Swami teaches... Gaayathri - the call to the Cosmic, the Universal

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches...

Gaayathri - the Call to the Cosmic, the Universal

Who is Gaayathri? Gaayathri is not a goddess. "Gaayathri Chandhasaam

maathaa" (Gaayathri is the mother of the Vedhas) "Gaayantham thraayathe ithi

Gaayathri" (Gaayathri is that which redeems the chanter of the manthra). Vedhas

yield Aanandha; Vedha maathaa (Mother of Vedhas) is the Aanandha maathaa (Mother

of Divine Bliss). Gaayathri is present wherever the manthra is chanted.

Gaayathri, however, has three names' Gaayathri, Saavithri, Sarasvathi. These

three are present in everyone. Gaayathri represents the senses. It is the master

of the senses. Saavithri is the master of Praana (Life Force). (Many

Bhaaratheeyas are familiar with the story of Saavithri who brought back to life

her dead husband, Sathyavaan). Saavithri signifies truth. Sarasvathi is the

presiding deity of Vaak (Speech). The three represent purity in thought, word

and deed. Although Gaayathri has three names, all the three are in each of us

as the senses (Gaayathri), the power of speech (Sarasvathi) and the Life Force

(Saavithri).

Gaayathri is said to have five faces and hence is called Panchamukhi. Is

there anybody in the world with five faces? In the Raamaayana, Raavana is said

to have ten heads. If really he had ten heads how would he be able to lie in

his bed or move about? He is said to be ten-headed because he was the master of

the four Vedhas and the six Shaasthras. The five faces Gaayathri are as

follows.

Om (the Pranava) is the first face. The Pranava Principle represents the

Ashta-Aishvarya (eight different forms of wealth).

The second face is: "Bhur Bhuvas Suvah."

The third face is: "Thath-Savithur-varenyam." The fourth face is' "Bhargo

Dhevasya dheemahi."

The fifth face is: "Dheyo yo hah prachodayaath." When the Gaayathri

manthra is understood in this way, it will be realised that all the five

aspects of Gaayathri are within each of us.

The Gaayathri manthra has all the three elements which figure in the

adoration of God description, meditation and prayer. The first nine words of

the manthra - "Om-Bhur-Bhuvas- Suvah-Thath-Savithur- Varenyam-Bhargo-Dhevasya"

represent the attributes of the Divine. Dheemahi pertains to dhyaana

(meditation). "Dheyo yo hah Prachodayaath" is the prayer to the Lord. The

manthra is thus a prayer to God to confer all powers and talents.

"Sarva roga nivaarini Gaayathri" (Gaayathri is the reliever of all diseases).

"Sarva dhukha parivaarini Gaayathri" (Gaayathri wards off all misery).

"Sarva vaancha phalashri Gaayathri" (Gaayathri is the fulfiller of all

desires). Gaayathri is the bestower of all that is beneficial. If the manthra

is chanted, various kinds of powers will emerge in one.

Hence the Gaayathri manthra should not be treated casually. In our

respiration process the sound of Gaayathri is embedded. That sound is a

reminder of our true form. In the breathing process, there is inhalation and

exhalation. In the Yoga-Shaasthra, inhalation is termed Puurakam and the

exhalation is called Rechakam. Holding the breath is called Kumbhakam.

In the Gaayathri Manthra the first line is: "Om Bhur bhuvas suvah." This

manthra is assumed to refer to three worlds, the earth, the middle world and

Heaven - Svarga, the land of the gods. Bhu refers to the body. It is made up of

Pancha Bhuthas (five elements) what constitute Prakrithi (Nature). The same five

elements that are in the nature are also in the body. Bhuvah is the Praana

Shakthi (Life Force) that animates the body. Even if the Life Force exists,

without Jnaana (Awareness) the body will be of no use. It is on this account

that the Vedhas declared: "Prajnaanam Brahma" (Constant Integrated Awareness is

Brahman). The body represents inert matter. The Life Force operates in the body

as a vibration. This Vibration derives its power from Prajnaana, which finds

expression in radiation.

The body, the Life Force and the Prajnaana are all within human. How did

this human body get animated by the Life Force? Whence has this Life Force

come? It is from the Atma-Shakthi (the power of the Self).

