Gayatri
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Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, gāyatrī) is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. It may refer to:
- In Hinduism, a goddess, as a representation of the Parabrahman.
- The name of a Vedic poetic meter of 24 syllables (three lines of eight syllables each).
- A famous mantra from the Rigveda, attributed to Vishvamitra, in this meter, dedicated to Savitṛ ("impeller", an epithet of the sun).
- A mantra dedicated to a god in this meter, patterned on the eponymous mantra of Vishvamitra, instances of which are in the Maitrayani Samhita and the Taittiriya Aranyaka.
- Any hymn composed in this meter.
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[edit] Origin
Rishis selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of righteous wisdom through their utterance. The ideal times for chanting the mantra are three times a day - at dawn, mid-day, and at dusk. These times are known as the three sandhyas - morning, mid-day and evening. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times. However, one may chant it for 3, 9, or 18 times when pressed for time. The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the chakras or energy centres in the human body - hence, proper pronunciation and enunciation are very important.(reprinted with permission from *[1]). In general, Brahmarishi Vishwamitra is credited with the authorship of the Gayatri Mantra.
[edit] Gayatri Devi the Goddess
Originally the personification of the mantra, the goddess Gāyatrī is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and the consort of the God Brahma and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Veda Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahman himself, in the feminine form. Essentially, the Goddess is seen to combine all the phenomenal attributes of Brahman, including Past, Present and Future as well as the three realms of existence.[citation needed] Goddess Gāyatrī is also worshipped as the Hindu Trimurti combined as one. In Hinduism, there is only one creation who can withstand the brilliance of Aditya and that is Gāyatrī. Some also consider her to be the mother of all Gods and the culmination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Sarasvati.[citation needed]
Gāyatrī is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms:
- Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.
- Accompanied by a white swan, holding a book to portray knowledge in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of Education.
[edit] Gayatri Mantra
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The Gayatri Mantra is a highly revered mantra in Hinduism (second only to the mantra Om) and Adi Dharm religion. It consists of the prefix :oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः, a formula taken from the Yajurveda, and the verse 3.62.10 of the Rigveda (which is an example of the Gayatri mantra). Since all the other three Vedas contain much material rearranged from the Rig Veda, the Gayatri mantra is found in all the four Vedas. The deva invoked in this mantra is Savitr, and hence the mantra is also called Sāvitrī. In Atharva Veda, the Gayatri mantra is different from the regular Gayatri mantra.
By many Hindus, the Gayatri is seen as a Divine awakening of the mind and soul, and within it a way to reach the most Supreme form of existence, and the way to Union with Brahman. Understanding, and purely loving the essence of the Gayatri Mantra is seen by many to be one, if not the most powerful ways to attain God.
By Brahmos of the Adi Dharma religion, the Gayatri symbolises the pre-Aryan Unity of all forms of Godhead as Brahma "there is always infinite Singularity".[1]
[edit] Text
See Sanskrit for details of pronunciation.
- In Devanagari:
- ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः ।
- तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।
- भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
- धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
- In IAST
- oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
- (a) tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
- (b) bhargo devasya dhīmahi
- (c) dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt
- In IAST Long Form
- oṃ bhūr oṃ bhuvaḥ oṃ svaḥ oṃ maḥ oṃ janaḥ oṃ tapaḥ oṃ sat yaṃ
- (a) oṃ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
- (b) bhargo devasya dhīmahi
- (c) dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt
[edit] Translation
- (a, b) "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitr the God:"
- (c) "So may he stimulate our prayers."
Word-by-word explanation:-
- om The mystical Om syllable.
- bhū "earth"
- bhuvas "atmosphere"
- svar "light, heaven"
- tat "that"
- savitur devasya "of Savitr, the god" (genitives of savitr-, 'stimulator, rouser; name of a sun-deity' and deva- 'god' or 'demi-god')
- varenyam accusative of varenya- "desirable, excellent"
- bhargo "radiance, lustre, splendour, glory"
- dhīmahi "may we attain" (1st person plural middle optative of dhā- 'set, bring, fix' etc.)
- dhiyaḥ naḥ "our prayers" (accusative plural of dhi- 'thought, meditation, devotion, prayer' and naḥ enclitic personal pronoun)
- yaḥ pracodayāt "who may stimulate" (nominative singular of relative pronoun yad-; causative 3rd person of pra-cud- 'set in motion, drive on, urge, impel')
Other translations, circumlocutions and interpretations:
- Valerie J. Roebuck (2003):
- We meditate on the lovely
- Glory of the god Savitr
- That he may stimulate our minds
How to worship: The mother gayatri lives in the gayatri loka which is a planet like our earth though not visible through any scientific instruments available todate on our earth.Then how can we reach towards our divine mother our ancients saints,rishi vishvamitra found a simple method to reach towards our divine mother and get her blessings through Gayatri Mantra.The mantra asks wisdom from mother which is a necessity in today's stressfull life.
