Gayatri Matnram 2

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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.

Word for Word Meaning of the Mantra

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 ;

Meaning of Gayatri Mantra

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 Jap(recitation) of

this Mantra is performed.

Extracted from "The Great Science and Philosophy of Gayatri" by Shree Ram Sharma

Acharya, Shanti Kunj, Hardwaar, Uttar Pradesh, India. Gayatri - 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 on the other hand does have a

philosophical meaning behind it, and it is generally through this meaning that

the prarthana has its power. Since the mantra is devoid of any kind of actual

meaning, it cannot be conceptualised 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

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 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 (ie "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. Tat Twam Asi

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