gayatri mantra booklet

7/29/2019 Gayatri Mantra Booklet

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Not for sale

Published on the occasion of

Vratabandha of

Chi. Padmanabh Deepak Joshi

Chi. Abhishek Deepak Joshi

on January 16, 2005

Gayatri Mantra and Sandhya

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Publisher :

Ashok P Joshi10, Govardhan Street, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014.

Tel : 044-2835 2674 / 2835 3989


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Gayatri Mantra and Sandhya

In ancient times seekers rose early, bathed, performed their

rituals, and silently recited mantras. In the evening the days

fatigue was washed away with another period of meditation.

This pattern of morning and evening practice persists even

now. In Sanskrit, the word sandhya indicates a juncture, and

for this reason the meditation process performed in the morning

and evening junctures of the day is called the sandhya

meditation. There are many ways to practice this, some datingfrom the Vedic times, and portions of these practices continue

to be observed throughout modern India and other parts of the

world. In this way, elements of devotion and introspection are

woven into the daily lives of millions. And since morning and

evening practice is uplifting to the mind and heart, students of

yoga also find nourishment in it. Our tradition is to commence

the childs education with the Vratabandha orMounjibandhana ceremony when he is initiated into the

Gayatri Mantra and it is expected that he chants it as often as

possible in his daily sandhya throughout his life.

Gayatri Mantra

At the heart ofsandhya rituals is the gayatri mantra. Likethe light of the early morning sun, which sweeps away the

darkness of the night as it illumines the landscape, the gayatri

mantra is purifying and enlightening. It is said that it embodies

the collective wisdom of the entire Vedic revelation. For this

reason it is described as Veda-Mata, The Mother of Vedas.

The gayatri richa or verse is found in the Rig Veda (3.62.10)It takes its name in part because it is written in a meter called

the gayatri meter- twenty-four syllables divided into three lines

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of eight syllables each. But the word gayatri also means she

who protects the singer (from gai, to sing, and trai, to protect).

Thus, Gayatri is a name of the Divine Mother, She who protects

her children and leads them toward self-realization. It wasfirst revealed to Sage Vishwamitra. Because of its importance

it has been subsequently incorporated in the other Vedas as

well as several scriptures. But a richa by itself is not a mantra.

It becomes a mantra only when it begins with Omkara.

The original richa reads:

tat savitur varenyam

bhargo devasya dhimahi

dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

The mantra has an additional line which contains the sound

Om, followed by three short seed sounds called vyahritis:-

bhur, bhuvah, and svah. Thus the complete mantra as it isused in meditation is:

Om bhur, bhuvah, svah




The Chhandogya Upanishad gives us a sense of the

significance of the three vyahritis and the sound Om. It explains

that Prajapati (i.e. Brahma), the lord of the universe,

contemplated the nature of the three worlds or lokas: earth,

sky, and heaven. Through intense concentration Prajapati was

able to discover the essential guiding force of each: agni (fire

or energy) governed the earth; vayu (the vital force orprana)

governed the sky; and aditya (the sun) governed the vault of

heaven. Once more Prajapati applied his intense concentration

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to these three guiding forces and obtained their essences: from

fire he obtained the verse of the Rig Veda; from the vital energy

he obtained the Yajur Veda; and from the sun he obtained the

Sama Veda.

He applied his concentration once more, now to the three

Vedas themselves. From the Rig Veda he obtained the syllable

bhuh; from the Yajur Veda the syllable bhuvah; and from the

Sama Veda the syllable svah. Thus the three vyahritis are the

essence of the three Vedas, the seeds of fire, vital energy, and

the sun- as well as the seed sounds of the earth, sky, and

heaven. Finally, Prajapati focused on these three vyahritis

together, and again through intense concentration he obtained

a single, pure sound, the syllable Om.

Om, it is said, is all this and represents the visible Brahman.

It not only covers these three lokas whose inmates are bornagain and again but also the more progressively subtle four

lokas (Mahah, Janah, Tapah and Satyam) whose inmates

are spared of this affliction.

Vedic Language and Symbols

An explanation is now required about the language adopted

by the Vedas to express profound truths revealed to the seers

or rishis in deep meditations. The spiritual themes of the Vedas

are transmitted through tangible symbols that represent an

intangible reality. Examples of such symbols are objects like

the sun, fire, cow and horse; human archetypes as mother and

father; and human inventions like the pot, the door, and the

wheel. Thus, the power of illumination is symbolized both bylight in the cosmos as well as the intelligence within the human

personality. So the word light may mean both the suns light

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and the power of intelligence. To give another example, the

word gau represents the cow as well as a ray of light, in

short that which nourishes. A mind, finely tuned with self-

discipline or tapas is capable of knowing this reality and isable to see intuitively and go beyond the outward forms of

things and meanings of words.

