|
|
AUM |
|
|
|
GAYATRI MANTRA
|
|
AUM |
|
|
|
Summary of the Mantra
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.
Aum = Brahma; bhoor = embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran); bhuwah = destroyer of sufferings; swaha = embodiment of happiness; tat = that; savitur = bright like sun; varenyam = best choicest; bhargo = destroyer of sins; devasya = divine; dheemahi = may imbibe; dhiyo = intellect; yo = who; Naha = our; prachodayat = may inspire;
Rishis selected the words of various Mantras and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power through their utterance. Gayatri Mantra inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". All the problems of a person are solved if he/she is endowed with the gift of righteous wisdom. Once endowed with far-sighted wisdom, a man is neither entangled in calamity nor does he tread the wrong path. A wise man finds solution to all outstanding problems. Only those persons who do not think correctly find difficulty and take wrong steps due to foolishness. Chanting of Gayatri Mantra removes this deficiency. The teachings and powers incorporated in the Gayatri Mantra fulfill this purpose. Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after chanting this Mantra.
Gayatri Mantra - By Words
Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri Devi is an incarnation of Saraswati Devi, consort of Lord Brahma, symbolising the "shakti" (strength) and "dev" (quality) of Knowledge, Purity and Virtue. Saraswati Devi is held to be the patronness of the Arts, being a poet and musician, as well as skillful composer. In the form of Gayatri Devi, with the blessings of Lord Brahma, she is believed to have given the four Vedas to mankind. The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayatri Devi also gave to mankind the "Gayatri Mantra", also known as the "Guru Mantra" and the "Savitri Mantra", one of the oldest mantras, and generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the Mother of the Vedas". It appears in Yajur Veda - Adhyaya (Chapter) 36, Mantra (Verse) 3.
Due to its great power, the Gayatri Mantra had become, over time, the sole property of the Brahmins, who abused their power to maintain a hold of the common people. The great Hindu reformer, Swami (often called Maharishi) Dayanand Saraswati however freed the mantra from the iron clutches of those corrupt people, and thus made it freely available to the entire world. Through this, as well as various other acts, he strove to distance the Hindu community from the false beliefs and superstitions that had crept into it, and bring about a reversion to the true, Vedic faith.
The Gayatri Mantra occupies a unique place in that it has both the power of mantra and of prarthana (prayer). It is important then in considering the Gayatri Mantra to distinguish the difference between these two deceptively similar words.
A mantra may be articulate or inarticulate, or a combination of them, as with AUM. It has an inherent power, known as "Mantra shakti", which has a positive influence not due to any philosophical meaning behind the mantra, but simply due to its utterance alone (of course, "utterance" may or may not be vocal or heard - it can be silent, expressed only in the mind, or at the deepest level, heard only by the soul itself).
As explained, a pure mantra may or may not have any actual meaning or philosophical significance, its power being intrinsic to the mantra itself, and not instrumental to any meaning. A prarthana ( Prayer) on the other hand does have a philosophical meaning behind it, and it is generally through this meaning that the prarthana (Prayer) has its power. Since the mantra is devoid of any kind of actual meaning, it cannot be conceptualized or visualised. This makes its understanding extremely difficult to the normal human mind, thus rendering its correct enunciation almost impossible to the untrained person. A prarthana (Prayer) however, having a meaning that can be comprehended through purely intellectual means, is far easier to be understood, since rational thought, unlike spiritual meditation is much more in the reach of the ordinary person. Thus, the method of prarthana (Prayer) is generally the form of worship used today.
The Gayatri, or Guru, Mantra possesses both the power of mantra and the power of prarthana, and thus has both an intrinsic power (i.e. "mantra shakti"), through its mere utterance alone, and also an instrumental power (ie "prarthana shakti"), which is derived from the exposition and understanding of its meaning and philosophical significance. The repeated and correct chanting of the Gayatri Mantra, with proper understanding of its meaning, is believed to be of the greatest good to the individual.
The Gayatri Mantra consists of fourteen words, each of which holds an important meaning...
Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
A basic translation can be given as...
Oh God, the Protector, the basis of all life, Who is self-existent, Who is free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles, Who pervades the Universe and sustains all, the Creator and Energiser of the whole Universe, the Giver of happiness, Who is worthy of acceptance, the most excellent, Who is Pure and the Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God, so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction.
The Gayatri Mantra can be broken down into six parts...
1.
AUM, the Supreme name of God. A full explanation of this has been given in another article.2.
BHUR BHUVAH SWAH. These three words collectively are known as the "Mahavyahriti". They express the nature of God, and demonstrate his inherent qualities:-BHUR
Firstly, the word Bhur implies existence. God is self-existent and independent of all. He is eternal and unchanging. Without beginning and without end, God exists as a continuous, permanent, constant entity.
Secondly, the word Bhur can also mean the Earth, on which we are born and sustained. God is the provider of all, and it is through His divine will that we our blessed with all that we require to maintain us through our lives.
Finally, Bhur signifies Prana, or life (literally, breath). God is That which gives life to all. Whilst He is independent of all, all are dependent on Him. It is God who has given us life, God who maintains us throughout our lives, and God alone who has the ability to take away our life, when He so chooses. The only permanent entity, all others are subject to His own will.
BHUVAH
Bhuvah describes the absolute Consciousness of God. God is self-Conscious as well as being Conscious of all else, and thus is able to control and govern the Universe.
Also, the word Bhuvah relates to God's relationship with the celestial world. It denotes God's greatness - greater than the sky and space, He is boundless and unlimited.
Finally, Bhuvah is also indicative of God's role as the remover of all pain and sufferings (Apaana). We see pain and sorrow all around us. However, through supplication to God, we can be freed from that pain and hardship. God Himself is devoid of any pain. Though He is Conscious of all, and is thus aware of pain, it does not affect Him. It is our own ignorance that makes us susceptible to the effects of Maya, or illusion, which causes us to feel pain. Through true devotion to God, we can be freed from the clutches of Maya, and thus be rid of pain and sorrow.
SWAH
Swah indicates the all-pervading nature of God. He is omnipresent and pervades the entire multi-formed Universe. Without Form Himself, He is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the physical world, and is thus present in each and every physical entity. In this way, God is able to interact with the Universe created by Him, and thus sustain and control it, ensuring its smooth and proer running and function.
Also, Swah symbolises God's bliss. All but God experience pain, suffering and sorrow. Devoid of all such things, God alone is able to experience supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by humans is temporary, a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon dissolves back into the mire of worldy troubles. Perfect, and without any form of deficiency, God alone experiences true bliss, permanent and unaffected by worldly pains and woes. One who realises God is able to join in this bliss, and thus God is able to impart true happiness to those who establish oneness with that Supreme Divinity.
The Mahavyahriti can be summed up by comparison to the word AUM itself, and through this comparison to the tripartite structure, can be compared to the essential nature of God, which differentiates Him from the other two entities recognised in that structure (namely, matter and soul), in the same way as the comparison between the three parts of the word Satchidananda, another name also used to describe God...
· BHUR Prana Earth Sat Existence
· BHUVAH Apana Sky Chit Consciousness
· SWAH Vyana Heaven Ananda Bliss
A fuller explanation of this tripartite structure ("Traita-vada") has been given elsewhere, in the discussion of the word AUM.
3.
TAT SAVITUR, a reference again to God Himself:-TAT
Literally, this word means "that", being used in Sanskrit to denote the third person. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Sri Krishna Himself, where He implies the selfless nature of the word. Being used in the third person, the word has implicit in it an idea of selflessness. Sri Krishna uses it to imply the selfless nature of charity (charity, or a gift, being used as an analogy for worship, in the form of action, implying that action should be preformed without regard to its fruits, but simply out of devotion and sense of duty, or Dharma).
Tat then is used here in the Gayatri Mantra to indicate that the worshipper is referring to [that] God, and that the praise being offered to God in the prayer is purely directed towards Him, without thought of gaining any personal benefit from that praise.
