Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Forwarding this from another group.I thought the members may like this beautiful analysis of the sacred Gayatri Mantra. RK--- In hinduism_environment, <mega_irreverant-he> wrote: Introduction: The Gâyatrî Mantra is first recorded in the Rig Veda (iii, 62, 10) which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and by some reports, the mantra may have been chanted for many generations before that. The word Gâyatrî (mw352) is a combination of Sanskrit words, although there is some disagreement in various texts about the exact derivation. One suggestion is that the word Gâyatrî is made from these two words: - gâyanath (mw352) what is sung, giving of praise - trâyate ( mw457, root trai) preserves, protects, gives deliverance, grants liberation Another viewpoint suggests that the roots are: - gaya (mw348) vital energies - trâyate ( mw457, root trai) preserves, protects, gives deliverance, grants liberation The word Mantra (mw785) means instrument of thought, sacred text, or a prayer of praise. So, the two words "Gâyatrî Mantra" might be translated as: a prayer of praise that awakens the vital energies and gives liberation. And indeed, this is such a prayer. The Use of Mantra: Sri Aurobindo, in Hymns to the Mystic Fire, wrote: "We have to invoke the gods by the inner sacrifice, and by the word call them unto us - that is the specific power of the Mantra, - to offer to them the gifts of the sacrifice and by that giving secure their gifts, so that by this process we may build the way of our ascent to the goal... We give what we are and what we have in order that the riches of the Divine Truth and Light may descend into our life." In his book Sâdhanâ, Srî Swâmi Shivânanda wrote: "Of all the mantras, the supreme and the most potent power of powers is the great, glorious Gâyatrî Mantra. It is the support of every seeker after Truth who believes in its efficacy, power and glory, be he of any caste, creed, clime or sect. It is only one's faith and purity of heart that really count. Indeed, Gâyatrî is an impregnable spiritual armor, a veritable fortress, that guards and protects its votary, that transforms him into the divine, and blesses him with the brilliant light of the highest spiritual illumination. .... It is universally applicable, for it is nothing but an earnest prayer for Light, addressed to the Supreme Almighty Spirit. .... This single mantra, repeated sincerely and with clear conscience, brings the supreme good." The Invocation: Chanting of the Gâyatrî Mantra is often prefaced with either a short invocation or a long invocation and is often followed with a closing. The following are examples of two common invocations. In either of the invocations, we begin the recitation of the Gâyatrî Mantra with an invocation using the sacred symbol Om to acknowledge and pay homage to the One who is beyond name and form. - Short Invocation: This invocation is acknowledging and joyously celebrating that Om is bhûr, Om is bhuvas, Om is suvaha... Om is everything. The terms bhûr, bhuvas, suvaha (mahâ vyâhritis) are invocations to honor the planes of our existence and to call to our aid the presiding deities of the three planes in which we live our ordinary life: the physical, astral and mental planes. The three lokas (bhûr, bhuvas, suvaha) are the bîja (seed) mantrams of the devatâs called Agni, Vâyu and Âditya who are being invoked to assist in our transformation. (See Chandogya Upanishad (IV, xvii, 1- 3) and (II, xxiii, 3)). Then Prajâpati reflected on the three lokas and from this reflection was born OM. As veins pervade all leaves, so Om pervades all sound. Verily all this is Om! Verily all this is Om! Chandogya Upanishad (II, xxiii, 3) The short preamble is simply these four words: om bhûr bhuvas suvaha The Sanskrit character that is transliterated as bh is a very earthy sound that virtually explodes from the diaphragm. Listen carefully to the Sai Baba recording. To learn to make this sound, try saying "who" while sharply pulling in the abdominal muscles and forcing the diaphragm upward.... then add the "b" sound and do the same with bhûr (pronounced "bhoor"). (Please see the notes below regarding spelling and pronunciation of Sanskrit words) - Long Invocation: As with the shorter version, this invocation is a recognition that there are many worlds, all empowered by the nameless, formless, birthless, deathless which is symbolized by om.... om is everything. These seven lines of the long invocation are the seven lokas, or planes, of existence, and are used not only to recognize and honor the planes of existence, but also to call the presiding deities of those planes to aid in our transformation and realization: om bhûhû om bhuvaha om suvaha om mahaha om janaha om tapaha om satyaM This magnificent chant by Sreedevi Bringi is done in the ancient, traditional Vedic manner which has been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. The seven lokas, may be briefly described as: bhûhû - earth, the physical world bhuvaha - astral/desire/breath, the world of becoming suvaha - mental, the world of thinking mahaha - causal, silent mind, the world of emotion janaha - world of creative generation tapaha - world of intuition satyaM - world of Absolute Truth This recital of the lokas begins with the gross, physical world filled with separation and differences and then each, in sequence, becomes more refined, more transcendent, more unified, more all- encompassing. The recitation of the lokas, done with intent and clarity, prepares one for the chanting of the Gâyatrî Mantra by harmonizing and attuning one with all the worlds. Body of the Gâyatrî Mantra: The body of the Gâyatrî Mantra is written as: The transliterated text is: om tat savitur vareNyaM bhargo devasya dhîmahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayât Swâmi Shivânanda's translation of the Gâyatrî Mantra is: We meditate on the glory of the Creator; Who has created the Universe; Who is worthy of Worship; Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light; Who is the remover of all Sin and Ignorance; May He enlighten our Intellect. A succinct and delightful translation by S. Krishnamurthy is: We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness; May it awaken our intuitional consciousness. Here's a simple word-by-word translation: Om - Om (Brahman, the One, the Godhead, Supreme Deity) tat - that (referring to Savitri, Paramatma, God) savitur - (mw1190) - Savitri, the Spiritual Sun (that from which all is born), the One Light, the all-pervading Consciousness O nourishing Sun, solitary traveler, controller, source of life for all creatures, spread your light and subdue your dazzling splendor so that I may see your blessed Self. Even that very Self am I! Isa Upanishad (16) vareNyaM - most excellent, adorable, fit to be worshipped, venerable, worthy of being sought bhargo - (mw748) - radiance, effulgence, splendor (the light that bestows understanding) devasya - divine, of the deity dhîmahi - we meditate upon... or may we meditate upon dhiyo - prayer, noble thoughts, intuition, understanding of Reality (buddhis) yo - he who, the one who nah - our, of us prachodayât - may he energize, direct, inspire, guide, unfold... or he who energizes, directs, inspires, guides, unfolds (Please see the notes below regarding spelling and pronunciation of Sanskrit words, as well as the grammatical ambiguity of dhîmahi and prachodayât.)) Short Closing: bhûr bhuvas suvar om This simple closing phrase is magnificent, and is a powerful meditation all by itself, a joyous and humbling panoramic sweep from the initial earthy, lower chakra "bh" sound gradually becoming ever finer, transcending all the worlds, and culminating in the nameless, formless essence. and there is more. --- End forwarded message --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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