GAYATRI MANTRA - BENEFIT AND SIGNIFICANCE IN HINDUISM

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GAYATRI MANTRA - BENEFIT AND SIGNIFICANCE IN HINDUISM

 

Gayathri, Savitri and Saraswati are three goddesses representing the

presiding deities of the famous Gayathri mantra chanted thrice a day.

Gayathri is the presiding deity of the morning prayer and rules over

the Rig-Veda and the garhapatya fire. Every grihasta (householder)

was expected to keep 5 or 3 sacred fires ( Five fires: ahavaneeya,

dakshagni, garhapatya, sawta, aavasadha.) in his house to perform

Vedic rituals.

 

In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry: rhyme and

meter are not written whimsically. The Gayathri Mantra has a Vedic

metre of 24 syllables. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gayathri

mantra, chanted by properly qualified persons, is the most prominent.

The Gayathri mantra is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Great sins

are said to be expiated by a pious recitation of this Gayathri verse

which reads as follows:

 

Om bhoor bhuvassuvaha,

Tatsa Vitur varenyam,

Bhargo devasya dheemahi,

Dheeyo yonah prachodayat

 

Gayathri mantra is meant for realization of God and is regarded as

representing the Supreme Lord. It is meant for spiritually advanced

people. Success in chanting it enables one to enter the

transcendental position of the Lord. But, in order to chant the

Gayathri mantra, it is necessary for one to first acquire the

qualities of the perfectly balanced person in terms of the qualities

of goodness according to the laws of material nature. The Gayathri

mantra is considered to be the sonic incarnation of Brahman and is

regarded as very important in Vedic civilization. In Bhagavad-Gita

(Ch. 10. 35), Lord Krishna states:

 

Brihat saama latha saamnaam

Gayathri chandasaam aham

Maasaanam maarga sirshoham

Ritunaam kusumaakaraha

 

Among the hymns, I am the Brihat saama sung to Lord Indra,

Of the poetry, I am the Gayathri verse sung daily by the initiated,

Of all the nuwsas (months), I am the margasira (November- December)

Among all the ritus (seasons), I am the flower bearing - spring.

Gayathri is depicted seated on a lotus. She is depicted with five

faces representing the pancha pranas /pancha vayus(five lives/winds):

prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana, of the five principles/ elements

(pancha tatwas) earth, water, air, fire, sky (prithvi, jala, vayu,

teja, aakasha). She has 10 hands carrying the five ayudhas: shankha;

chakra, kamala, varada, abhaya, kasha, ankusha, ujjwala utensil,

rudrakshi mala.

 

Hindu Temples across the world perform Gayathri havan (homam)

periodically to propitiate the Lord. Ghee (rectified butter) is

applied during the homa by all the participants seated around the

homa-kunda.

 

GAYATRI MANTRA - ITS MEANING

Gayathri Mantra (the mother of the Vedas), the foremost mantra in

Hinduism and Hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May

the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the

righteous path".

 

Summary of the Gayathri Mantra:

 

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,

Remover of pain and sorrow,

The Bestower of happiness,

Oh! Creator of the Universe,

May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,

May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

 

Word for Word Meaning of the Gayathri Mantra

 

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,

TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM

BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI

DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

 

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,

Remover of pain and sorrow,

The Bestower of happiness,

Oh! Creator of the Universe,

May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,

May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

 

Aum = Brahma

bhoor = embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran)

bhuwah = destroyer of sufferings

swaha = embodiment of happiness

tat = that

savitur = bright like sun

varenyam = best choicest

bhargo = destroyer of sins

devasya = divine

dheemahi = may imbibe

dhiyo = intellect

yo = who

naha = our

prachodayat = may inspire!

 

Origin and Benefits of the Gayathri Mantra

 

Rishis selected the words of various Mantras and arranged them so

that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of

righteous wisdom through their utterance.

 

All the problems of a person are solved if he/she is endowed with the

gift of righteous wisdom. Once endowed with far-sighted wisdom, a man

is neither entangled in calamity nor does he tread the wrong path. A

wise man finds solution to all outstanding problems. Only those

persons who do not think correctly find difficulty and take wrong

steps due to foolishness.

 

Chanting of Gayathri Mantra removes this deficiency. The teachings

and powers incorporated in the Gayathri Mantra fulfill this purpose.

Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after Jap (recitation) of the

Gayathri Mantra is performed.

 

The Gayathri Mantra consists of fourteen words, each of which holds

an important meaning...

 

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

 

Gayathri Mantra - Goddess Gayathri

 

Gayathri Devi is an incarnation of Saraswati Devi, consort of Lord

Brahma, symbolizing the "Shakthi" (strength) and "dev" (quality) of

Knowledge, Purity and Virtue. Saraswati Devi is held to be the

patronness of the Arts, being a poet and musician, as well as

skillful composer. In the form of Gayathri Devi, with the blessings

of Lord Brahma, she is believed to have given the four Vedas to

mankind.