The entire cosmos is present in miniature within man. It is because of these

three constituents that we are able to see the cosmos and experience many other

things. Every potency is within us. The external is a reflection of the inner

being.

There is a Sanskrit saying: "Yathpindam thath Brahmaandam" (what is in the

microcosm is in the macrocosm) All that appears in the microcosm are miniature

replica of the macrocosm.

In the practice of the Gaayathri manthra, one should realise that everything

is within and thereby develop confidence in the Self. Through faith in God, you

have to sanctify the body. Without the body, you cannotexperience the mind and

the intellect. To achieve your ideals, the body is the instrument. While the

body is an instrument, the user of the instrument is the Self. All senses

function because of the Atma what is the Witness to everything. It is also

known as Conscious Self. It derives its sanction from the Divine. It is a

fragment of theDivine.

It follows from this that true maanavathvam (humanness) is Dhaivathvam

(Divinity) itself. The Vedhas declared that the divine appears in human form.

Every human being is inherently Divine.

From time immemorial, scriptures and the experience of saints and seekers

have agreed in declaring that there is One Supreme lndweller in all beings, and

only One. All efforts to distinguish between the devotee, the object of devotion

and the means of devotion have concluded, at this point only. This One is near

and far, before, behind, beside and inside everything in the known and unknown

worlds.

People dare describe Him as thus and thus; that reveals only their faculty

to guess; no description can exhaust Him or delineate Him, in full. It is

beyond the reach of human intelligence or imagination to realise the Full and

the Eternal. All Names and Forms are of the many-faceted One. Consider each

fraction as a value, as valid; do not deride it as incomplete. It is impossible

to experience the Complete and communicate the experience. Fractions too are

facts. They share the splendour and glory; they are sustained by the same

spring.

When the Full is seen as a part, the Fullness does not suffer dimunition.

Raama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva -these are Names and Forms of the many-faceted

One; when you pay attention to one facet, the rest are not neglected or

negated. The waters of the Ocean are not separated by lines drawn on them to

demarcate this God's region or that God's. Plunge anywhere; you are plunging

into the self-same Bliss.

Without the multiplicity of names to distinguish one from the rest and the

vast phantasmagoria of form to identify and cognise, knowledge of the many is

impossible; then, all will be seen and felt and experienced as One, which it

really is. To remind human of this fundamental Unity so that person may not get

lost in the conflicts and complexities of manifoldness, the One assumes

Name-Form and comes as Avathaara (Divinityincarnated in human form) among human

beings.

The One can best be defined as Prema (Love). Nature is immersed in Love, all

beings are bound by Love. Annie Besant said once that more than human seeking

God, it is truer to say that God is ever seeking human, a human being who loves

and serves His Children, and treats them as endearingly as He does. As

affection, sympathy, attachment, fraternity, loyalty, reverence, adoration,

patriotism, Love expresses itself in many directions. Adhwaitha (non-dualism)

proclaims that. This One is inseparable and unique. Dhwaitha (dualism)

emphasises the excellence of Its Names and Forms; Visishtaadhwaitha (qualified

dualism) speaks of the Names and Forms as integral parts of the One.

Gaayathri embodies all the Divine potencies in full. This the most sacred

manthra for selfenlightenment usually repeated piously at dawn, noon and

twilight. Chanting Gaayathri is enough to protect the person who chants it. It

is an essential requisite for the young because it ensures a bright and

auspicious future for them. Chant the Gaayathri as often as possible and

whatsoever time. If you chant it while you take a bath, your bath gets

sanctified. Likewise chant it before taking your food. The food becomes an

offering to the Divine. Develop heartfelt devotion to God.

People want to see God. "Sathyam Jnaanam Anantham Brahma," say the

scriptures. Truth is God. Wisdom is God. That truth is Gaayathri .... (Truth of

course, does not mean merely telling the facts as one sees or knows them. Truth

is that which does not change with time). Gaayathri is thus the indweller in

the Hridhaya (heart). Hri-dhaya contains the word Dhaya meaning compassion. But

to what extent is it shown in real life? All the while only anger, jealousy,

pride and hatred are displayed. These evil qualities are opposed to human

nature. It has been declared that one who bases himself entirely on the mind is

a demon. One who bases himself on the body is an animal. One who follows the

Atma is divinely endowed. One who relies on the body, the mind and the Aathma

is a human being. Humanness is the combination of the body; mind and Atma.