Mind and Mantra

As individuals, how do we attain this Vedic vision? What is

the relationship between this vision and the practice of yoga?These important questions are answered by the gayatri mantra.

Here is the basic text once more:




The mantra begins with the word tatmeaning that. It is apronoun indicating something far away and refers not only tothe succeeding word saviturbut also to That which is beyondthe three lokas and thus links the vyahruties in the openingline to the rest of the mantra. The verb at the end of the secondline, dhimahi, sharpens our attention. It is derived from the

verb root dhyai, which means to meditate on, to contemplate,to recollect, to call to mind. This is a process that takes placeinternally. Thus the mantra begins, We recollect in ourselvesand meditate upon That-

But following the opening word tatthe word order (as isoften the case in Sanskrit) requires some sorting out. The world

that follows tatis savitur(meaning of the sun or of thesolar being). This word is derived from su, another powerfulroot that means to bring forth; to beget, as well as to set inmotion; to vivify. In other words, the energy of the sun is the

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source of life on earth. It has caused the creatures on earth tocome alive, and it sets them in motion as the day begins. Thesun is the vivifier. Here we are not speaking just about the

physical sun; more importantly, we are speaking about theprinciple of life-giving energy that is symbolized by the radiantsolar orb.

The word savituris in the possessive case (its nominative

form is savitri). Because word order is more flexible in Sanskrit

than in English, the endings of words can generally be depended

upon to clarify their relationship with one another. Thus, savituris modified by the adjective devasya - which means divine,

brilliant, shining - to produce the phrase of the divine solar

being or of the divine sun. This gives us the beginning and

end of the first two lines of the mantra; only the middle remains

to be clarified.

Two words remain in the opening lines. The word varenyamis an adjective meaning excellent, desirable, wished for, best

among, choice-worthy, wondrous. That which is varenyam

is above all worthy to be admired and selected. It modifies the

noun bhargah (bhargo),a word that plays an importantrole in clarifying the gayatri mantra.

Bhargo means the self-effulgent consciousness that dwells

in the sun. Concepts included in this word are radiance,

splendor, luminosity, eminence. But to use a more spiritual

analogy, bhargo here is the soul of the sun, the indwelling self

of the divine reality whose body is the solar orb.

We can draw a parallel with human consciousness: yourbody is the most visible manifestation of your personality; but

you are not merely a body you are an individual, a mind, a

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person. Thus you have a psychological reality as well as a

physical one.

Beyond name and form, you are a soul. You do not have asoul; you are a soul. The life-force in you emerges out of its

pure nature to take a name and form. Yogis call the soul or

spirit of a person the atman. The bhargah is to the solar being

what the atman is to you. It is the self-effulgent, self-luminous,

and self-radiant consciousness of the sun. Thus, in English,

we might translate bhargah as Spirit. The first two lines of

the mantra now read: We recollect in ourselves and mediateupon that wondrous Spirit of the divine Solar Being.

The eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita gives an

indication of this luminosity of the Spirit. There Arjuna asks

Krishna for a vision of his divine Self. Krishna grants the wish,

and thus begins an eloquent and profound eulogy to the glory

of the solar being.

If a thousand suns were to arise in the sky, that

splendor might compare to the brilliance of the Supreme

Spirit. Then Arjuna beheld there the whole universe,

multifarious in its variety, yet standing as one in the body

of the God of gods.

Bhagavad Gita 11:12-13

Then Arjuna begins to speak. He cannot contain his wonder

and astonishment.

I see You with crown, mace, and discus; a brilliant

mass of light shining in all directions. Almost unbearable

to behold and immeasurable, You are like blazing fire, like

the sun.

Bhagavad Gita 11:17

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The opening two lines of the gayatri mantra, then, veneratesolar images of light, energy, purity, transcendence, illumination,

and compassion (the sun shines for all). The third line, dhiyo

yo nah prachodayat, changes the tone. It makes a request -a petition for inner clarity and intuitive awareness. Guide us,

the mantra asks.

Coming to the third line, the word prachodayat means

may he guide, lead, direct, the suffix pra implying swiftly.

Self-surrender, faith, and trust are all implied.Dhiyah (dhiyo)

relates to the operations of the mind, but at more than onelevel. It may mean simply thoughts but more importantly it

refers to buddhi or pradnya, the minds higher faculty andintuitive vision. The short word yah (yo) means who and

provides emphasis-

As a prayer, this mantra petitions God for guidance.

