Very strangely enough, I am back with another review on one of the most famous chants in India--the Gayatri. Below I take you to a journey to find out everything about this Mantra....Read on....
S U N--THE SPIRIT OF GAYATRI
“Along the history of human civilization, the sun has been one of the most visible entity that has commanded man’s awe, gratitude, reverence and worship, and beyond all those mysteries of astrology, beyond the physical harnessing of solar power, beyond the myths of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Stonehenge and beyond the antiquettes of Sun Temple of Konark lies the preordained tryst of mankind with its most original perception of divinity: the light behind the Sun, the spirit within the fire...the resplendent form of the benevolent mother of the universe....who, is Gayatri.” Swami Paramhansa Yogananda, 1987.
That brightness of the Sun that engulfs us every morning and brightens every day of our lives is indeed nothing but a resonant reflection of the smiling face of Gayatri, and to celebrate this great fortune of the Sun God, to bring it within the grasp of active consciousness, we have the Gayatri Mantra gifted to us.
THE U N I V E R S A L I T Y OF G A Y A T R I
By the above introduction, you all must have known that this is a chant, a prayer to the life-giving Sun God. . One of the most widely acclaimed chant, Gayatri Mantra’s supreme status is further enhanced by Lord Krishna’s proclamation in his spiritual discourse, the Gita, that among the mantras, he is Gayatri.
With every word that crosses multiple levels of human existence, namely the physical, mental and emotional, this powerful chant holds the key to the elevated state of loftiest intellectual and creative capacities. As it is an invocation to the nature, a prayer to the Sun God, it can be chanted and recited irrespective of our cultural leanings or scientific beliefs, completely regardless of our religious faiths. So come let’s explore this universal prayer together...
The chant goes like this:
Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah;
Om Tat Savitur varenyam bhargo
Devasya Dhimahi;
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat. Om.
M E A N I N G O F G A Y A T R I M A N T R A
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh Creator of the Universe! We meditate upon thy supreme splendour. May thy radiant power illuminate our intellects, destroy our sins, and guide us in the right direction.
Though this was a summarised meaning of this chant, the Mantra’s secret of acclaim is that each part of word spoken has a meaning to it. There are a total of 24 letters that are spoken distinctly in the Mantra, and below is the feelings and sights they produce in the chanter’s mind when the Mantra is recited with dedication. They are not the real meanings but the different parts of power given out by this Mantra.
1. ’tat’ - tapini - fruitfulness
2 ’sa’ - saphalata - valor
3 ’vi’ - visshwa - perseverance
4 ’tur’ - tushti - welfare
5 ’va’ - varada - yoga
6 ’re’ - revati - love
7 ’ni’ - sukshma - wealth
8 ’yam’ - jnana - lustre
9 ’bhar’ - bharga - protection
10 ’go’ - gomati - wisdom
11 ’de’ - devika - subjugation
12 ’va’ - varahi - allegiance
13 ’sya’ - simhani - determination
14 ’dhi’ - dhyana - life
15 ’ma’ - maryada - time
16 ’hi’ - sphutaa - penance
17 ’dhi’ - medha - forecast
18 ’yo’ - yogamaya - alertness
19 ’yo’ - yogini - production
20 ’nah’ - dhanin - protection
21 ’pra’ - prabhava - idealism
22 ’cho’ - ushma - adventure
23 ’da’ - drishya - discrimination
24 ’at’ - niranjana - service.
B E N E F I T S of G A Y A T R I Mantra—Myths and Reality
After posting my Maha Mrityunjay review, I got so many M2Ms asking me if there was any specific Mantra that can solve all the problems of life. A Mantra that had the key to all their difficulties and illnesses. And my answer was no. First of all, please make this clear that reciting mantras won’t have any God or Goddess showering you with solutions. And also make this clear that Mantras are for your own benefit. But how do they benefit—you may ask.
Well, all the Mantras work on the energy of sound, the energy of vibrations that is liberated when different parts of the mouth (wind-pipe, the tongue, the teeth, the lips etc) interact together and output a word, which is actually a sound. All these mantras have been so masterfully written that these words and sounds that come out, instantly invoke your soul, your inner self and a subtle force is developed within oneself. It is this power of the inner soul that gives you long-term wisdom. Wisdom that refrains you from taking wrong decisions in life, that refrains you from treading wrong paths—which indirectly holds the key to most of the life’s problems. Reciting Mantras, praying and meditation are all for your betterment, and the sooner you realise this, the faster you’ll start reaping benefits.
W A Y S T O R E C I T E G A Y A T R I M A N T R A
There is absolutely no bound rule to pray to God. You can pray early in the morning, after taking bath, while going for a morning walk, or listen to it after a day’s out at work. It can be recited to give you control over your mind when you are extremely distressed, depressed, overtly nervous and even when heavily excited. But to get the maximum benefit follow these simple tips:
•Please don’t recite this mantra if you are in a hurry. I have seen many of my friends reciting this Mantra by the speed of 180 kmh to re-iterate it 108 times. Reciting a Mantra 108 times is very auspicious, but there’s absolutely no use if you haven’t felt even one word and your aim is just to get to the 108th count. Even if you are in a hurry, recite this very slowly, feeling every word as you do so. Besides refreshing you, it will also make you feel more composed and in-control in times of grave distress.
•Remember to pronounce the Mantra clearly. Pronounciation is of utmost importance in any mantra. If you don’t know the correct pronounciation, consult your friends, and better still—buy an audio CD/cassette (as given below)—listen to them and then recite.
B E S T A U D I O S O U R C E S
I have seen Gayatri Mantra being brought out by T-Series and Times Music. While the former is fine, it is the latter that has all the correct pronounciation and the content. The cassette/CD is easily available in any Indian music store and can also be ordered directly online by following this link:
https://store.indiatimes.com/timesmusic/TimesMusicDetails.jsp?albumid=alb2680.0
The above mentioned album starts off with an invocation of Gayatri, followed by the Pranayam Mantra (used in yoga for breath control) which is said to open our being to receive the energising effulgence of the Sun. Om, the seed of sound, is then chanted three times to welcome this divine power and then the main Gayatri Mantra follows, chanted in a slow and soothing chorus 108 times having an ternal background score consisting mainly of sitar, tabla and flute. The album ends with an aarti or prayer, thus fulfilling the three stages of bhakti, or devotion—visualisation, meditation and prayer.
On an ending note, I thank all of you who took their precious time off to read this review. With the hope that this humble effort of mine to invoke some spirituality within my readers does help them in one way or the other...I sign off for now...
Do leave a comment if time permits,
Shanti+Shakti,
KARAN.