 

Gayathri Mantra - Source and Origination

 

The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true

knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayathri Devi

also gave to mankind the "Gayathri Mantra", also known as the "Guru

Mantra" and the "Savitri Mantra", one of the oldest mantras, and

generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful

mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the

Mother of the Vedas". It appears in Yajur Veda - Adhyaya (Chapter)

36, Mantra (Verse) 3.

 

Due to its great power, the Gayathri Mantra had become, over time,

the sole property of the Brahmins, who abused their power to maintain

a hold of the common people. The great Hindu reformer, Swami (often

called Maharishi) Dayanand Saraswati however freed the mantra from

the iron clutches of the Brahmins, and thus made it freely available

to the entire world. Through this, as well as various other acts, he

strove to distance the Hindu community from the false beliefs and

superstitions that had crept into it, and brought about a reversion

to the true, Vedic faith.

 

The Gayathri Mantra occupies a unique place in that it has both the

power of mantra and of prarthana (prayer). It is important then in

considering the Gayathri Mantra to distinguish the difference between

these two deceptively similar words.

 

A mantra may be articulate or inarticulate, or a combination of them,

as with AUM. It has an inherent power, known as "Mantra Shakthi",

which has a positive influence not due to any philosophical meaning

behind the mantra, but simply due to its utterance alone (of

course, "utterance" may or may not be vocal or heard - it can be

silent, expressed only in the mind, or at the deepest level, heard

only by the soul itself). As explained, a pure mantra may or may not

have any actual meaning or philosophical significance, its power

being intrinsic to the mantra itself, and not instrumental to any

meaning.

 

A prarthana on the other hand does have a philosophical meaning

behind it, and it is generally through this meaning that the

prarthana has its power. Since the mantra is devoid of any kind of

actual meaning, it cannot be conceptualised or visualised. This makes

its understanding extremely difficult to the normal human mind, thus

rendering its correct enunciation almost impossible to the untrained

person. A prarthana however, having a meaning that can be

comprehended through purely intellectual means, is far easier to be

understood, since rational thought, unlike spiritual meditation, is

much more in the reach of the ordinary person. Thus, the method of

prarthana is generally the form of worship used today.

The Gayathri, or Guru, Mantra possesses both the power of mantra and

the power of prarthana, and thus has both an intrinsic power

(i.e. "mantra Shakthi"), through its mere utterance alone, and also

an instrumental power (ie "prarthana Shakthi"), which is derived from

the exposition and understanding of its meaning and philosophical

significance. The repeated and correct chanting of the Gayathri

Mantra, with proper understanding of its meaning, is believed to be

of the greatest good to the individual.

 

The Gayathri Mantra can be broken down into six parts...

1. AUM, the Supreme name of God. A full explanation of this has been

given in another article.

 

2. BHUR BHUVAH SWAH. These three words collectively are known as

the "Mahavyahriti". They express the nature of God, and demonstrate

his inherent qualities

 

BHUR

Firstly, the word Bhur implies existence. God is self-existent and

independent of all. He is eternal and unchanging. Without beginning

and without end, God exists as a continuous, permanent, constant

entity. Secondly, the word Bhur can also mean the Earth, on which we

are born and sustained. God is the provider of all, and it is through

His divine will that we our blessed with all that we require to

maintain us through our lives. Finally, Bhur signifies Prana, or life

(literally, breath). God is That which gives life to all. Whilst He

is independent of all, all are dependent on Him. It is God who has

given us life, God who maintains us throughout our lives, and God

alone who has the ability to take away our life, when He so chooses.

The only permanent entity, all others are subject to His own will

 

BHUVAH

Bhuvah describes the absolute Consciousness of God. God is self-

Conscious as well as being Conscious of all else, and thus is able to

control and govern the Universe. Also, the word Bhuvah relates to

God's relationship with the celestial world. It denotes God's

greatness - greater than the sky and space, He is boundless and

unlimited. Finally, Bhuvah is also indicative of God's role as the

remover of all pain and sufferings (Apaana). We see pain and sorrow

all around us. However, through supplication to God, we can be freed

from that pain and hardship. God Himself is devoid of any pain.

Though He is Conscious of all, and is thus aware of pain, it does not

affect Him. It is our own ignorance that makes us susceptible to the

effects of Maya, or illusion, which causes us to feel pain. Through

true devotion to God, we can be freed from the clutches of Maya, and

thus be rid of pain and sorrow.