SAVITUR
Savita, from which Savitur is derived, is another name of God, this being the reason that the Gayatri Mantra is often known as the Savitri Mantra.
The implication of Savita is of God's status as the fountain, the source of all things. It is through His Divine Grace that the Universe exists, and so this word sums up the Mahavyahriti, by describing God's ability to create the Universe and sustain it, as well as, at the right time, bring about its dissolution.
Savita is also indicative of God's gift to mankind. Humans also have, in limited amount, the power, or shakti, of Savita. This shakti acts as an impetus in humans, and brings about the requirement for them to do something. They cannot sit idle, and are constantly searching for something to do. This is what is commonly known as the "creative urge". It is through this shakti that mankind has created art, and it is through this shakti also that scientific advances are made. The gift of Savita also gives creatures the ability of procreation. Hence, Savita can be thought of as meaning Father (or Mother) also.
Finally, it is the power of Savita that enables mankind to distinguish right from wrong, and vice from virtue. Through this ability, we are able to in some part direct our own selves, and thus, Savita imparts to us a certain self-guiding ability. Thus, by using this word in the mantra, we demonstrate that we are making efforts ourselves also, since God will not help us unless we are willing to help ourselves.
4.
VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA. This triplet is a further description of the attributes and qualities of God, this time related, rather then to intrinsic qualities, to His functional and instrumental qualities, and through those qualities, His relationship to us, His Creation:-VARENYAM
Varenyam signifies our acceptance of God, and can be translated as meaning "Who is worthy". Ever ready to obtain all the material riches of the world, more often than not, they are a disappointment once they have been achieved. God however is the one who, once realised and achieved, has the ability to truly satisfy. We therefore accept Him as the highest reality, and it is to Him that we dedicate our efforts.
Varenyam can also be interpreted as signifying one who is eligible. We have chosen Him to be our Leader and our Guide. We place our all into His hands, and accept Him regardless of anything else. We place no conditions on this acceptance, as it is all out of sheer devotion.
BHARGO
Bhargo is taken to signify the Glorious Light that is God's love and power. It indicates His complete purity.
Being absolutely pure Himself, God also has the ability to purify those that come into contact with Him. Thus, Bhargo is indicative of God's power to purify, and to destroy all sins and afflictions. In the same way as a metal ore placed into a fire will yield the pure metal, by merging with God, by realising His Divine Form and establishing unity and oneness with Him, we can cleanse ourselves and be made pure by His Grace.
Though the soul, being itself Divine in nature, possesses that Light, it lacks lustre, having been made impure by the sins and vices, which are a result of the darkness of Maya. By removing the veil of Maya, and cleansing our soul, God can enable the soul to realise its true, Divine self, and thus purify it.
DEVASYA
The word Deva, from which this word is derived, has been translated by different people in many different ways. It is generally thought of as meaning simply "God". However, its meaning is more complex than that.
Deva, which forms the root of the words "Devata" and "Devi", means "quality" or "attribute", and can be thought of as another word for "Guna". Thus it is that the various Forms of God are given this name, as each of those Forms is related to a specific quality and function (for example, Brahma has the quality of Creation, Kamadeva has the quality of love, etc.). Also, Deva is thus used to describe anyone who is considered to possess a special quality.
Since Deva is symbolic of the individual qualities of God, the word demonstrates the inherent oneness of those different Forms, and thus the use of this word can be taken as describing the fundamental unity of God. Thus we see that here, we reaffirm that central belief in the Hindu Dharma that "Ekam sat viprah bahudah vadanti" (Truth, or God, is one, but wise men call Him/It by diffeerent names).
Thus, Deva is indicative of the various multifaceted entity that is the absolute Personality of God. It describes in one word all the functions, roles and different attributes of God, and symbolises therefore his absolutely essential nature - without God, nothing can exist.
