Read about & listen to the Gayatri Mantra

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Mitra,

 

1. Awakening to the Gayatri Mantra by Rolf Sovik - Yoga International Magazine -

the article gives you the translation & meaning of the mantra, how to practice

it, what the Holy Geeta says about the mantra and chanting of the mantra.

http://esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=prabuddha&cid=1059&sid=171

 

2. Listen to the Gayatri Mantra by Shruti - http://www.esamskriti.com/music/om_bho_swah.html

 

The Gayatri Mantra is addressed to the supreme Lord of all Knowledge & Power, to

the 'Radiance' issuing from the Supreme Source in which is massed all the

creative movement of the Uncreate that is the ultimate root of all movement in

the creation. Let that Light motivate and energise our thought movements ". Sri

Kapali Sastry.

 

 

Shruti is a musician, an educationist and a researcher in the Vedic science of

sound (Nada). She teaches methods for diagnosis, treatment & healing of the

body & mind using the techniques of Nada. To know more about her

http://www.esamskriti.com/music/about_shruti.html,

to know about Nada http://www.esamskriti.com/music/nada.html

 

Excerpts from the article by Rolf Sovik - "Mind and Mantra

As individuals, how do we share in the 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:

 

tat savitur varenyam

bhargo devasya dhimahi

dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

 

The mantra begins with the word tat (meaning “that”). It is a word

that specifies the thing in mind. “That what?” we want to know. The

verb at the end of the second line, 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

place internally. Thus the mantra begins, “We recollect in ourselves and

meditate upon that….”

 

But following the opening word tat the word order (as is often the case in

Sanskrit) requires some sorting out. The world that follows tat is savitur

(meaning “of the sun” or “of the solar being”). This

word is derived from su, another powerful root that means “to bring

forth; to beget,” as well as “to set in motion; to vivify.”

In other words, the energy of the sun is the source of life on earth. It has

caused the creatures on earth to come alive, and it sets them in motion as the

day begins. The sun is the vivifier. Here we are not speaking just about the

physical sun; more importantly, we are speaking about the principle of

life-giving energy that is symbolized by the radiant solar orb.

 

The word savitur is 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, savitur is 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 varenyam is 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 important

role 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: your body is the most visible

manifestation of your personality; but you are not merely a body you are an

individual, a mind, a 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 a soul; 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 mediate upon that wondrous Spirit of the divine

Solar Being.”

 

The opening two lines of the gayatri mantra, then, venerate solar 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.

 

The word prachodayat means “may he guide, lead, direct.”

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

operations of the mind, but at more than one level. It may mean simply

“thoughts,” but more importantly it refers to buddhi, the

mind’s higher faculty and intuitive 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 he who

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."

 

See you at the site, Share the Wealth, With Prem & Om

 

sanjeev

 

 

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