A perspective - 19

[Guest guest]

tat tvam asi and Gayatri mantra - X

 

Someone asked me couple of days ago the meaning of Gayatri mantra. I listened

recently to the talks by Swami Paramarthanadaji on Sandhyavandanam, which is

available in CD form for those who are interested. Here I am giving the notes

that I have prepared based on his talks, on the meaning of Gayatri. His talk

itself is based on several sources that he has collected, and as usual presented

in a very systematic form. In preparing the notes, I have interjected some of my

comments. Hence the original belongs to Shree Swamiji. For those who are

interested, I suggest that they listen to the original talks than relay on my

notes. Since this is relevant to the topic of tat tvam asi, I decided to include

it as part of - A Perspective series. There are many meanings given to Gayatri

mantra but the Vedantic meaning is appealing to me the most, hence this post.

Since the questioner wanted my views, needless to say that I to

Gayatri not as japa but as one

of the means for my nidhidhyaasana contemplating on the Vedantic meaning

provided.

 

Gayatri mantra has five parts–with stops after each one 1. Om! 2.

bhuurbhuvassuvaH (vyaahRiti mantra) 3. tat saviturvareNyam 4. bhargo devasya

dheemahi 5. dhiyo yo naH prachodayaat. The last three are actually Gayatri

mantra, the first two are additions. Gayatri chandas should have 23 letters only

and not 24. Hence it should be vareNyam not vareNiiyam. Only during homam the 24

syllable-mantra is used. Gaayatri mantra, like any other mantra, is chanted in

three ways: uccha, manda, maanasa japa. Uccha is loud and audible to people

around (could be disturbing to others - I found ready made cassette recorder

that plays continuously the gaayatri mantra – the cassette gets all the

punyam. I find the playing the mantra on cassette is more a nuisance, since

people who put that tape do not pay attention either to the shabda part or to

the meaning part – when one plays that cassette, then one should be serious,

observe pin-drop silence and meditate on the

mantra, otherwise it is more a noise pollution using the sacred mantra). manda

or upamshu japa is chanting with lip movement, audible to only to the person who

is chanting and not to others. Maanasam, is purely mental with no lip-tongue- or

throat movement involved. During the maanasa japa, mind cannot afford to think

anything else. In the case of uccha and manda japa, one can be chanting

mechanically, while mind may be running all over the world. Hence, of these

three, the maanasam japa is supreme, the next is manda and the last is uccha;

this is true for all mantras including gaayatri. Causing nuisance to others by

putting ready made tape loud may contribute punya to the recorder, but sin to

the one who is responsible for the nuisance. Spirituality does not involve

hurting others, manasaa vaachaa karmaNaa, mentally, verbally or by action.

While chanting, we are not supposed to hold on to the sacred thread or

yagyopaviitam. It is sufficient to hold

on to the mind. Imagination of the deity is done before japa, and not during

japa. During the japa, attention should be on the mantra, either concentrating

on the shabda or sound, or on the meaning or artha. Shabda itself is supposed to

be sacred for the chanter if it is done correctly. When one is contemplating on

the meaning, then shabda is of secondary importance.

 

Meaning of the mantra: The first two are addition to the mantra and therefore

are not part of gaayatri; the first two parts are: first is - Om!- part and the

second is bhuurbhuvassuvaH – the vyaahRiti part. The rest is the gaayatri. Om!

kaara is glorified in the scriptures – it is said even the sound is very

purifying – Brahmaji initiated the creation after uttering two sounds – Om!

and atha! Om!-kaaara is the best name for the Lord. Gita says: Om tatsaditi

nirdesho brahmaNastrividhaH smRitaH| -Om!, tat, and sat – are three ways

Brahman is known. Because of this Om is known as praNava – meaning ideal for

the Lord. This is explained as follows: praNava means prakarsheya nuuyate,

specially exalted because 1. Om is ekaaksharam – one syllable – Lord is also

one. 2. Om is aksharaH (one letter) – Brahman is aksharam (indestructible).

Philosophical significance of Om is extensively discussed, particularly in

Mandukya Up. Om has also the

meaning as that which comes down to protect - avati or rakshati, iti Om. This

meaning is applicable to both the sound and the Lord.

 

VyaahRiti mantra – is also auspicious sound irrespective of the meaning. There

is vyaahRiti mantra upaasana discussed in the shikshaavalli of Tai. Up. These

three mantras have been uttered by the Brahma – Brahmanaa vyaahRitaa iti

vyaahRitiH, like Om-kaara. The second meaning is visheShena aasamantaat harati

paapaani iti vyaahRitiH – That which removes all the sins if it is uttered

with devotion by a person. It is a great purifier when uttered. From the point

of meaning of vyaahRiti mantra, bhuuH bhuvaH suvaH – it involves three lokas

which are manifestations of the Lord. Therefore, the simple meaning for the

first two parts of gaayatri is - I remember Om, the Lord, who manifests in the

form three lokas, bhuuH, bhuvaH, suvaH.

