my pilgrimmage to gayatri-english

8/13/2019 My Pilgrimmage to Gayatri-English

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My Pilgrimage to Gayatri Mantra

Dr. Manohar Abhay

The death of my mother is one of the most shocking experiences I have ever had.Only three days back, I had come back to Mumbai after staying with her for about afortnight. Though weak and feeble, due to age, she was responding to the treatmentand her condition was stable. The news of her sad demise left me totally still. Heavilyshivering and perspiring, I was crying like an infant. Even at the cremation ground, Iwas inconsolable amidst hundreds of friends and relatives who had gathered toconsole us. Suddenly, I was reminded of the mantra which Ihave been chanting overthe years. My recitation of the mantra was unintrupted. I don't know how long itcontinued, but it gave me miraculous strength to bear the grief. As if I was treading intranquility. My thirst started subsiding, in spite of the fact that it was hot summer and

I had not taken a single drop of water for more than twenty-four hours.My Exposure I was exposed to gayatri-mantra at the age of 12. It is said to be the mother of Vedas.The manu smriti equates it with the Mouth of God (see M S 2/81). The other day,when I was chanting the mantra, I was reminded of the story of UshastiChakrayana given in Chandogyopnishad . The essence of the story is that one shouldknow the meaning of the mantrasbefore the chanting for invoking deities.( taamCheda vidvaanudgaasyasi murdha te vipatisyatii -ChAndogya IV-i.10). This took meto a pleasant sojourn to get an insight into the meaning of the mantra.

Gayatri in the Vedas The gayatri mantra is one of the most popular Vedic hymns. It is a poetic meter ( Rig-Veda, tenth mantra in the 62nd sutra of the third mandal). The meter consists of 24syllables (letters), three lines of eight syllables each. Any hymn composed in thismeter is called gayatri. The meter is also found in other Vedas though originallycontained in Rig-Veda.(see Yajurveda-22/9, 30/2,36/3;Samveda 1462)

Meaning of Gayatri The word gayatri is drived from gAyantam-trAyate(gAyat+tra +ka

+yangip); gaya that which is sung, given in praise, trayate (root trai ) that whichpreserves/protects/ gives deliverance/grants liberation. The gayatri therefore, means -that- which is adoration or praise of that which protects/preserves/grants liberation.Here -that- stands for the mantra or the song. The word gaya also stands for vitalenergies. Thus, gAyatrI may be deemed as a prayer of praise that awakens the vitalenergies and grants liberation. The mantra is said to have been composed anddeveloped by sage Vishwamitra. Its Vedic name is Savitri, as the hymn is addressed


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to Savitur (the sun). Nowhere the word gayatri is mentioned in the body ofthe mantra.Savitur stands for bright, luminous, sun like inner power of spiritual lightor the one that brings to self-realization. Thus, through Savitur the prayer is addressedto the light of lights which exists in the inner most sheath of golden hue without stainand without parts ( hiranmaye pare ko`se virajam brahma niShkalam, tachubhram jyotisam jyotih -tad yadatma- vido viduh - Mundak-II-2-9).

Three Dimensions The mantra has three dimensions: praise, meditation, and prayer. The praise is of thebestower of happiness, the embodiment of knowledge and light. The meditation is ofthe glory of the lord who is the remover of darkness, of ignorance, pains, and ofsorrows. The prayer finally is to the lord of light, the most adorable, worthy of oursolicitation and respect, to reflect light so that our intellect is sharpened and all ourignorance is destroyed.

Original Mantra The mantra originally contained in Rig-Veda, having 24 syllables, reads as:Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhurgo Devasya Dheemahi Dheeyo Yo Na Prachodayat

Word to Word Meaning The word to word meaning of the original mantra is asfollows: Tat =That; Savitur =Bright, luminous like sun; Varenyam=Best, choicest, theexcellent one, most adorable, fit to be worshipped, worthy of being so ught,venerable; Bhargo= Destroyer of sins, or glory, radiance, effulgence, splendour (thatlight which bestows intelligence); Devasya= Of the deity or divine; Dheemahi=Meditate upon; Dheeyo=Intellect, noble thoughts, intuition, understandingof reality ; Yo=He who, the one who; Na= Our, of us; Prachodayat =May inspire,stimulate, sharpen, direct, guide, unfold or he who energizes.

