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T he G ayatri mantra is c ompos ed of a metre c ons is ting of 2 4
s yllables - generally arranged in a triplet of eight s yllables eac h.
T herefore, this partic ular meter (tripadhi) is als o known as the
G ayatri M eter or "G ayatri C hhanda."
T oday, this mantra is meditated, c hanted and s ung not only in
I ndian s ubc ontinent but all around the world with reverenc e,
devotion and love. T his mantra has s oothing and beautiful flow
of s ounds with various rhythmic patterns making it the mos t
powerful mantra for daily s piritual prac tic e or s piritual
enlightenment.
G ayatri mantra has a univers al meaning and is applic able to
whole mankind irres pec tive of their faith and religious beliefs .
Gayatri mantra is also known as ved mata or Savitri.(Mother of
all Vedas).
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G oddes s G ayatri and gayatri mantra
G ayatri mantra is c ompuls orily rec ited by Brahmin (E s pec ially in
thread c eremony) as their daily rituals to prais e god to give
wis dom and enlightenment.
Origin of gayatri mantra
A c c ording to anc ient s c riptures , god gifted Sage vis hwamitra
this G ayatri mantra for his eons of deep meditation and
penanc e. T his was to be a gift for all humanity.
T he G ayatri M antra was firs t written in Sans krit in the Rig V eda.
So keeping in mind that rigveda is atleast 10000 years old, one
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can saf ely say that gayatri mantra was chanted at least bef ore
8000 B.C.
Meaning of gayatri mantra
G ayatri mantra is derived from Sans krit words :
gaya, meaning “vital energies ” and
trâyte, meaning “protects , pres erves , grants liberation , gives
deliverance”.
So, I n a very s imple language, gayatri mantra means "M ay the
divine light of the Supreme Being illuminate our intellec t, to lead
us along a path of righteous nes s ".
More precise translation
O God. You are almighty creator of this Universe. You are
omnipotent and omnipresent! You are supreme source of
Knowledge, light and Bliss. Y ou are D es troyer of all fear and evil.
We meditate and bow upon your light for your light may guide our
intellec t in the right direc tion.
G ayatrî M antra rec itation is often prefac ed as a s hort invoc ation
or a long invoc ation. In either of the invocations, we begin the
recitation by using the divine symbol 'A um' to salute the
f ormless and nameless A lmighty Power.
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M eaning of G ayatri mantra
Line by line meaning of gayatri mantra is
We meditate on the glory of the C reator;
Who has c reated the U nivers e;
Who is worthy of Wors hip;
Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and L ight;
Who is the remover of Sin and I gnoranc e;
M ay H e open our hearts and enlighten our I ntellec t.
Detailed word by word meaning:
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OM
Symbol of the P ar Brahman
Bhur
Bhu- L oka (P hys ic al plane) referrin
Bhuvah
A ntariks ha- L oka (A s tral plane)
Swah
Swarga- L oka (C eles tial plane)
T at
T hat; T rans c endent P aramatman
Savitur
I s hawara or C reator
V arenyam
Fit to be wors hipped or adored
Bhargo
Remover of s ins and ignoranc e.T he
D evas ya
Res plendent; Shining, D ivine Reali
D heemahi
We meditate
D hiyo
Buddhis ; I ntellec ts ; U nders tandin
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Yo
Whic h; who
N ah
O ur
P rac hodayat E nlighten; G uide; I mpel
More detailed elaboration
A - emerges f rom the throat, originating in the region of the
navel
U - rolls over the tongue
M - ends on the lips
A - waking, U - dreaming, M - sleeping
It is the sum and substance of all the words that can emanate
f rom the human throat. It is the primordial f undamental sound
symbolic of the Universal A bsolute. Word ‘A um’ is also called
P ra na v because its sound emanates f rom the P ra na (vital
vibration), which f eels the Universe.
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A um-Sound of universe
A UM is the primeval sound f rom which all sounds emerge; A UM
is metaphor f or Source Energy or the Supreme Being. Sound
created due to the rotation of earth, planets and galaxies is
"A UM". Hence this sound "A um" was agreed to be the name of
the God, since this sound is available in all the three periods of
time. Rishi Vishvamitra explained that the f ormless God can be
understood through the sound of 'A um'.
"Gita" also mentions that, "Omiti ekaksharam brahma", meaning
that the name of the almighty God is A um, which contains only
one syllable.
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'Bhur' means the earth, 'Bhuvah' the planets and 'Swah' means
the Galaxy. So, collectively, om Bhur Bhuva Swaha is a preamble
to the main mantra which means that we invoke the supreme
being in our prayer and meditate the One who is our
creator(earth, planets and galaxy), inspirer, and abode of
supreme Joy.
The above three words of the Gayatri, literally means "past,"
"present," and "f uture," are called Vyahrities. Vyahriti is that
which gives knowledge of entire cosmos or "ahriti".
The terms bhur, bhuvas, suvaha (mahâ vyâhritis) are invocations
to honor the stages of our existence and to call to our aid the
presiding deities of the three planes in which we live our
ordinary lif e: the physical, astral and mental planes.
Tat Savitur Varenyam Tat meaning THA T, again representing the
Supreme Being. Savitur meaning, the radiating source of lif e
with the brightness of the Sun; and Varenyam, meaning the
most adorable, most desirable.
