The word "gayatri" refers to three things. 1 - A gayatri is a form of Vedic poetry consisting of 24 syllables. Many gods have a gayatri specific to them [some gods have more than one]. These deity gayatries will be discussed in later files. 2 - The Gayatri mantra [which is what this file will concern] is, quite possibly, the single most popular and important mantra in India. It is a hymn to the Sun and is recited for all purposes. 3 - GayatriDevi ["Devi" means Goddess) is the personifi- cation on the Gayatri mantra mentioned above. She is said to be the Shakti* of Brahma and a form of Saraswati. It is important to note, however, that the Gayatri mantra is not a mantra go the goddess Gayatri herself. *Shakti - The Sanskrit word "shakti", directly translated, means power or strength. On a deeper level, however, "Shakti" is the feminine force, Devi [I will capitalize the word when referring to this meaning]. Shakti is the force behind all action. The movement of my fingers on the keyboard, of my eyes across the screen, the pulse of my heart, these are all happening because of Shakti. Each deva [god] has his complimentary Shakti. While the two are often personified as husband and wife, they are actually inseparable parts of the same whole. Without his Shakti, a deva is powerless, a lifeless corpse. Conversely, if Shakti has no deva, she/it is unfocused power, incapable of acting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now that I've covered that side note, on to the Gayatri mantra. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The Gayatrî Mantra is first recorded in the Rig Veda (iii, 62, 10) which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and by some reports, the mantra may have been chanted for many generations before that." ~http://wahiduddin.net/mantra/gayatri.htm As mentioned above, the Gayatri mantra is a hymn to the Sun [Surya/Savitri]. It is also known as a mantra of illumination, both of the spirit and of the intelligence. Recitation of this mantra is said to aid in reaching enlightenment and to flood the spirit/aura with pure light [the energy of the Divine]. It is recommended that one chant the Gayatri mantra a minimum of three times a day, followed by "Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti", which instills the mind with peace and allows the mantra to work more effectively. The Gayatri mantra is purported to dispel sorrow and negativity/evil spirits, protect the person saying it, cure sickness, bring peace, raise spiritual vibrations, ward off misery, fulfill desires, bestow blessings, replace "lower" tendencies with more spiritually enlightened ones, etc. So, as you can see, the recitation of the Gayatri mantra is recommendable, even if it is said only three times a day [at least one full mala in the morning is preferable, but not necessary]. - http://www.sathyasai.org/devotion/prayers/gayatri.html One last thing to look at is the meaning of this mantra. The two websites above both have translations and there are many more descriptions of it's meanings, so I'll just give one of it's basic translations here. Aum - the sacred sound, the primordial sound of creation/ manifestation. Bhur - Earth (physical world) Bhuvaha - Atmospheric region (mental world) Swaha - Solar region (spiritual world) Mahaha - the casual/silent mind (also, the heart vibration) Janaha - the world of creativity (also, the power of the Divine, spiritual word) Tapaha - the world of intuition (also, realm of highest spiritual understanding) Satyam - the world of the Absolute, that which is beyond human comprehension. Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi Diyo Yonah Prachodayat - We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness; May it awaken our intuitional consciousness. (S. Krishnamurthy) Ok, so, now that you have a basic understanding of the mantra, what IS it? Well, this, too, varies. There are three different forms of the mantra that I have come across, but I have never found one to be any better than the other. I will present all three here and let you decide which one is best for you. The variations concern the invocation which is said before the actual gayatri [lowercase 'g', signifying the form of poetry] is said. There is a long form, a short form, and a form that blurs the invocation with the mantra itself. They are as follows: 1) Aum Bhur Aum Bhuvaha Aum Swaha Aum Mahaha Aum Janaha Aum Tapaha Aum Satyam Aum Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi Diyo Yonah Prachodayat 2) Aum Bhur Bhuvaha Swaha Aum Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi Diyo Yonah Prachodayat 3) Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swaha Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi Diyo Yonah Prachodayat Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Discourse on Gayatri
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