RE: story/ Gayatri Japa and its Meaning - Hamsagayatri

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha-ji,

 

Thank you. You are absolutely right, one should not test the mantra. As I

see it mantra is like an invisible protective shield. There are mantras

which work on each part of our body. If we say "One should not stop

chanting the mantra" then they may question, "what happens while I am

sleeping?"... This is a genuine question. A mantra can't be chanted while

sleeping. But there is a term called "ajapAjapa" (chanting-less-chanting!).

 

 

So a person who would like to practice the mantra continuously can instruct

his brain, by doing Bhramari, to keep chanting the mantra while the body

goes to sleep. This technique has to be learned directly from the master.

What happens eventually, is that, though the body goes to sleep, the mind

keeps chanting the mantra till you wake up. There are certain mantras,

which work the best on people who suffer from certain disease like sleep

disorders, and who suffer from nightmares.

 

HaMsagayatri:

 

There is another mantra called "haMsa", there is a mantra written in gayatri

meter in Yajurveda which is called "haMsagAyatri". All humans in this world

chant this mantra, knowingly or unknowingly! It is nothing but the

breathing --- inhaling and exhaling..

 

When we take breath (inhalation) we make a sound "haMmmmmm"

When we exhale the air from our lungs we make a sound "saaaaaa"

 

This makes the word "HaMSa"..

 

There is a greater significance between Advaita and this "HaMsa" mantra..

Let me take this opportunity to explain this:

 

"aHam" means "Myself"

"sa" means "him"

 

The breathing cycle in any being will start with "inhalation" first. i.e.

He has to breath-in first in order to breath-out. So the air is taken in,

kept inside the lungs for some time, then left out through exhalation.

Where is the Air came from? Outside! Can you define where is the Air

outside? The answer is that "The Air is everywhere".

 

Let us come back to the sound which we make while we breath: "haMsa". This

is called as the Sacred Swan in our Mythology. The Air which is everywhere

is "sa" and the air which I have taken in is "ham". Reversing the "Hamsa"

becomes "sahaM" or "SOhaM" (I am that). As long as we do not recognize this

pattern we keep breathing as "haMsa", but the moment we recognize this

pattern we start breathing like "sOhaM". I am sure most of the readers of

this mail must be breathing and recognizing their breathing pattern as

"sOhaM" by now :-)

 

Just like the Air, which is all-pervading, "sa" The Omnipotent Brahman is

all-pervading. Just like by taking a limited amount of that Air into me I

have become the Jiva "haM", the Paramatman has become the individual for a

limited period of time (we can't keep the air inside our lungs for long, can

we?).

 

The haMsagAyatri is: "haMsa haMsAya vidmahE paramahaMsAya dheemahi, tannO

haMsaH pracOdayAt".

 

The great seer who recognizes this "haMsa" and dwells in that "haMsa" is

proclaimed as "paramahaMsa". Everybody should contemplate on this truth.

Hari Om tatsat.

 

I remain yours,

Madhava

P.S: Comments/Corrections are most welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar) [hluthar]

Wednesday, August 16, 2000 8:34 PM

advaitin ;

story/ Gayatri Japa and its Meaning