Gayathri Manthra

Introduction
 

Shukla Yajur Veda was brought to this world by the great Rsi Sri Yogeeswara Yagnavalkya who first prayed to Sri Gayatri Devi by doing severe penance amidst the Panchagni. Sri Gayatri Devi pleased by his penance guided Sri Yogeeswara Yagnavalkya to obtain it from Lord Surya Bhagavan. This web site on Shukla Yajur Veda will be incomplete if a section is not devoted to Sri Gayatri Mata. 

Gayatri is Vedamatha, the mother of all Vedas. A person totally devoted to Gayatri recitation can achieve great success in the path of self advancement. Gayatri inspires man towards righteous wisdom. An astral, conscious electric current flows constantly in a person who is able to establish a relationship with Gayatri as it influences his mind, intellect, heart and inner self. No sooner the divine light of Gayatri dawns on the intellectual field of a person, the darkness of evil thoughts, false convictions, degrading vices start dispelling. Gayatri undoubtedly and miraculously transforms the mental framework of a person to a systematic, healthy, righteous and balanced personality. The well developed mind produces thoughts leading to action resulting in happiness. His work becomes excellent and his well intentioned thoughts radiate happiness, contentment and peace!

Gayatri worship results in extraordinary benefits to its devotees. Numerous persons over thousands of years have achieved material and spiritual benefits by worshipping Gayatri. The reason is that they get righteous wisdom as a divine boon in the light of which all infirmities, complications and difficulties which make people unhappy, poor, worried and miserable, are solved. Darkness has no independent existence as it is nothing but absence of light. In the same way unhappiness is nothing but absence of true knowledge. Otherwise, in this righteous creation of God, there is not a particle of sorrow or suffering. God is sat, chit, anand, embodiment of supreme truth, virtuousness, existence and divine bliss. Man remains unhappy on account of his internal weakness for want of true knowledge. Otherwise, having been endowed with a human body which is scarce even for divine beings and living on this earth which is greater than heaven, there should be nothing else than pleasure for him here.

The sadhana of Gayatri is worship of true knowledge. It has been repeatedly seen those who worship Gayatri will never be lacking in spiritual and worldly happiness.

Each limb of Gayatri has been distilled out from each Veda. It is said in Taittriya Brahamana of Yajur Veda “ The three fold knowledge was revealed: Rig to the heart of Agni; Yajur to the heart of Vayu and Sama to the heart of Aditya. Thus the All Pervading Lord revealed the three fold knowledge, the three worlds were thus illumined. The earth (Bhu Lok, Prithvi) by the Rig, the Antariksha (Bhuva Lok) by the Yajur and Dev Lok (Svah Lok) by the Sama Veda”.

Swami Daya Nand Saraswathi (Arya Samaj founder) has also said that this word AUM is the most glorious name for God as the on word AUM, composed of the letters of A U M constitutes many names of God. At the same time it connotes all the names of God. The Brahman loves this name even as a father loves his child.

It is reported, once, addressing a huge gathering, Dayananda thundered: "Your ancestors were not uncivilized men living in forests. They were great men who enlightened this world. Your history is not a bundle of defeats. It is the eulogy of the conquerors of the world. Your Vedic Scriptures are not the songs of cowherds. They are the immortal truths which shaped mighty souls like Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. Awake! Arise! Be proud of your glorious history. Take inspiration from it to mould the present. Shame upon the modern education which fills you with contempt for your ancestors!"

Gayatri, what is it?

 

The performance of Gayatri Japa serves as a preliminary rite for self purification, bestows on individuals Atma Shakti and protects them from the malefic effects of sins and expiation. Gayatri mantra is supercharged with power and has been prescribed to mankind under Vedic sanctions. A fresh order of life begins to blossom for all persons from the moment of initiation into upanayana, the sacred thread ceremony. The most cardinal part of upanayana is Brahmaopadesa, which is initiation into uttering of the sacred Gayatri Mantra. Enriched with divine energy, Gayatri mantra serves as a faithful protector for all those who silently utter the mantra to themselves with sincerity. This mantra is a dynamic force and enjoins the brahmachari (bachelor), the grahasthas (house holder) and the vanaprastha (forest dweller), all to repeat this sanctified mantra at least 108 times a day.

