VOICE OF THE RISHIS-70

[Guest guest]

PRIYA BHAGAVAT BANDUVULLARA!

 

VOICE OF THE RISHIS: 70

 

COURTESY: SHRI RAPARLA JANARADHANA RAO

 

" BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHEE "

-GAYATRI MANTRA

 

" I pray to the Sunlight of the Lord " . The prayer or imploration

(dhemahi) to the Sun God (Bhaargava) forms the basic part of Vedic

devotees. Worship of the Sun or the glorious power generating rays

of the Sun, assumes topmost priority in the worship and this line is

taken from the four lined text of the most sacred of all mantras

(sacred verses) namely " Gayatri "

 

It reads thus

 

1) Om bhoor bhuva ssuvaha – Lord of the three worlds

2) Om tat sa viturvarneyam – that glorious adorable light

3) Bhargo devasya dheemahee – my prayers are to the Sun God

4) Dhio yonah prachodayat – Let our thoughts be blossomed

 

Here it may be seen the ancient Vedic devotee did not worship the

idols, but a worshipper of the glorious Sun, the energizer of this

mundane world. It is also given in another text relating to the

same idea of the worship of light or the sun' rays " Asaavadityo

Brahama " (Asava) this very apparent, Sun (aditya) is the Lord

(Brahma).

 

Then when this idolatry does has got stepped into, is the question

for greater consideration. The prime, accepted Vedic form worship

is the worship of Sun's light. Later for easy concentration,

absorption of mind, symbolic forms have been devised for the easy

understanding and worship by the common folks. This must have been

a convenient step down from Vedic way of Prayer. Praying to Aditya

or the Light of the World, stepped down to the Puranic system of

worshipping idols, leading to Pantheism.