 

From Vedantic point, Om! represents nirguNa turiiyam, the unqualified Brahman,

and bhuuH, bhvaH, suvaH represent the qualified or saguNa Brahman, vishva,

taijasa, praajnaH, respectively. Hence together with Om, they represent the

four paadaas of Brahman. Thus from the point of meditation the meaning is - I

remember the nirguNam Brahma who alone is manifesting in the form of saguna

vishva-virat, saguna taijasa-hiranyagarbha, saguNa praajna-IswaraH (the paired

terms represent micro-macro aspects of waking, dream and deep sleep states from

the point of vyashTi or individual jiiva, and samashTi or total cosmos– Ref.

MaanDukya & kaarika).

 

Gayatri mantra: First we will provide the general meaning of the mantra. It is

an invocation of suurya devata or sun-god. According to this, mantra in anvaya

form is– yaH naH dhiiyaH prachodayaat savituH devasya tat vareNyam bhargaH

dhiimahi. Dhiimahi means we meditate upon. vareNyam bhargaH sacred, adorable,

brilliant or effulgent. We meditate upon that which is the most sacred or

effulgent devasya savituH – the sun god. We meditate on that whose effulgence

alone enlivens (pracodayaat) or energies our intellect (dhiyaH). Hence we

meditate upon that sacred effulgent Sun God which activates all our intellects.

We need to go Gita for reference to this meaning –

yadaadityagatam tejaH jagat bhaasayate2khilam|

yacchandramapi yacchaagnou tat tejo viddhi maamakam||

The light and the energy in the sun belong to Me, says Krishna. Hence you can

look upon the Sunlight in the early morning as pratyaksha or direct symbol of

the Lord. Source of every light in one way or the other comes from the Sun.

Without the Sun no life can get energized. Glory of the sunlight is said in

Gita:

gaamaavishya ca bhuutani dhaarayaamyahamojasaa|

puShNaami chouShadhiiH sarvaaH somo bhuutvaa rasaatmakaH||

 

It nourishes everything on the earth; the plants and the beings, charaacharam,

movables and immovables. Here the brahmachaari-student is interested in –

dhiimahi - meditating on the sun-god to nourish his intellect just as He

nourishes all the beings on this earth.

 

Vedantic meaning: Here dhiimahi means we meditate upon – indicates the

nidhidhyaasanam – tat bhargaH vareNyam – referring to sat chit ananda

swaruupam. We meditate upon the sat chit ananda swaruupam – on what –

savituH devasya – of the Lord – IswaraH – tat padarthaH – IswaraH – We

meditate upon the sat chit ananda swaruupam of the Lord. This meaning is arrived

as follows: Here the word savituH – means that which procreates the universe

– suuyate iti savitaa – Lord says maayaadhyakshena prakRitiH suuyate sa

charaacharam| Suu means to procreate. Savitaa means that which is creator of the

universe – primarily the material cause – upaadaana kaaraNam. Next –

devasya – that which is effulgent or chetana swaruupam – intelligent

principle, that is, nimitta kaaraNam. Hence Lord is invoked both as the material

and intelligent cause. Hence savituH devasya – implies Lord both as

intelligent and material cause of the universe.

In - tat savituH –the implied meaning (vaachyaartham) of the word - tat is:

tat refers to Ch. up – 6th Ch. tat tvam asi – starting from sadeva soumya

idam agra asiit –ending upto aitadaatmya idagam sarvam, tat satyam – hence

tat refers to sat swaruupam. tat bhargaH vareNyaH – bhargaH means that which

is light or effulgent. That which is capable of removing darkness – hence the

implied meaning is chaitanya swaruupam. Darkness also stands for ignorance. It

is ignorance of objective world also ignorance of one’s own self – or muula

avidya. It, in the form of vRitti or thought, removes the darkness of ignorance.

Objective knowledge takes place in the form of vRitti or thought. Every thought

as we discussed before is nothing but existence or tat or sat in the attributive

form representing or imaging the attributes of the objects outside. Hence, as

existence, or tat, it provides the basis for the vRitti or thoughts of the

objective

world. Since the vRitti is revealed by the light of consciousness or savituH

devasya by the process of reflection, when one shifts the attention to that

light of reflecting consciousness, one can gain the knowledge of the truth. Thus

it removes both the ignorance centered on the objective world as well as the

primordial ignorance centered on the self. Hence it removes the samsaara caused

by ignorance. VareNyam – means that which is worth choosing by all; it is –

varaNa yogyam. That which everybody chooses is happiness or ananda swaruupam.

