Effective penecea for all ills of mind & life : GAYATRI MANTRA

OM BUHR, BHUVA, SWAHA
OM TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YONAHA PRACHODAYAT”
Above is the Gayatri Mantra. There are several mantras or prayers in Sanskrit which are popular. But I always used to get fascinated by the Gayatri mantra which one can hear people chanting early in the morning. It can be heard in all the temples. It naturally made me to know the real significance of this mantra or prayer because among the mantras or prayers, Gayathri Mantra is considered as the most powerful mantra and mother of all mantra (s) or “vedamata” It is said that one who recites this prayer is protected because it is the protector of life forces. Hence my fascination made me to know more about this mantra and it’s significance.

The Gayatri Mantra is composed of verses from the Yajur and Rig Veda, which are the most sacred scriptures for hindus which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and the mantra may have been chanted for many centuries before that. Because the Vedas were first passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth until it was put down in writing some 3500 years ago. We have already read about Vedas in my earlier blog.

It is believed that the four Vedas were given by Gayatri Devi on the blessings of Lord Brahma. It reflects the essence of the Vedas. Its powers and merits are mentioned in various Indian scriptures, such as all the four Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Even Lord Kriishna in the Bhagwadgita, in Verse 10.35 identifies himself with the Gayatri, saying “Among the verses,…….. I am the Gayatri……….”. he says. ( I have already written about Bagwadgita )

Gayatri mantra is named after the name of Gaythri Devi. She is an incarnation of Saraswathi Devi, consort of Lord Brahma as also his daughter, symbolizing the “shakthi” ( strength ). She is held to be the patroness of the Arts. She is a poet, musician and skilful composer. She is the presiding deity of the five pranas. That is the shakthi or energy and our true being resides in these five pranas.( life force ). They are water, air, earth, light and ether. By meditating and chanting of Gayatri mantra the human being can be eternally blessed through these five sheaths or layers which manifests different levels of energy.

In the Gayatri Mantra, the unity of body, mind and soul is depicted in the first line,”Bhur-Bhuvah-Suvaha.” The next line, “Bhargo Dhevasya Dheemahi”, means “Throw away the darkness.” “Dheeyo yonah Pracho-dhayaath” means “Let the brightness of the Divine dispel the darkness of ignorance”

The word “Gayatri” itself explains the reason for the existence of this mantra. It has its origin in the Sanskrit phrase “ Gayantam Triyate iti”, and refers to that mantra which liberates the chanter from all adverse situations that may lead to mortality. “Ga” means sing and “yatri” means “ protector” This means one who chants gayatri will be protected. It is such a powerful mantra which it is said should be chanted three times a day, that is at dawn, mid-day and dusk. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times. However, one may chant it for 3, 9, or 18 times when pressed for time. The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the energy centers ( called chakras) of the human body – hence, proper pronunciation is very important to get maximum benefit from chanting. The pressure on tongue, lips, vocal cord, palate and the connecting regions in the brain generated by continuous enunciation of the twenty-four special syllables of the Gayatri Mantra creates a vibration in the nerves of the body. The musical flow thus induced tickles the energy centers. This vibration induced by the continuous repetition of the Gayatri Mantra induces the seeker’s mind to link with these supernatural power-currents.

There are variations/differences in the interpretation of the Gayatri Man?ra by various scholars. But all of them agree that it is a great prayer. For instance the great German Scholar Max Muller who had said “Sanskrit literature… is full of human interests, full of lessons which even Greek could never teach us”, interpreted the Gayatri Mantra : “Let us obtain (meditate on) the adorable splendour of Savi?r? (Sun God), may He arouse our minds”. Savithri is known in the puranic story as the devoted wife who brought back to life her husband. She is the presiding deity of the five pranas. That is the shakthi or energy and our true being resides in these five pranas. .The benefits ascribed to the Gayatri include protection from all sorts of harm, purification and enlightenment of the mind, courage, health and many other worldly and spiritual benefits.

It may be interesting to note that Gayatri mantra was out of reach even for most Hindus. It was a well guarded secret, withheld from women and from those outside the Hindu Brahmin community. It is whispered into the ears of Brahmin youth when he enters the adulthood from childhood in a ceremony called upanayana or sacred thread ceremony. The person administering the mantra and the pupil have to be covered with cloth so that no one else should hear it. Such was the importance of the mantra which cannot be heard by anyone else. It is only when a Brahmin boy reaches adulthood becomes aware of his duties as a hindu and as a mark of his adulthood, a sacred thread is tied. The sacred thread, a symbol of adulthood, has its own history and importance. Though it is expected that the boy should be made aware of the vedas, the priest or the father of the boy would whisper into the ears of the boy only Gayathri mantra as this mantra depicts the quintessence of Vedas and it is the “Devamata”.

Due to its universal, non-denominational character and meaning, the Gayatri Mantra has a wide appeal to people of various denominations and even different religions. Being a very important mantra in traditional Hinduism, the Gayatri is also very popular with Western born Yogis. While orthodox Hindus restrict its use to initiated male, higher caste Hindus, many contemporary Indian spiritual teachers encourage the chanting of the Gayatri regardless of sex, caste, creed, nationality or religion. It may be a blind faith but it is believed that Gayatri Mantra is an effective panacea for all ills of mind and life. One can get maximum benefit of it if it is chanted with faith, devotion, sincerity and dedication. It looks as though there is scientific support for this faith or belief.