The Gayatri mantra, the most mighty of the Vedic mantras, is a prayer to the Sun god to alleviate one from all human sins, physical dissipation and to bestow knowledge, health and longevity. Gayatri is the mantra to be repeatedly recited in the morning before the Sun begins to rise, at noon when the Sun is in the apex and in the evening as the Sun sets, three times a day. Gayatri mantra is a vandana prayer to everlasting light of lights and extols the Almighty Suryanaryana as the soul and spirit of the moving and static objects, with a supplication for proper application and direction one’s buddhi or intellect in all matters.

The Gayatri Mantra forms a part of the Rg Veda Samhita, Mandala III, 62 – 10.

Maithrayani Upanisad explains beautifully the meaning and significance of Gayatri mantra.

‘Om’ represents Brahma Swaroopam which is all the three genders of male, female and napumsaka. It represents the three luminaries of Agni, Vayu and Adityan. It represents the three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. It represents the three agnis of Garhapadhyam, Dakshinagni and Ahavaneeyam. It represents the three Vedas Rg, Yajur and Sama; the three worlds, Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka; the three times, the present, past and future; the three heat sources, prana, agni and Surya; the three sources of sustenance of the body – food, water and moon; the three ways of thinking – buddhi, mind and ahankara; the three dwelling points of life –prana, Apana and Vyana. It is also Aksharam, Parma and Aparam.

‘Tat Savitur Varenyam’ means Lord Surya who is the creator also called Savita is to be prayed as the best representation of Atman.

‘Bargo Devasya Dheemahi’ means we meditate on the wonderful brilliance of Lord Surya.

‘Dhiyoyonaha Prachodhayat’ – In this ‘na:’ and ‘diya: are our buddhis aand our shaktis. (We pray to) That Paramatma which residing in Lord Surya who excites or direct our buddhis and shaktis.

Bharga is explained as the brilliance of Surya and the stars. Bharrjadhi means destroying by fire and hence Bharga represents Rudra. Or bhaga means ghacchati i.e. all the life are from Paramatma and hence he is called ‘bharga’. The name Surya is from the word “suyamanathvath” meaning destroyer of all opponents. Savitha means the creator. Since Surya attracts everything he is called Adityan from the word ‘adhanath’. This Aditya is the imperishable Atman. 

Word by word meaning of Gayatri

Om – the primeval sound
Bhur – the physical world, this earth
Bhuva – the mental world
Svaha – the spiritual world
Thath – That (the Paramatma)
Savitur – The Sun, Creator
Varenyam – the most adorable, highest
Bhargo – Luster, Effulgence, tejas
Devasya - Supreme Lord
Dhimahi – we meditae upon
Dhiyo – intellect, understanding
Yo – who
Naha – our
Prachodhayat – enlightens, guides

We meditate on the most adorable and effulgent Supreme Spirit (The Sun) who directs and inspires our intellect and understanding! 

Power and greatness of Gayatri 

 

Right from Brahma, the creator of this world down to the present era all the Rsis, saints, innumerable persons have realised and experienced the power of Gayatri. No other mantra has been worshipped and practiced so much as this mantra. Gayatri is praised as Maha Mantra Palapradhayai which means she helps to realise the effectiveness of any mantra. To realise the benefits of any ritual or practice of any mantra the Gayatri Japam is a must to be performed. A person who does the Gayatri Japam regularly is able to realise the benefit of any studies or use of any mantra. Gayatri Mantra is the first mantra to be taught in schools in the olden days as it enabled the students attain righteous and far sighted wisdom and energized them to absorb the onerous studies ahead of them.

Many Rsis and learned persons have praised the Gayatri mantra and we produce here an extract of such statement.

Rsis Visvamitra says there is no other mantra like Gayatri in all the four Vedas. All the Vedas, yagna, charity and tap are not equivalent even to a small portion of Gayatri Mantra.

Yogeeswara Yagnavalkya says “ Gayatri and all the Vedas were weighted in a balance, Gayatri gained an upper hand. Upanisads are the essence of Vedas and Gayatri along with its Viyahritis has been regarded as the essence of Upanisads. Gayatri is the mother of Vedas, it destroys the sins as there is no other purifier than Gayatri on this earth or in the heaven. There is no better place of pilgrimage than Ganga and none can excel the lord Keas. So also there is no mantra superior to Gayatri mantra. One who knows Gayatri becomes a master of all knowledge and becomes shroutriya. A dwij who is not devoted to Gayatri is like a shoodra, all though he may be well versed in Vedas and all his labour is futile. He who does not know Gayatri gets deprived of his brahmanatva and becomes sinful”.