The literal meaning of the mantra is: " We meditate upon ( dheemahi ) the splendouror the glory ( bhargo ) of the most adorable ( varenyam ) Supreme-Divine- Being( devasya ) from which Savitur (the centre of light) is born. Who ( yo) may stimulateor sharpen ( prachdayat ) our ( na ) intellect ( dheeyo )"

Use of Pre-fix Before each offering in sacrifice ( yaj~na) or before commencing any spiritualceremony, as part of invocat ion, all mantras are chanted with the pre-fix: Aum Bhur Bhuvaha Svah, as per practice described in Yajurveda. Therefore, the Savitri orthe gayatri mantra, as it is popularly known, is also chanted with the pre-fix of sevensyllables of Aum, Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah . Here AUM is the naad Brahman (primeval


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sound) emanating from the Supreme at the time of creation. The remaining threewords of Bhur, Bhuvah Suvah represent the earth (matter), atmosphere and the spaceas symbols of gross, subtle and casual or sat, chit annanda (truth, beauty and bliss ).In the context of human body, these represent the three important parts of the body:from feet to the navel centre is bhur (the earth), from navel to throat centreis bhuva (the atmosphere), and from above the throat to mind ( braham randh)is svaha (the space). Enveloped by aakaas (the space), there are seven realms ( lokas)of existence viz: (1) bhu=earth, the physical realm, the realm of being or food(matter);(2 ) bhuvah=atmosphere, the vital plane, the realm of becomingor prana (breath); (3) suvah= space or heaven, the mental plane, the realm ofillumination; (4) maha=cosmic mind, the realm of dharma;(5) janah=bliss, the realmof creation;(6) tapah=force, the realm of consciousness; (7) satyam=truth, the realm ofabsolute reality.

Meaning With the Use of Pre-Fix With the pre-fix of four words, the mantra is comprised of four parts (1) Aum, Bhur Bhuvah, Suvah,(2) Tat Savitur Veranyam,(3) Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi, (4) DheeyoYo Nah Prachodayat . By chanting the first part, one contemplates, to invoke certainpowers, on the glory of the light that illumines the three worlds namely; earth,atmosphere and space or the gross, subtle and casual or the three realms of waking,dreaming, and sleep or the three part s of the body (from feet to navel, navel to throat,throat to mind). This prepares the ground for effective functioning of the second, thirdand the fourth part o f the mantra. This is also an invocation to pay reverence to theplanes of our existence (the planes of our ordinary life- the physical, astral andmental) and to invite their presiding deities to support and help us. These three partsare in praise of the glory, the splendour that flows from the light. It is an invocationto Savitur (the centre of light) for granting more light. Indirectly, it is the Supreme-Conscious- Being within the cosmic sun or light of lights, the creator of all forces,which is praised here.

Taking together all the four important parts of the mantra, its meaning reads asfollows:We meditate (dheemahi) on the spiritual effulgence or glory (bhargo) of that

adorable supreme divine reality (varenyam devasya), the source or projector

(savitur) of the three phenomenal realms of the gross (bhur), the subtle or the psychical (bhuvah) and the potential or casual(svah). May that(tat)Supreme-Divine- Being stimulate (prachdayat) our (na) intellect (dheeo).

Expanded Form of AUM The gayatri mantra is considered as an expanded form of AUM The syllable used inthe beginning and at the end of the mantra gives it a reinforcing effect. This syllable


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says kathopnishad , is indeed Brahman; indeed the highest; (III-1-3). It is the bestsupport. He who knows this support becomes great in the world of Brahma (III-1-4)

As stated earlier, AUM is the eternal sound emanated at the time of creation. It iscomposed of three syllables viz: A U M. The mind has three important states: waking,dreaming, and sleeping. The word A, U, M represents all the three states: A=waking,U=dreaming, M=sleeping. The last syllable M, when pronounced, is followed by adeep silence and that is the fourth state of mind known a s turiya. By chanting AUMthe mind transcends from three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping to the fourthstate of turya and experiences silence. When the mind goes deep into the depths ofthis silence, it hears the cosmic sound of AUM. This emanates from the prana (vitalvibration) which fills the universe. The scientists call this eternal sound as "Big-Bang". Tracing its scientific basis Dr Trucit Vora says: The sound produced due to thefast moving earth, planets and galaxies is tremendous. Our galaxy called Milky Wayor Akash- ganga contains approximately 1, 00,000 millions of stars, each star is likeour sun having its own planet system. We know that the moon moves round the earthand the earth moves round the sun along with the moon. All planets move around thesun, each of the above bodies, revolves round at its axis as well. Our sun along withits family takes one round of the galactic centre in 250 million years. All galaxies,includi ng ours, are moving away at a terrific velocity of 20,000 miles per second. Weobserve that an ordinary fan makes noise when it moves with a speed of 900 RPM(Rotation per minute). What a great noise therefore, would be created when thegalaxies move with a speed of 20,000 miles per second. The sound produced due tothe fast-moving earth, planets and galaxies is AUM, Dr Vora endorses. He alsoobserves that the infinite mass of galaxies, moving with a velocity of 20,000 miles persecond, generate a kinetic energy = 1/2 mv2 and this is balancing the total energyconsumption of the cosmos. Thus, the syllable AUM also represent energy and it iscalled pranavah which means the body ( vapu) or store house of energy ( prana).Recitation of gayatri mantra attracts only PRAN and in the largest amount, one atomof prana is capable of holding 4845 tons of weight. According to ProfessorAlishagrgy, Prana travels 4,000 to 80,000 billion miles per second. T hus, by chantingAUM along with the mantra, both in the beginning and at the end, we invoke theenergy to energies our intellect. In her new book on gayatri mantra, Saadhvi ShantiMayi says that all energy and rejuvenating centers are activated by the sound of