5. DHIMAHI
, meaning to meditate and focus the mind on God.Meditation on God implies that we remove all other thoughts from our mind, since thoughts of the world render our mind impure, and thus we are unable to conceptualise the absolute purity of God. We must be able to concentrate, and direct our mental energies towards the task in hand - ie communion with God. In this, we demonstrate that God is the most important thing to us, and that we value Him above all else.
6. DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT.
Prayer is carried out for four main reasons:
· to praise and glorify God;
· to thank God;
· to ask forgiveness from God;
· or to make a request from God.
Having carried out the other three parts (praise of His greatness, thanks for His generosity in Creation and maintaining us through our lives, and forgiveness by demonstrating our awareness of our own impurity, which we have realised is present and must be cleansed through contact with God), this part is now our request from God. Since our soul is the Light of Life within us, and that acts on our body via the medium of the brain, we ask God to make this contact pure and righteous. The soul is of course inherently pure, being itself Divine in nature. The body is under the complete control of the mind. The link is the mind, which is affected not only by the soul, but also the outside world. We ask in these four words that God help us to improve our intellect, and guide it towards what is right.
DHIYO
Sanskrit for "intellect", this is the essence of this part of the Gayatri Mantra. Having firmly set God in our hearts, we now must try to emphasise His presence and influence on our mind and intellect.
Material prosperity holds no true meaning for the person who is truly devoted to God. Pain and suffering are of no consequence to him as, touched by God, he is imbued with God's own Divine Bliss, and all worldy sorrows pale to nothingness in comparison. However, still the individual must live in the world. Thus, it is important that the person's intellect remains focussed on serving God, and that it is able, through the medium of the body, to serve God to the best of its ability.
Physical objects can be obtained very easily, if one is intelligent enough to know how to go about it. Intellect however cannot be obtained, but must be there from the very first. It is by use of this intellect, in fact, that one is able to cultivate all other qualities (building of wealth, "success" in life (in material terms), physical fitness, etc.) Thus, intellect is the key to all else in life, and as such, it is the most important possession. We ask God in the Gayatri Mantra to gift us with the highest intellect, and to help us by showing us the way to use that intellect.
YO
Meaning "Who" or "That", Yo signifies yet again that it is not to anyone else that we direct these prayers, but to God alone. Only God is worthy of the highest adoration, only God is perfect and free from all defects. It is That God to Whom we offer these prayers.
NAH
Nah means "Ours", and signifies the selflessness of the request we make of God in this part of the Gayatri Mantra. We offer this prayer, and make the request of God, not simply for ourselves, but for the whole of humanity. We seek the uplift of the whole of society. Hindu philosophy has since the beginning recognised the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - "The whole world is one big family". Thus, we pray not only for ourselves, but for each and every member of that great family, that we may all benefit from the greatness and generosity of the All-loving God.
PRACHODAYAT
Prachodayat, the final word of the Gayatri Mantra, rounds off the whole mantra, and completes the request we make of God in this final part. This word is a request from God, in which we ask Him for Guidance, and Inspiration. We ask that, by showing us His Divine and Glorious Light (cf. BHARGO), He remove the darkness of Maya from our paths, that we are able to see the way, and in this manner, we ask Him to direct our energies in the right way, guiding us through the chaos of this world, to find sanctuary in the tranquility and peace of God Himself, the root of all Happiness, and the source of true Bliss.
OM-the mantra which is the basis of all mantras and the moola mantra-Gayatri mantra.
There are three types of mantras: mantras,
which give tamsic, rajsic, and sattvic qualities. Gayatri Mantra belongs to the
third kind. Gayatri Mantra is the most sacred of all mantra in the Vedic texts
and is often referred to Moola Mantra. Gayatri = Gaya + tri ( singer +
protectors), meaning, 'She who protects or saves the singer.' Gayatri
Mantra is the sixteenth sutra in the third mandala of the Rig Veda.
A detailed explanation of Gayatri Mantra is given here.
Aum is the basic mantra of all Sanskrit mantras. It refers to A(jagrat), U(swapna), and M(sushupti). The three regions refer to the three planes of existence, physical, astral and casual. The silence, which follows each utterance of Aum, suggests the state of Absolute Being, or Brahman, which is the source and end of everything.