In effect, the line reads, may it be none other than Hewho guides.Nah means our. Thus the complete translation

of the mantra is:

Om

In each of the three planes of existence, We recollect in

ourselves and meditate upon that wondrous Spirit of

the divine Solar Being; may He guide our inner vision.

To sum up, the meaning of each word in the mantra can begiven as follows

Om ultimate reality.

bhur plane of the five elements; matter.

bhuvah plane of the life force or prana;

space

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svah plane of the mind; heaven

tat that.

savitur of the Solar Being, the solar orb, thelight and energy of the sun That

impels us to grow and know God.

varenyam splendid, beautiful, choice-worthy,

wondrous.

bhargo the Spirit dwelling within the sun; the

light of knowledge that dissolves fearand ignorance.

devasya of the divine, brilliant, shining.

dhimahi we meditate upon, contemplate,

recollect, call to mind.

dhiyo thoughts (vritti), intellect (buddhi),inner vision.

Yo Who

Nah Our

prachodayat may he guide, lead, direct.

Gayatri as Prayer

Gayatri is a prayer as well as a mantra. As a mantra, it is a

set of sounds used by practitioners to realize a higher state of

consciousness - a state symbolized by the sun. As a prayer, it

petitions God for guidance. Direct my mind, it asks.

Contained in the prayer is an elaborate exposition of spiritual

philosophy. The gayatri describes the bhargah (the pure solar

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spirit), who is the essence ofSavitri (the divine solar being),

who is yet the inner identity ofSurya (the sun). The gayatri as

a prayer is a petition to tat(that) which is the infinite light of

pure consciousness. The Vedas explain that pureconsciousness, dwelling in the highest heaven (and thereby

pervading all), is also that which dwells in every human being

(the Self): Now the light which shines above in heaven

pervading all the spaces, pervading everywhere, both

below and in the farthest reaches of the worlds - this indeed

is that same light which shines within man. (Chhandogya

Upanishad 3.13.7)

The place from which this light emerges is the heart - a

word that connotes the most refined awareness possible. The

heart is the place in which we make our decisions and act on

our intentions; it is the place where intuition arises and the Self

is ultimately realized. Thus in its role as a prayer the gayatrimantra simultaneously addresses both cosmic consciousness

and the finest forces of our own being. It acknowledges that

these two aspects of universal consciousness are one.

As a mantra, according to the tradition, the twenty-four

syllables of the gayatri mantra contain in themselves the

energies, which are expressed intellectually in the mantrastranslation. Thus the solar consciousness is present in the

sounds of the mantra. It can gradually be realized by reciting

and internalizing the mantric sounds. This concept can be

difficult for the westernized mind to grasp, and it may help to

observe that the practice of internalizing a mantra is similar to

the experience of listening to music. If we allow the tone,

melody, and rhythm of musical sounds to do so, they will

transform us. If is just so with a mantra.

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How to Practice

If you would like to practice the gayatri mantra as a prayer,

dedicate yourself to regular meditation sometime in the morning

and evening. Your meditation does not need to coincide

precisely with the actual rising or setting of the sun. A short

version of sandhya is given elsewhere in the booklet in

Marathi. Here is another brief practice:

Sit for meditation in a comfortable seated posture. Establish

relaxed breathing and spend a little time feeling the breathflowing in the nostrils. This will calm and focus your mind.

Now visualize a golden, sun-like orb, and bring that golden

light into yourself. Let it enter at the eyebrow center and then

travel slowly down to the region at the center of the chest.

From there, feel the golden rays of the sun spreading out

through your whole body and mind.

Give a moment of thanks to the seers of the Vedas (the

seer of the gayatri mantra is the sage Vishvamitra). Then, just

at the center of this golden orb, which rests at the anahata

chakra (your heart center), begin to repeat the mantra mentally.

Recite it as if the consciousness at your heart has merged

with the sun in you and the sound now flows from the core of

that sun. From there, let the sounds of the syllables resound in

your entire personality. Repeat the mantra as many times as

seems natural. Listen to the sound resonate in you. Let it fill

the entire space of your inner being. As a contemplative

practice (once in a day, week or month), pause after each

word in the mantra and ponder over it. This will help you

internalize its meaning and will provide a moment for self-reflection as well.

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Chanting the mantra

The written text of the Rig Veda adds some markings to

the syllables that indicate a way of chanting the mantra. When

it is chanted systematically as a part of mantra-sadhana under

a competent guru, the seeker progresses very far spiritually.

Chanted as a prayer, it bestows supreme intelligence apart

from material and spiritual progress- for the word Gayatri itself

means She who protects the singer.

Based on the article, Awakening to the Gayatri Mantra by

Rolf Sovik in the May 2003 issue of Yoga International

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gayatri mantra booklet

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