the gayatri mantra. It stimulates and facilitates insightfulness and awakening to theTruth within all. She further says that the mantra works in a multitude of ways, whichalign the energies, magnetic currents, biochemistry and brain wave patterns on a verysubtle level. Our energy centers, levels and rhythms are activated by the measure ofbreaths that are drawn in through the nostrils and released during recitation ofthe gayatri mantra, (even during silent repetition). This balances electro-magneticrhythm and energy currents in the body with prana. During recitation, all elements of


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the mantra are in use. The breath, voice, meditation and intention efficiently andeffortles sly function (like the sun shines). It all works together. It also happens whenthe syllable AUM is chanted, whether loudly or silently. In fact, the syllable AUMrepresents that Power which (1) is omniscient; (2) rules over the entire universe; (3)protects one from the evils of life; and, (4) destroys ignorance and givesenlightenment.

Scientific Meaning Against the above backdrop, the scientific interpretation done by Dr. Trucit Vorareads as follows:The Earth (bhur), the planets (bhuvah), and the galaxies (svah) are moving at avery great Velocity, the sound produced is AUM, (the name of formless god). That

god (tat) who manifests Himself in the form of light of sun (savitur) is worthy of our bowing / respect and most adorable (varenyam). We therefore, meditate (dheemahi )upon the light (bhargo) of that deity (devasya) And also do chanting of AUM. May

he (yo) enlighten and inspire (prachodayat) our (na) intellect (dheeo) .

Personification A number of spiritual scholars have personified the mantra. It is portrayed as thegoddess seated on a red lotus, having five heads, ten eyes, ten arms equipped with allweapons. The goddess is also shown as accompanied by a swan and having a book inone hand while conch in the other. Indeed a beautiful projection well decorated withmultiple meaningful symbols. Many a learned scholars have also suggested that whilechanting the mantra one should wear yellow clothes and sit on a yellow mat facingeast. On a covered wooden seat make a mound of rice grains dyed yellow. On themount, place a coconut and tie a sacred red- thread around the latter. Also apply amark of red vermilion. On the right side, place red rose- petals, a lamp ( Deepak ) and aconch ( shankh). Place on it incense, Ghrit Deepak (lamp filled with clarified butter),flowers, rice- grains, vermilion etc. Thereafter, start chanting the mantra and all yourwishes wou ld be fulfilled. All your desires for worldly possessions, wealth andmaterial benefits would be realized and you would overcome all of your ailments anddiseases.

In Quest of the Reality The aforesaid process of worship appears to be very good. But, there lies a latentdanger of limiting the chanters' sojourn to certain rituals, practices and simply to idolworship for limited gains. His entire attention is likely to be focused on thepersonified form of the mantra rather than on invoking its inner power. There are fourimportant aspects of the mantra which need to be recollected viz: ((1) tatvareNyam (that adorable); (2) bhargo devasya (glory of God, the destroyer ofobstacles ;(3) dheemahi (we meditate); (4) dheeo yo na prachodayat who maystimulate/ sharpen our intellect). The entire emphasis of the mantra is on meditation.


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But, upon whom to meditate: why to meditate; what purpose the meditation wouldserve. Many si milar questions arise at this stage.

On revisiting the mantra, it would be observed that the meditation is of the glory of'that' ( tat ) which is most adorable and the purpose is to get the intellectstimulated/sharpened. Again there arise two very vital questions: who is 'that' and whyto get the intellect stimulated.

