose guidance shaped a life. Visiting them, touching their feet where that is the custom, offering fruit, flowers or a gift, and spending some of the day in study are all ways of keeping it. In monastic traditions it is also the start of the four months of the rainy-season retreat.

In the site's table of correspondences the planet of teachers is Jupiter. The observances its reference lists for Jupiter fit the day well: the worship of Lord Brihaspati or Lord Vishnu with turmeric and yellow flowers, the mantra "Om Gurave Namah", and gifts of turmeric, gram dal, yellow cloth or books. Thursday is Jupiter's day, and these observances are usually kept on Thursdays; on Guru Purnima they suit any day. The yellow sapphire is Jupiter's stone, but whether you should wear it depends on your own chart, and the site's remedies page decides that from the planet's strength and lordship, never from a festival.

Your Moon sign

Count from the sign the Moon was in at your birth, your own sign being the 1st; a free birth chart tells you which it is. Two things are noted for each sign. The Sun's house is for the solar month that has just begun, the Sun in Cancer; the classical gochara table the site uses counts the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th as good for the Sun. The Moon's house is for sunrise on Guru Purnima: Chandrabala holds when the Moon is in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th or 11th from your Moon sign. Where it does not, nothing is forbidden; the day belongs to every student.

Aries Moon (Mesha). The Sun is in your 4th house this month, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; at sunrise the Moon is in your 9th, and Chandrabala does not hold. The 9th is the house of teachers themselves, so honour yours with a quiet visit or a letter.

Taurus Moon (Vrishabha). The Sun is in your 3rd house, a favourable house for the Sun; the Moon is in your 8th, and Chandrabala does not hold. Effort is rewarded this month; keep the day itself simple and devotional.

Gemini Moon (Mithuna). The Sun is in your 2nd house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 7th, so Chandrabala holds. Mind your spending this month; time with a partner or a mentor suits the day.

Cancer Moon (Karka). The Sun is in your 1st house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 6th, so Chandrabala holds. The Sun over your own sign asks for care of health, while the day itself is well supported.

Leo Moon (Simha). The Sun is in your 12th house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 5th, and Chandrabala does not hold. A month for rest and charity; study and teaching suit the day.

Virgo Moon (Kanya). The Sun is in your 11th house, a favourable house for the Sun; the Moon is in your 4th, and Chandrabala does not hold. Gains and friendships are supported this month; honour the teachers at home, parents first.

Libra Moon (Tula). The Sun is in your 10th house, a favourable house for the Sun; the Moon is in your 3rd, so Chandrabala holds. Work and standing are supported, and a mentor at work is worth thanking on the day.

Scorpio Moon (Vrishchika). The Sun is in your 9th house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 2nd, and Chandrabala does not hold. Respect for elders matters this month; speak gently and give generously.

Sagittarius Moon (Dhanu). The Sun is in your 8th house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 1st, so Chandrabala holds. Keep the month steady and careful; the full moon over your own sign makes the day itself a good one.

Capricorn Moon (Makara). The Sun is in your 7th house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 12th, and Chandrabala does not hold. Partnerships want patience; a reflective day of prayer suits you.

Aquarius Moon (Kumbha). The Sun is in your 6th house, a favourable house for the Sun; the Moon is in your 11th, so Chandrabala holds. A strong month for clearing obstacles, and a good day to gather with fellow students.

Pisces Moon (Meena). The Sun is in your 5th house, not one of the Sun's favourable houses; the Moon is in your 10th, so Chandrabala holds. Children and study ask for care this month; the day supports a fresh resolve in your work.

Use the tools

• The day's tithi, nakshatra, sunrise and moonrise for your city: panchang, with the Panchang Guide for background.
• Your horoscope for July, read from your Moon sign.
• Beginning a course of study? The muhurta finder looks for a good day.

General guidance for a Moon sign, not a personal reading. Timings are for New Delhi; check your own city on the panchang page.