 

SWAH

Swah indicates the all-pervading nature of God. He is omnipresent and

pervades the entire multi-formed Universe. Without Form Himself, He

is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the physical world,

and is thus present in each and every physical entity. In this way,

God is able to interact with the Universe created by Him, and thus

sustain and control it, ensuring its smooth and proer running and

function.

Also, Swah symbolises God's bliss. All but God experience pain,

suffering and sorrow. Devoid of all such things, God alone is able to

experience supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by humans is

temporary, a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon

dissolves back into the mire of worldy troubles. Perfect, and without

any form of deficiency, God alone experiences true bliss, permanent

and unaffected by worldly pains and woes. One who realises God is

able to join in this bliss, and thus God is able to impart true

happiness to those who establish oneness with that Supreme Divinity.

The Mahavyahriti can be summed up by comparison to the word AUM

itself, and through this comparison to the tripartite structure, can

be compared to the essential nature of God, which differentiates Him

from the other two entities recognised in that structure (namely,

matter and soul), in the same way as the comparison between the three

parts of the word Satchidananda, another name also used to describe

God...

 

• BHUR Prana Earth Sat Existence

• BHUVAH Apana Sky Chit Consciousness

• SWAH Vyana Heaven Ananda Bliss

 

A fuller explanation of this tripartite structure ("Traita-vada") has

been given elsewhere, in the discussion of the word AUM.

 

3. TAT SAVITUR, a reference again to God Himself

 

TAT

Literally, this word means "that", being used in Sanskrit to denote

the third person. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Sri

Krishna Himself, where He implies the selfless nature of the word.

Being used in the third person, the word has implicit in it an idea

of selflessness. Sri Krishna uses it to imply the selfless nature of

charity (charity, or a gift, being used as an analogy for worship, in

the form of action, implying that action should be preformed without

regard to its fruits, but simply out of devotion and sense of duty,

or Dharma). Tat then is used here in the Gayathri Mantra to indicate

that the worshipper is referring to [that] God, and that the praise

being offered to God in the prayer is purely directed towards Him,

without thought of gaining any personal benefit from that praise.

 

SAVITUR

Savita, from which Savitur is derived, is another name of God, this

being the reason that the Gayathri Mantra is often known as the

Savitri Mantra. The implication of Savita is of God's status as the

fountain, the source of all things. It is through His Divine Grace

that the Universe exists, and so this word sums up the Mahavyahriti,

by describing God's ability to create the Universe and sustain it, as

well as, at the right time, bring about its dissolution.

Savita is also indicative of God's gift to mankind. Humans also have,

in limited amount, the power, or Shakthi, of Savita. This Shakthi

acts as an impetus in humans, and brings about the requirement for

them to do something. They cannot sit idle, and are constantly

searching for something to do. This is what is commonly known as

the "creative urge". It is through this Shakthi that mankind has

created art, and it is through this Shakthi also that scientific

advances are made. The gift of Savita also gives creatures the

ability of procreation. Hence, Savita can be thought of as meaning

Father (or Mother) also.

 

Finally, it is the power of Savita that enables mankind to

distinguish right from wrong, and vice from virtue. Through this

ability, we are able to in some part direct our own selves, and thus,

Savita imparts to us a certain self-guiding ability. Thus, by using

this word in the mantra, we demonstrate that we are making efforts

ourselves also, since God will not help us unless we are willing to

help ourselves.

 

4. VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA. This triplet is a further description of

the attributes and qualities of God, this time related, rather then

to intrinsic qualities, to His functional and instrumental qualities,

and through those qualities, His relationship to us, His Creation

 

VARENYAM

Varenyam signifies our acceptance of God, and can be translated as

meaning "Who is worthy". Ever ready to obtain all the material riches

of the world, more often than not, they are a disappointment once

they have been achieved. God however is the one who, once realised

and achieved, has the ability to truly satisfy. We therefore accept

Him as the Highest reality, and it is to Him that we dedicate our

efforts.

 

Varenyam can also be interpreted as signifying one who is eligible.

We have chosen Him to be our Leader and our Guide. We place our all

into His hands, and accept Him regardless of anything else. We place

no conditions on this acceptance, as it is all out of sheer devotion.

 

BHARGO

Bhargo is taken to signify the Glorious Light that is God's love and

power. It indicates His complete purity. Being absolutely pure

Himself, God also has the ability to purify those that come into

contact with Him. Thus, Bhargo is indicative of God's power to

purify, and to destroy all sins and afflictions. In the same way as a

metal ore placed into a fire will yield the pure metal, by merging

with God, by realising His Divine Form and establishing unity and

oneness with Him, we can cleanse ourselves and be made pure by His

Grace.

 

Though the soul, being itself Divine in nature, possesses that Light,

it lacks lustre, having been made impure by the sins and vices, which

are a result of the darkness of Maya. By removing the veil of Maya,

and cleansing our soul, God can enable the soul to realise its true,

Divine self, and thus purify it.