Prior to meditation comes concentration-- concentration of mind. Because that mostadorable can be realized by the mind alone ( katho. VI-ii-8) in the highest state ofmeditation when the five instruments of knowledge stand still together with the mindand the intellect itself does not stir ( katho. VII-ii-6) The mind has two importantlayers: one, the outer layer which receives reflections/impulses from the world ofobjects through the gates of knowledge, the five senses. The second is the inner layerwhich reacts to the reflections received by the outer layer. The former is knownas manah or manas (mind) and the latter one as buddhi (intellect). Both the layers, themind and the intellect, should work in unison. But, it seldom happens: chanachalamhi manah krisna, says Geeta(see ChapterVI/34). The mind verily is restless, it isturbulent, strong and obstinate. It moves along with the objects which it likes andstays back from what it dislikes. Sense organs reflect the impulses received from theworld of object and our motor organs act according to the directives given by themind. If the mind and the intellect are in unison correct directives would be provided.Otherwise, the turbulent mind would lead to the pathways where it wants to go. Thesenses should reflect the object which brings the subtle body closer to the supremegoal of life. This needs to set in motion a process where the senses are centered in themind and the latter is rooted in the sharp intellect which is centered in the cosmicintellect (chittah).The next higher stage is the union of chittah with the Peaceful-Being (Shant Aatman)known as Isvara. This long journey is more subtle thanconcentrating on a personified figure and making offerings of material things inabundance. Only those who wish worldly success or satisfaction from sense-objectsmake sacrifice to gods because satisfaction is quickly obtained from actions in theworld -of -objects, says Geeta(kaankshantah karmaam siddhim yajanta iha devataah. IV/12).But, those who are on a pilgrimage passing through gross to subtler than thesubtle islands of higher knowledge do not indulge in practicing rituals only or

performing outworldly actions. Their voyage is to gain wisdom which is enveloped byignorance (ajanaanenaa vritam janaanam | Geeta:V/15).

Effective Meditation There are five fundamentals for an effective meditation viz: (1) the goal ;(2) sensorywithdrawal; (3) concentration; (4) breath control; (5) and the mantra. Elaboratingthese five elements, Acharya Pranakrishnanda Avadhut of the Anand Marg says: amantra when chanted internally resonate with the individuals initiative rhythm and


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gradually transforms it into the infinite straight line of supreme peace. He further says,by the repetition of the proper acoustic vibration following the breath with sentimentalunderstanding of the meaning, the power of the mantra awakens the spiritualpotentiality in the mind and body and it brings the ego in the union with the Supreme.Concentration therefore, should be on the mantra rather than on any worldly object oran idol. The meditation, on the other hand, needs to be on the glory of the mostadorable whose radiance shines in the savitur . In vedic literature , Savituris known bymultiple names (pushanney karshey yama surya prajapatya-Isa-16). It is pusha as itnourishes the world, a sole seer because it commands or moves alone. It is controllerof all, as it is yama (lord of death). It is surya, because its rays absorb prana (vitalforce) and rasa (juice). Here the prayer is not made simply to the lord of light, the sunthat we behold in the space but to "that"("tat") who is here in man and who is yonderin the sun (sa yasachaayamam purushye yschaa saa vaaditye -Taittriya V(III-10).Who is pure and like the light within the body (antah-saeerye jyotir-mayo hi subhro- MundakV--III-1).Who is inside of all this and (also) outside of all this (tadantrasyasavasya tadu sarv syaasy bahyatah -Isha.5).Whose face, in the centre of the radiance,is covered with the golden disc (hiraNmayen pAtreNa satya syaapihitam mukham - Isha 15) and most propitious is His face (tejoyate rupam kalyaantam tatte pashyaami yo asaa vasau puruShah so.ahamasmi-- Isha-16 ). The prayer thus, is to discover thetruth, the Absolute Reality, through Savitur (tattuam pushann paavrnu satyadharmaaydrastye--Isa--15

Thus the purpose of the meditation is to realize the Absolute Reality-to see the Self-indwelling who is seen by the subtle seers through their sharp and subtleintellect alone (drashytye tuavyayaa budhayaa sukchma yaa sukchamdarshiarbhi:katho. III-22). The emphasis is on subtle and sharp intellect He is notseen or gained by the weak nor by the insincere nor by those practising penances orausterities but by wise men who strive with vigour, attention and prosperity (naayamaatmaa bala-hinena labhyo-mundaka III .ii-4). With weak intellect one can not realizethe Self - indwelling. By means of the light of the intellect, says shruti, one shouldknow the truth of the aatman (see Mundak III-i-9). He is seen repeats upanishads,neither by following certain rituals nor by practicing penance but by meditating uponthat most adorable when the intellect becomes calm and refined ( na-anyair-devais-tapasaa-karmanaa vaa - Mundak III-i-8 ).