Bhargo Devasya Deemah: Bhargo meaning splendor and luster,
Devasya meaning divine or supreme and Deemahi meaning “We
meditate upon”. It is advised to meditate upon the light of
stars and perf orm the 'A um' Japnam,to know the f ormless
Creator. But the human mind being very restless cannot
concentrate or meditate without the blessings of Lord Brahma
Deeyo Yo Naha, Prachodayaa : Deeyo meaning our
understanding of reality, our intellect, our intention. Yo
meaning He Who, and Naha meaning Our. Finally, Prachodayaat,
meaning May he Inspire, Guide. O A lmighty God ! Please give us
the power to use our intellect in the right direction
How to chant gayatri mantra
If you intend to chant Gayatri mantra, it is very important to
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chant it correctly not only in pronunciation but also in intent and
integrity. This also means that one needs to understand the
meaning of gayatri mantra bef ore they start chanting. Gayatri
mantra is said to carry tremendous power if chanted correctly
with good intention and pure heart.
Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha (Om Bhoor Bhoova Swa-Ha)
Om Tat Savitur Varenyam (Om Tat Sa-Vidoor Va-rain-yam)
Bhargo Devasya Deemahi (Bhaargo They-Vas-Ya Dee-Mahi)
Deeyo Yo Naha, Prachodayaat (Thee-Yo Yo-Na-Ha, Pra-Cho-DaYaat)
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Ga y a tri Ma ntra
What it means to you:
A s per the vedas, there exist seven spheres or planes or realms
of existence, each spiritually advanced than the previous
one. It is said that through spiritual deeds and development,
one progressively advances through the seven realm at the end
of which one merge with the Supreme god.
Hindus considers Gayatri mantra as a divine awakening of the
individual soul (A tma) and mind, and the easiest way to unite
with the supreme god- Brahman. Understanding and chanting
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Gayatri Mantra is considered as the most powerf ul mantra of
realizing God.
Chanting this mantra enlighten the divine light of these seven
chakras thus experiencing directly the seven spiritual spheres of
existence.
Ef f ects of gayatri mantra on human body
The Vedas say:
Chanting Gayatri Mantra purifies the chanter. Listening Gayatri Mantra purifies the listene
Ancient sages selected the words of Gayatri mantra carefully and arranged them in
such a way that they not only had good meaning but also create amazing vibrations
inside the body thus enlightening the powers of righteous wisdom. Vedic scriptures
describe many sages attaining spiritual powers and enlightenment by deep
meditation and consistent chanting of this gayatri mantra. Even spiritual practitioners,
scientists and meta-physicists are studying and analyzing the effects of gayatri mantra
on human mind and body. Even Nasa uses the word AUM to transmit it through the
universe to attract inhabitants of other planets (aliens)
Recent research has said that the continuous chanting of this mantra stimulates the
power centers located in your subtle body. Continuous enunciation of twenty four
syllables of Gayatri Mantra creates a resonating effect on the threads and nerves of
the human body. Pronouncing gayatri mantra creates a pressure on lips, tongue,
palate, vocal cord and its connecting areas around the brain to generate the musical
flow energizing the sensory energy centers. Continuous repetition of Gayatri Mantra
creates a magnetic charge to link the mind with supernatural power currents."
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Ef f ect of gayatri mantra
Ref erences to ancient scriptures
The Upanisads (secret texts) of Hinduism contain several
ref erences to the Gayatri Mantra.
Let us see some of them
1) This entire creation is Gayatri. And the Gayatri is speech - for speech sings (gayati)
and protects (trayati) this entire creation. Gayatri indeed is all this, whatever being
exists. Speech indeed is Gayatri; for speech indeed sings and removes fear of all this that
exists.- Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.1
2) That which is this Gayatri, even that is this earth; for on this earth are all the beings
established and they do not transcend it.- Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.2
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3 ) T his well- known G ayatri is four- footed and s ixfold.Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.5
Origin of Bhur Bhuvah Svah explained f rom Chandogya
Upanisad 4.17.1-6
1 . P rajapati (the progenitor of the worlds ) brooded on the three
worlds . From them he extrac ted their es s enc es ; fire from the
earth, air from the s ky and the s un from heaven.
2 . H e further brooded on thes e three deities . From them he
extrac ted their es s enc es : the Riks (Rg- veda) from fire, the
Y ajus - mantras (Y ajur- veda) from air, and the Saman (Samaveda) from the s un.
3 . H e brooded on the three V edas . From them he extrac ted their
exis tenc es ; Bhuh from the Riks , Bhuvah from the Y ajus - mantras
and Svah from the Samans .
4 - 6 . T herefore if the s ac rific e is rendered defec tive on ac c ount
of the Riks (or Y ajus or Samans ), then with the M antra ‘Bhuh
Svaha’ (or 'Bhuvah Svaha' or 'Svah Svaha'), the Brahman pries t
s hould offer an oblation in the fire. T hus verily, through the
es s enc e of the Riks (or Y ajus or Samans ), through the virility of
the Riks (or Y ajus or Samans ), he makes good the injury of the
s ac rific e in res pec t of the Riks (or Y ajus or Samans ).
Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.4 (Gayatri as the Protector)
T he G ayatri M antra is bas ed on truth. For truth is bas ed on
s trength. Strength is breath, and is bas ed on breath. So, G ayatri
protec ts (tra) the wealth (gaya) (the breath! ) of thos e who s peak
it with earnes tnes s and devotion. When one rec ites G ayatri on
behalf of s omeone, it protec ts that pers on's breath too!
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D evotee of gayatri mantra (G ayatri mantra tattoo has bec ome
very popular in wes tern c ountries ). M ore tattoos c an be found
here
Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.5 (Four 'f oots' of the Gayatri)
T his vers e talks about the unbounded wealth c ontained within
the four 'foots ' of the G ayatri M antra.
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T he G ayatri M antra is the U nivers al P rayer ens hrined in the
V edas , the mos t anc ient Sc riptures of M an. - SA T H Y A SA I
BA BA
T he G ayatri M antra is a P rayer that c an well be s poken with
yearning by men and women of all c reeds and c limes in all
c enturies . Repetition of this M antra will develop the I ntelligenc e.
- SA T H Y A SA I BA BA