- "Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light, that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."
- Kurma Purana, "freely translated" by Swami Vivekananda [3]
- "'We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds.' Om is joined to it at the beginning and the end."
- "O God, Thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme, sin destroying light; may Thou guide our intellect in the right direction."
[edit] Gayatri Mantra in World Religions
The Meaning of Gayatri Mantra Encompasses the Teachings of All Religions[7]
Hindu: God is the eternal source of life-force; Supreme embodiment of unalloyed bliss and Almighty destroyer of all worries and vices. Meditate upon the preeminent radiance of His pious inspiring power that will enlighten our intellect and motivate it towards the righteous path of elevation. (Rigveda 3|62|10; Yajurveda 36| 3; Samveda 1462)
Judaism: ‘O’ Jehova (God) Guide me on the path of religion (righteousness); Show me Thou way which is straight, noble and perfect. (Old Testament-Prayers 5|8)
Shinto: ‘O’ Lord! Our eyes might see indecent things and vices, but our hearts (inner minds) should be free from all evils and impurities. Our ears might hear what is immoral and profane, but our hearts should not perceive anything unholy or wrong. (Japanese Preaching)
Zoroastrianism: That Supreme Master (Ahurmazda – God) is the Supreme King because of His pure intelligence and truth. Executing altruist deeds in His name makes us beloved of God. (Avesta 27|13)
Dao (Taoism): Dao (the Supreme-Self: God) is beyond all perceptions and thoughts. Righteous conduct as per His disciplines is an ideal religion. (Dao Treatise)
Jainism: Revering salutations to all the Arhantas, the Siddhas, the Acharyas, and the Upadhyays (all of whom are enlightened masters). Revering salutations to all the saintly beings. (Invocation Prayer)
Buddhism: (For ultimate peace and joy) Surrender to buddha – the enlightened awareness; Surrender to dhamma – the inner righteousness; Surrender to Sangha – the collective consciousness. (Diksha Mantra | Trisharanam)
Confucius: Must I behave not what I like others behave not. (Notable Quotes)
Christianity: ‘O’ Father! Please do not put us under test; Save us from all sins and evils. All the infinite power, noble prosperity and greatness is eternally Thine. (New Testament ‘Matte’ 6|13)
Islam: ‘Ya Allah!’ We pray to you only and need Thou help alone. Show us the righteous path – the path of those who are blessed with Thou light and grace, and not the (wrong) path of those who are unholy and worthy of Thy punishment. (Quran Sura: Al-Phatiha)
Sikh: “Omkar” (God) is one. Thy name is the ultimate Truth. HE is the creator of Nature, HE is Almighty, absolutely bright and brave. HE could be known only by the blessings of a noble Guru (enlightened divine intellect). (Guru Granth Sahib – Japujee)
Bhahai: ‘O’ Lord! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. ‘O’ God! I will not longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. ‘O’ God! Thou are more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to thee O Lord. (Abdu’l-Baha in “The secret of divine civilization”)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Official Brahmo Samaj website. http://www.brahmosamaj.org/ see also Indo-Aryan migration.
- ^ Official website of Gayatri Pariwar http://www.awgp.org/
- ^ Vatika Shaktipeeth http://www.vatikashaktipeeth.com/
- ^ Super Science of Gayatri http://www.awgp.org/gamma/EngBookSSG
- ^ The Science of Gayatri & Yagna http://www.awgp.org/gamma/GayatriAndYagna
- ^ Gayatri Mantra http://www.awgp.org/gamma/GayatriAndYagnaGayatriMantra
- ^ Gayatri Mantra http://www.awgp.org/gamma/GayatriAndYagnaGayatriMantra
[edit] Further reading
- Sacinandana Swami: The Gayatri Book., Vasati Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3-937238-05-0
- Acharya, Pt. Shriram Sharma, The Super Science of Gayatri, pdf file, 2000
- "Gayatri Sahasranam", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-57-7)
- Sadguru Sant Keshavadas (1978,2006). Gayatri: The Highest Meditation. Dehli: Motilal Bandarsidass Publishers PVT. LTD., 148 pages. ISBN 81-208-0697-2. [4]
- For More Information about Gayatri Maa Visit http://www.motherdivine.wetpaint.com [5]
[edit] External links
- RV 3.62.10 (flaez.ch)
- A very complete article on the Gayatri Mantra, with notes regarding Sanskrit pronunciation
- Meaning and explanation of the mantra and related audio files
- A very simple meaning of Gayatri by Shri 108 Swami Parmanand Ji Maharaj
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