On GAyathri Mantra [Part 1] LalithA SahasranAma [420]

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GAyatrI means 'She who protects the singer.' The Mother of the VedAs

means TripAda GAyatrI. SrI GAyatrI being a mantra well known to most

Hindus, it will be dealt with in a detailed manner. It is know as

Dvijatya SAdhanIvidya; i.e., it enables a disciple to be reborn to

spiriusl life.

 

It contains 24 letters, each letter representing Agni, VAyu, Varuna,

etc. These letters also represent the 24 TattvAs or entities, such

as the five bhUtas from BhUmi to AkAsa; the five senses, such as

sight, hearing, smell, touch, etc.; the five motor actions, such as

speech, etc.; the five objects of the sensory organs; and the final

four categories of mind, ego, mahat and the Ultimate. These are as

common to the macrocosm as to the microcosm, the jIva.

 

It is said in ViswAnitra Kalpa that to know the Ultimate, there are

14 branches of knowledge -- vidyAs or disciplines; and of these, the

most essential is the Veda. Even in the VedAs, SrI GAyatri is the

quintessence.

 

She has two forms: The first one is proclaimed by the first three

VedAs, and is known to all DvijAs. The other one is very secret and

is to be found in four vedas. This one is defined by SrI BhAskaraIya

as SrIvidyA.

 

Thus is will be seen that GAyatrI Mantra has two forms. One is

Tripada GAyatrI of 24 letters. Every diciple is initiated into this

mantra at the time of the Upanayana ceremony. Its objectives are the

four PurusAthAs, viz. Dharma, Artha, KAma and Moksa.

 

The second form -- which is the more esoteric and subtle of the two -

- is to be initiated and practiced as the disciple becomes more

advanced and competent in his discipline. This second form is the

Mantra Tripada GAyatrI with the addition at the end of "paro rajasi

sAvadam." This is called the CaturthapAda or TuryapAda of SrI

GAyatrI Mantra.

 

(From Dr. C. Suryanarayana Murthy, Commentary, 1962. To be

continued ...)

 

 

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy@s...>

wrote:

> GAyatri : The metre consisting of twenty-four syllables is called

> GAyatri. The KUrma Pr : "I am GAyatri among the metres" [vide Bha.-

> gitA, X. 35].