CHANTING OF
GAYATRI MANTRA
When an individual is first born from the
mother's womb, this is the natural type of birth. This is the natural state.
This is the first birth as such. After you have been given the Gayatri Manthra,
the dawn of a second birth emerges in your life. What is this Gayatri Mantra? It
is the very quintessence of the Vedas. Verily it is the mother of the Vedas. The
meaning of the syllable "Ga" is Jiva. Gayatri is that which protects
and fosters all life forms. You must realise therefore that on being given this
Gayatri Manthra, you have been given a second birth.
When you start chanting this Manthra in
conformity with certain rules and code of conduct, you will certainly be able to
reach a state in fulfillment of this Manthra. You arrive at a new stage, the
third stage, which is called the Vipra. At this stage you begin to chant the
Vedas.
TIME FOR CHANTING
It has been laid down that this Gayatri
Mantra has to be chanted three times every day: during the sandhyas of early
morning, afternoon and evening. Sandhya means the conjunction of two stages of
time. Pratah Sandhya is the time when transition from the night to the day takes
place. Likewise evening sandhya is the time when the day slides into the night.
Madhyanna Sandhya is the time when the morning and afternoon are connected.
Man is the embodiment of three Gunas. These
three attributes are not confined to man as such; even time has these
attributes. Time also has Sathwa, Raja and Tamo Gunas. What do we mean by time
having Satwa guna? All these three attributes have 24 hours to go by in a day.
Each of these three Gunas takes up 8 hours by itself i.e. , Satwa has 8 hours,
Rajasik has 8 hours and Tamsik has 8 hours. What are these 8 hours of Satwik
time? When you designate the period from 4 a m to 8 a m the intervening 4 hours
are Satwik. In like manner, the time between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. is also Satwik.
These two stretches of 4 hours apiece are Satwik hours. The time from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m.is Rajasik. It is during this time that all life forms
keep doing whatever has to be done by them. Not only men, but also animals and
the like do what is expected of them during these 8 hours. The factory worker,
the farmer, the agriculturist and anybody that one can think of has to work
during these 8 hours of Rajasik time. So we find that every individual has an
experience of this Rajasik time
Then we have the time from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
during the night. This is the Tamsik time. That it is indeed Tamsik we know from
our experience. The chief quality that is associated with this time is sleep.
Sleep is being equated to Tamsik in this analysis.
It is during the Satwik time viz., from 4 a
m .m and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. that we should undertake our sacred and noble
duties. This will sanctify our life. We should understand and appreciate how
time has been divided for various activities and only then can we realise the
true nature of our existence. This Gayatri Manthra has to be taken up for
chanting at any time during the period of from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., and then at any
time between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
lt is absolutely necessary that you chant
this Gayatri Mantra either in the early hours of the morning or in the evening
hours. During the mid-day also it can be taken up for chanting, but for certain
purposes. When you look upon it as a Sadhana, it is the morning and evening
hours, which are sacred for chanting.
You should chant this Mantra at least
three times in the morning hours and three times in the evening time.
When you do this, you can certainly free yourselves from the fruits of your
Karma. It is said that a day's chanting takes care of all the ill effects of the
day's Karma. To illustrate this point, let me cite an example.