Mantra and Worldly Wealth While there are many mantras where the divine power is prayed to provide materialcomforts, in gayatri mantra, as has been said earlier, an appeal is made to foster andsharpen the knowledge yielding faculty, the intellect or the discriminating power.When one is endowed with sharp intellect, the material things are not far beyond hisreach. And also, `for who's indeed is wealth`( kashyas dhanam), says upan ishada(Isa


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1). None can be satisfied with the wealth, replied Nachiketa when he was offered, byyama, wealth and long life, herds of cattle, gold and horses and fair maidens with theirchariot and musical instrument. All this, Nachiketa said, is transient and wear out thevigour of all the senses ( shvuabhaavaa mataraya sya yadant kait tatsarvyeindryaanaam jaryanti teja--Katho-I i-24). Therefore, one should pray that intellectwhich brings him closer to tejas--the splendour rather than thin gs which are transient.By getting sharp intellect one can gain knowledge and by right knowledge that Self isgained . When the intellect is purified by the serene light of knowledge, throughmeditation, he can see Him who is without parts ( gyaan prasaaden vishudh satvaisatastu tam pasyantye niskalam dhaayamaanah-Mundak -V-III-8 ). All the doors andwindows of prosperity are opened. He is neither trapped in the worldly problems nordoes he tread a wrong path. The sharp and righteous intellect provides righteoussolutions to his problems. The wisdom of Bhrigu (TaattriyV-III-5) tells us that thespirit in men manifests itself as intellect and perfect bliss is Brahman ( vigyaanambrhamyeti vayjaanaat vigyaanaadh yeav khalivemaani bhutaani jaayantye). Startingfrom annam, men's quest for perfect bliss passes through prana (vitalbreath), manas (consciousness), vijnana (intellect). yetam vijaan mya maatamaanamupasaynakramya-Tattriya V(III-1). Then he proceeds to the Self which consists ofunderstanding/intellect and then to the Self which consist of bliss and goes up anddown the worlds eating the food he desires and assuming the form he desires. He whoknows this becomes rich in food . He becomes great in offspring and cattle and in thesplendour of sacred knowledge and great in fame ( mahaanbhavapti prajyaa pashubhiarbrahman varchsen mahaankeertya-Taittiri V-III-10).

Verily, it is not for the sake of the wealth that wealth is dear,said Yajnavalkya ( Brihadaranyak IV-II-1-9), when his wife enquired: ' Would I beimmortal through it, if the entire earth filled with wealth was mine.' 'For the sake ofthe Self is the wealth dear, said the Seer'. It is the Self that should be discovered orrealized, not the material wealth. The sharpening of intellect in essence, isillumination of our subtle world of consciousness. In our inner world savitur , thebestower of light is aatman . As the entire solar system moves around the sun, in thesame way, the entire subtle world of our senses, mind, intellect, and ego revolvesaround aatamn (the spirit or the soul). Without this centres of radiance all otherphysical elements, the body, senses, mind intellect are all dead or meaningless, as the

universe is dark and dead without the savitur .Light of Lights By getting the intellect sharpened, the gayatri mantrainvokes our voyage to self-realization. However, getting the intellect sharpened or stimulated is not an end initself. It is the brilliance, the intelligence or the thinker behind that needs to beexplored. The intellect is just an instrument, a means to move further, it is a pathway,


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a by lane that leads to the end of the tunnel where shines a very pleasing, pleasant,soothing and cool light. When the intellect is stimulated or purified or sharpened, theSelf shines forth in its own resplendency (see Mundak -III- i-9: eso-anuraatmacheats veditavyo). The subtle truth of the aatman within the body isrevealed only with the backup of a purified intellect. The bondage of the non-Self,says Adi Shankarain his famous treatise vivekachUDAmaNI , springs from ignorance.This bondage can be destroyed neither by weapons nor by wind, nor by fire, nor bymillions of acts (desireful acts or rituals enjoined by the scriptures) except thewonderful sword of knowledge that comes of discrimination ( vivekachUDAmaNI -147).

Dr Manohar Abhay, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, manohar_abhay at yahoo.co.in

my pilgrimmage to gayatri-english

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