In this context we have to recall the statement of Great Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekerendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, who has said that if Gayatri is not practiced by three generation of Brahmins the Brahmin ceases to be a Brahmin.

Manu says that “Gayatri mantra having three phases was formed by Brahma as the essence of three Vedas. There is no greater purifier mantra than Gayatri mantra. Any person engaged in doing Gayatri tap regularly for three years realises God. A dwij who meditates on Gayatri mantra in the morning and evening twilights gets the benefit of reading Vedas. Such a person can attain divine powers (siddhis) by Gayatri japa alone. Those who perform the japa thousand times daily get rid of sins just as a snake casts off its slough. A dwij who does not worship Gayatri deserves to be condemned”.

According to Parashar, “Of all the sukthas and Veda mantras, Gayatri mantra is most superior. As between the Vedas and Gayatri, the latter has an upper hand . One who performs Gayatri japa with devotion becomes pure and gets liberated. A person devoid of Gayatri cannot be considered to be a Brahmin, although he might have read Vedas, sastras and puranas”.

Shanka Rsi is of the view that “Gayatri alone extends a helping hand and saves a person falling in the ocean of hell. There is nothing superior to it on earth as well as in the heaven. Undoubtedly, a person who knows Gayatri attains svarga, the heaven”.

According to Shounak Rsi, “ a dwij may or may not do other kinds of worship. He gets liberated by doing Gayatri japa alone and attains all material and spiritual pleasures. Performance of ten thousand japa averts calamity in the hour of crisis”.

Attri Rsi, says “Gayatri completely purifies the soul. By the glorious power of Gayatri deep-rooted defects and vices are cleansed. Nothing else remains to be enjoyed in this world by one who fully understands the substance of Gayatri”.

Maharishi Vyasa says “Just as honey is the essence of flower, ghee of milk, in the same way Gayatri is the essence of all the Vedas. Gayatri is like kamadhenu for one who has acquired proficiency in it. Ganga purifies the sins committed by physical body but Gayatri, the Brahma Ganga purifies the soul. A person resorting to systems of worship other than Gayatri is like a fool who leaves delicious delicacies and indulges in begging food”. There is nothing superior to achieving desired success and developing the power of devout austerity”.

Bharadwaj Rsi says that “Even God like Brahma performs Gayatri japa. It leads to god realisation. A vicious man gets rid of his vices by performing Gayatri japa. A person devoid of Gayatri is worse than a shoodra”.

Charak Rsi says “A person who worships Gayatri observing the vow of brahmacharya and consumes fresh fruits of anwala (emblic myrobalan tree) attains longevity”

Rsi Vasista says “ persons who are dull, wayward and fickle minded reach a high position by Gayatri influence and their salvation is certain. Those who worship Gayatri firmly with piousness realise the self”.

Adi Sankara Baghavadpadha has said “It is beyond human competence to describe the glory of Gayatri. Nothing is so important in the world as to have wisdom. This wisdom by which self –realisation is attained through divine insight is inspired by Gayatri. Gayatri is the initial mantra. It is an incarnation to destroy sins and promote virtues”.

Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa has said “I tell people that it is not necessary to get engaged in prolonged sadhnas. Perform simple Gayatri Sadhana and see the result. Great siddhis are attained by Gayatri sadhana. This mantra is small, no doubt, but it is extremely powerful”.

Swami Vivekananda has said “Gayatri is a mantra of righteous wisdom and therefore, it has been called a be-jeweled crown of all the mantras”.

Mahamana Madanmohan Malviya has said “Gayatri is the most precious gem which has been given to us by Rsis. It purifies the intellect and the soul is enlightened with the light of God. Countless souls have been liberated from worldly bond by this enlightenment. Gayatri has the power to inculcate feeling of dedication to God and removes scarcity of worldly requirements. Gayatri sadhana is extremely necessary for Brahmins. A person who does not perform Gayatri japa is guilty of neglecting his duties”.

Devi Bhagavatam states “Sadhana of Gayatri mantra is the essence of Vedas. Even God like Brahma meditates on and performs Gayatri japa at the time of twilight. A Brahmin who performs only Gayatri japa regularly attains salvation. Daily worship of Gayatri has been described in all the Vedas. A Brahmin devoid of Gayatri is doomed in all respects. A Brahmin who gives up Gayatri goes to hell although he may worship Vishnu or Shiva”.