When you go and buy a certain thing on loan, not only does the loan amount increase, but also the interest on it goes up. On the other hand, if you were to barter something for the item at the shop, there is no loan to be cleared, nor is there any interest to be paid. When you have borrowed something on loan, then you find that whatever you have earned has to be given for repayment of the loan, and the interest thereof. So, when you try and clear your debts as and when you buy a certain thing, then there is no loan nor is there any interest to be paid back. In the same manner, chanting Gayatri three times in the morning and three times in the evening hours before you go to bed would take care of all your errors in the form of loan and interest to be cleared off. By chanting this Manthra with this feeling you can certainly transcend Your Karma, you can even reach the state of Nishkama Karma. You can sanctify your life in this manner. Therefore, in order that you may understand the significance and reap the benefits of chanting Gayatri, you should know the significance of the morning and evening hours. There are those who feel that they do not have the time either in the morning or in the evening, to chant Gayatri. You do have the time indeed! Where there is a will, there is a way, it is said. We do fritter away a lot of our time. A fraction of your time that you waste, if directed to chanting Gayatri, can purify your life. You do have a bath every day. So, even as you bathe, if you chant this Manthra, you are not only chanting this Manthra and deriving the benefits thereof, but it becomes a form of worship. So also, in the afternoon, if you were to chant this Manthra as you eat your food, the meal becomes sanctified- the food becomes a Naivedya. You may or you may not chant any other Manthra, but do remember that chanting the Gayatri is beneficial and you can experience this yourself.
It Has Great Beneficial
Effects
Who is this Gayatri
Mata? She is the personified unity of the triumvirate divinity - Gayatri,
Savitri and Saraswati. Gayatri is also known as the five-faced divinity. The
first face signifies Om. The second is Bhur Bhuvah Svah. Tat Savitur Varenyam is
the third face. Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi is the fourth face. Dheeyo Yo Nah
Prachodayat is the fifth face. This is the Pancha Mukhi Swaroopam, the
five-faced divinity. From these five faces emanate the five life forces, Pancha
Pranas. These five life forces are fostered and protected by Gayatri and
therefore She is called the benefactor and the protector. During the time She is
protecting thus, She is called "Savitri." You may have read about the
story in the epics that Savitri protected Satyavan.
Who is this Savitri?
She is the Pancha Prana Swroopini. This truly means that Savitri protects and
guides those who lead a life of truthfulness. When She tries to improve your
qualities, She is called Gayatri; when She protects and fosters your word, She
is called Saraswati. Therefore, this Goddess protects the intellect, the life
force and the word, and thus in every way She protects the individual at all
times.
Today you have been given this Gayatri
Mantra. It is verily a day when you are having your second birth. Purify and
sanctify your second life and then you become eligible for the third stage of
Viprathwa. From there you will proceed to the stage of attaining Brahma. "Brahmavid
Brahmaiva Bhavathi" - how do you attain this state? You can attain in only
when you have understood your own nature. When you ask the question, `when do we
become deserving to attain the state of Brahma?' then can you understand this.
Before being married, a girl would be an ordinary person. After the marriage,
she has the privilege of claiming half of whatever her husband has, as a matter
or right. What is it that marks out from the earlier stage of being an alien and
the latter stage of married life when she can claim something by right? A sacred
thread tied to her neck, the Mangal Sutra, confers that right on her. In the
same manner, so long as you have not reached the state of surrender, you are an
alien to the Lord. Once you have put the thread of surrender around your neck,
you become One with Him, and you have earned the right to, and can demand from
God, half of whatever He has. Therefore, through your own efforts you should try
and reach the state of surrender to GOD. How is it possible, you might ask, by
chanting this Gayatri continuously, to reach the state of fulfillment and sense
of feeling that you have received something?
There is an inner meaning in giving this
Gayatri Mantra to young people. We have in this Mantra the concluding words,
Dheeyo yo nah Prachodayat. The meaning is this: Before you were given this
Mantra, you may have been backward intellectually, or were a bit lazy. But now
that you have been given this Mantra, you become sharper in intellect, become
more zealous, more enthusiastic, and certainly become more qualified for scaling
greater heights in acquiring knowledge.
End Result
Before the Sun rises, everything is
enveloped in darkness. Even as the rays of the Sun dispel this darkness, so also
the chanting of this Gayatri dispels all darkness and ignorance. The rays of
this Sun dispel the area of darkness. Darkness has no place where the rays of
the sun reach out. So also once your intellect blossoms forth by virtue of your
having been given this Manthra, your intellectual rays will dispel the
ignorance, which has been persisting in you, will drive away all darkness and
endow you with intelligence.