Hence vareNyam means, it is Ananda swaruupam or puurNatvam or fulfillment. This

is one purushaartha that is common to all. Hence tat means sat swaruupam,

bhargaH means chit swaruupam and vareNyam implies aananda swaruupam – hence

tat bhargaH vareNyam implies sat chit ananda swaruupam – hence we are

meditating on the sat chit ananda swaruupa Brahman. Meditation here means

recognition by my mind that the

saakshii swaruupam as the very basis for the whole universe of objective and

subjective world.

 

Now we note the grammatical transition in the mantra where it shifts from sat

chit ananda swaruupam Brahman to saakshii swaruupa aatma in the mantra. It

starts with the neuter gender Brahman and the mantra comes to masculine gender

aatmaa – Yah is masculine gender and refers to aatma, while tat refers to

neutral gender Brahman. Thus we have mahaavaakya embedded in the mantra with the

change in the gender. Thus the meaning of the mantra is -

We meditate on that all pervading sat chit ananda swaruupam which is the cause

of the universe, which is also behind our intellect as saakshii swaruupam or

kshetrajna swaruupam, as knower of all fields. Such a change can be also noted

in the Tai. Up ananda valli – where it starts with Brahmavidaapnoti param ..

first defining Brahman and switching to aatma as tasmaat vaa etasmaat aatmanaH

aakaaShaH sambhuutaH indicating oneness of Brahman and aatma. It can be viewed

as the all-pervading Brahman - as though entered into jiiva - anupraviShTa

ruupaH - as aatma or soul – this is the implied meaning of yaH. Thus we have

- That Brahman who is the material-intelligent cause or creator of this universe

is the same as -I am- is now in the form of the self -Yah – as witnessing

consciousness or saakshii swaruupam – aatma. Thus the mahaavaakya, tat tvam

asi, is imbedded in the mantra. Next - naH dhiiyaH – all our intellects – or

that which is involved

in all the knowledge process where we have discussed before the perceptuality

condition that the existence and the consciousness get united for me to be

conscious of the existence of all objective knowledge- prachodayaat – be

illumined. Saakshii illumining directly the intellect as chidaabhaasa and

chidaabhaasa indirectly illuming the world of objects. Thus jnaana prakriya or

process of how knowledge takes place is also indicated.

 

Thus, according to this interpretation tat savitur vareNyam bhargo devasya

dhiimaH indicate Brahma chaitanyam, dhiyoyona prachodayaat indicate aatma

chaitanyam - dhiimaH –meditation on the implied mahaavaakya or identity

relation - as tat tvam asi. This idea is actually contained in the famous tai.

Up. mantra also in the bRiguvalli – sa yaschaayam puruShe, yaschaasaavaaditye,

sa ekaH. Comparing with gaayatri, sa yachaayam puruShe – is dhiyoyonaH

prachodayaat, yaschaasaavaaditye is tat savitur vareNyam bhargo devasya

dhiimahi – sa ekaH - the abhedena dhiyaamaH – we meditate on the oneness.

Thus gaayatri meaning from Vedantic angle is simply - tat tvam asi

–mahaavaakya, and therefore gaayatri dhyaanam becomes nidhidhyaasanam –

hence gayatri is recommended for all. It contains the essence of Madukya,

Taittireya and ChanDogya Upanishads.

 

My prostrations to Swami Paramarthanandaji for enlightening me on the essence of

gaayatri mantra.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

Namaste Paramapujya Sadaji,

 

Just a side note:

 

********************

The last three are actually Gayatri mantra, the first two are additions. Gayatri

chandas should have 23 letters only and not 24. Hence it should be vareNyam not

vareNiiyam. Only during homam the 24 syllable-mantra is used.

 

******************

 

By definition a Gayatri has 24 akSharas. The tripada Gayatri used during

sandhya vanadana has 23 akShara-s and is called nichR^id gayatri. It is because

of an internal sandhi eating one akShara.

 

The Asyavamasya Sukta & Aruna Prashna gives out the esoteric essence of this.

The actual reasons related to this is in mantrashAstra but as you said for homa,

24 lettered mantra is used.

 

regs,

sriram

[Guest guest]

Shree Sriram - PraNams

 

Thanks. Appreciated the correction.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda-----------By definition a Gayatri has 24 akSharas. The tripada Gayatri used during sandhya vanadana has 23 akShara-s and is called nichR^id gayatri. It is because of an internal sandhi eating one akShara. The Asyavamasya Sukta & Aruna Prashna gives out the esoteric essence of this. The actual reasons related to this is in mantrashAstra but as you said for homa, 24 lettered mantra is used. regs,sriram