 

DEVASYA

The word Deva, from which this word is derived, has been translated

by different people in many different ways. It is generally thought

of as meaning simply "God". However, its meaning is more complex than

that.

 

Deva, which forms the root of the words "Devata" and "Devi",

means "quality" or "attribute", and can be thought of as another word

for "Guna". Thus it is that the various Forms of God are given this

name, as each of those Forms is related to a specific quality and

function (for example, Brahma has the quality of Creation, Kamadeva

has the quality of love, etc.). Also, Deva is thus used to describe

anyone who is considered to possess a special quality.

 

Since Deva is symbolic of the individual qualities of God, the word

demonstrates the inherent oneness of those different Forms, and thus

the use of this word can be taken as describing the fundamental unity

of God. Thus we see that here, we reaffirm that central belief in the

Hindu Dharma that "Ekam sat viprah bahudah vadanti" (Truth, or God,

is one, but wise men call Him/It by diffeerent names).

 

Thus, Deva is indicative of the various multifaceted entity that is

the absolute Personality of God. It describes in one word all the

functions, roles and different attributes of God, and symbolises

therefore his absolutely essential nature - without God, nothing can

exist.

 

DHIMAHI

Meaning to meditate and focus the mind on God. Meditation on God

implies that we remove all other thoughts from our mind, since

thoughts of the world render our mind impure, and thus we are unable

to conceptualise the absolute purity of God. We must be able to

concentrate, and direct our mental energies towards the task in hand -

ie communion with God. In this, we demonstrate that God is the most

important thing to us, and that we value Him above all else.

Prayer is carried out for four main reasons:

 

• to praise and glorify God;

• to thank God;

• to ask forgiveness from God;

• or to make a request from God.

 

Having carried out the other three parts (praise of His greatness,

thanks for His generosity in Creation and maintaining us through our

lives, and forgiveness by demonstrating our awareness of our own

impurity, which we have realised is present and must be cleansed

through contact with God), this part is now our request from God.

Since our soul is the Light of Life within us, and that acts on our

body via the medium of the brain, we ask God to make this contact

pure and righteous. The soul is of course inherently pure, being

itself Divine in nature. The body is under the complete control of

the mind. The link is the mind, which is affected not only by the

soul, but also the outside world. We ask in these four words that God

help us to improve our intellect, and guide it towards what is right.

 

DHIYO

Sanskrit for "intellect", this is the essence of this part of the

Gayathri Mantra. Having firmly set God in our hearts, we now must try

to emphasise His presence and influence on our mind and intellect.

Material prosperity holds no true meaning for the person who is truly

devoted to God. Pain and suffering are of no consequence to him as,

touched by God, he is imbued with God's own Divine Bliss, and all

worldly sorrows pale to nothingness in comparison. However, still the

individual must live in the world. Thus, it is important that the

person's intellect remains focused on serving God, and that it is

able, through the medium of the body, to serve God to the best of its

ability.

 

Physical objects can be obtained very easily, if one is intelligent

enough to know how to go about it. Intellect however cannot be

obtained, but must be there from the very first. It is by use of this

intellect, in fact, that one is able to cultivate all other qualities

(building of wealth, "success" in life (in material terms), physical

fitness, etc.) Thus, intellect is the key to all else in life, and as

such, it is the most important possession. We ask God in the Gayathri

Mantra to gift us with the highest intellect, and to help us by

showing us the way to use that intellect.

 

YO

Meaning "Who" or "That", Yo signifies yet again that it is not to

anyone else that we direct these prayers, but to God alone. Only God

is worthy of the highest adoration, only God is perfect and free from

all defects. It is That God to Whom we offer these prayers.

 

NAH

Nah means "Ours", and signifies the selflessness of the request we

make of God in this part of the Gayathri Mantra. We offer this

prayer, and make the request of God, not simply for ourselves, but

for the whole of humanity. We seek the uplift of the whole of

society. Hindu philosophy has since the beginning recognised the

concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - "The whole world is one big

family". Thus, we pray not only for ourselves, but for each and every

member of that great family, that we may all benefit from the

greatness and generosity of the All-loving God.

 

PRACHODAYAT

Prachodayat, the final word of the Gayathri Mantra, rounds off the

whole mantra, and completes the request we make of God in this final

part. This word is a request from God, in which we ask Him for

Guidance, and Inspiration. We ask that, by showing us His Divine and

Glorious Light (cf. BHARGO), He remove the darkness of Maya from our

paths, that we are able to see the way, and in this manner, we ask

Him to direct our energies in the right way, guiding us through the

chaos of this world, to find sanctuary in the tranquility and peace

of God Himself, the root of all Happiness, and the source of true

Bliss.

 

With Sai love from Sai brothers – `'

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