So follow the Atma instead of mistaking yourself to be the gross body,

accept it and find in it a great source of peace and step by step, the truth

will be revealed to you in your own unmistakable experience. See yourself in

all; love all as yourself. A dog caught in a room whose walls are mirrors sees

in all the myriad reflections, not itself but rivals, competitors, other dogs

which must be barked at. So, it tires itself out by jumping on this reflection

and that, and when the images also jump, it becomes mad with fury. The wise

person, however, sees him/herself everywhere and is at peace; he/she is happy

that there are so many own reflections all around.

"Who am I?" Every one of you has to know that this question has to worry

you sooner or later. And, every one has to discover the answer. The Vedhaanthic

vision alone can reveal to you "the smaller than the smallest, the bigger than

the biggest" (Anoraneeyaan mahatho maheeyaan). This vision is expressed in

Gaayathri in an indirect form.

One of the dangerous tricks of the modern times, which is misleading a

number of people, is the claim made by many, that they have been sent to

re-establish Dharma. Each one is doing it in his own fashion, and as it suits

one's skill and idiosyncrasy. Dharma is the road for individual and social

progress, in this world andthrough the world, to the next. It is eternal,

basic, fundamental. The principles may not be altered or adjusted to suit

personal whims, or pressing problems, that appear formidable to the eyes of

some individuals, or group of persons.

Vaaranaasi Subrahmanya Shaasthry spoke of Dharma as expounded in and

through the Mahaabhaaratha. That is a prop which can sustain any drooping

heart. If you can inquire deeply and reason fearlessly, you can appreciate the

Indian point of view that, instead of seeking a lower standard of happiness by

feeding the senses, one can get lasting Aanandha (Divine Bliss), by training

the mind to be ever in the eyes of the Cosmic, the Universal, the Lord, as It

is called. Why does human get Aanandha when he/she contemplates the Cosmic and

the Universal? Because we all are the Cosmic, the Universal. The inner meaning

of Gaayathri is nearly the same and the sound vibrations of the chanting

aspirant as radiate in communion with the One, the Cosmic, the Universal.

The Lord has declared in the Geetha, 'Mama Maayaa" My Illusion; that is to

say, this relative world is His Handiwork, His Leela and His Mahima (Divine

Play and Greatness), devised as a training ground, an inspiration, for those

who desire to see Him, the Source and Substance of all this. "This objective

world is My Play," He says. From illusion, you must get interested in the

Author, the Master, the Lord. Once you see the world as the arena of His

activity, the stage for His play, then, you will never more be misled; you will

not be deceived by any tricks of the play and you will not be led to believe it

as genuinely real.

The Lord as more real than the world. This is the basic lesson of Indian

thought. Among all the principles of Vedhantha, this is a pearl. The world is

like a mirage. It was not there before the Sun shone, nor will it be there

when evening falls. It is just an intervening phenomenon; it is best left

alone. There is a Sanskrit saying: "Yaddhrishyam thannasyam" (That which is

seen is subject to extinction).

Human seeks to cross the ocean of Samsaara by penance, pilgrimages to sacred

shrines, scriptural studies and exercises in meditation.

Gaayathri chanting as Adoration the Cosmic Universal (the One, God) is the

way of approach, to reach the One and submerge oneself in Its Glory. In the

beginning, the Adored and the Adorer are different and distant, but, later,

they commingle and come to be more and more composite. For, the Individual and

the Universal are ultimately One. The ego will be dissolved; all signs and

symbols of particularism like name, form, caste, colour, creed, nationality,

church, sect and the fights and duties attendant thereon, will fade.

For such liberated individuals who have merged their ego, the only task that

will adhere will be the uplift of humanity, the welfare of the world. Their

stage of Bliss will react on the world beneficially, without any conscious

effort on their part. Endeavour to reach that Goal and do that Seva, to the

world. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 4. "Role of the

Pandith," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 7. "The One in all," Chapter 24;

Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 12. "Your image in His eye," Chapter 14; Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 26. "Beyond the Mind," Chapter 20; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 28.

"Acquire friendship of God," Chapter 19 and "Unique potency of Gaayathri,"

Chapter 22).

PS: The spelling as in original texts.

 

Namaste - Reet