The Gayatri Mantra is three-fold in purpose: it praises, leads to meditation and ends with a prayer. It proclaims reverence to the goddess Gayatri. Read on to fill up your knowledge base about this famous mantra.
Who Is Gayatri Devi?
There are various interpretations of the name Gayatri. But, most importantly, Gayatri is called Mata, or Mother of the Vedas. She is credited with great positive power. She is known as the protector of the five elements that make a man’s being, also called the five pranas. She has different names through her other roles: Savitri – the protector of life-forces, and Sarasvati – the protector of speech. In and through these different roles, Gayatri is revered as the embodiment of all the goddesses.
The devotees of Gayatri Devi depict her as a feminine form with five heads and ten hands, seated on a red lotus. These are depicted in various mudras or poses, depicting various attributes of the goddess. She is regarded a boon-giver, protector, and the one who combats ignorance and bestows wisdom and power.
The Gayatri Mantra represents the essence of the Vedas. There are three parts to the Gayatri:
This summarizes all of the Vedas into a concise verse. The five faces of Gayatri, or five aspects of her being are seen in the lines of the prayer. The Om is the first face, Bhur-bhuvah-svah is the second, Tat-savitur-Varenyam the third, and so on. Dhimahi is the part that involves meditation in the mantra. Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat is the prayer being made to the divine.
In some places, Gayatri is the poetic meter in the Vedic poetic tradition in which the mantra was written. Maharishi Vishwamitra, one of the most revered sages in ancient India, created the mantra. He is also credited with authoring Mandala 3 of the Rigveda. It also has a place of divine importance in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. According to ancient traditions, men found the sun as the embodiment of the transcendent power they sought to find proof for. They saw that the sun was the most important source of light and life on the earth. This was what Vishwamitra sought to embody in the Gayatri Mantra.
The importance of the Gayatri Mantra can be clearly seen when we examine where and when it is traditionally used.
| In English: | In Sanskrit: |
| Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Swaḥ Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt | ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात॥ |
A number of pandits and respected rishis have given their interpretations of the Gayatri Mantra, but the universal theme of the mantra remains the realization of the thread of Oneness that runs throughout Creation. This is represented in many ways in the interpretation of the mantra. Bhur, Bhuvah, and Swaha, represented as goddesses Gayatri, Savitri, and Sarasvati are “latent” in everyone. The Goddess Gayatri is described as the mother of all scriptures, or the mother of all Vedas. Satyasai.org presents her as a very powerful being. The article here states that she is present wherever her name is chanted in a mantra. She seems to be presented as the all-encompassing being – an embodiment of all the goddesses. This mantra in her honor is given the same value.
Here is a word-for-word breakdown of the words in the mantra for better understanding:
| Mantra | Meaning |
| Om: | The Primeval sound that begins most mantras. It is the sound of the Universe. |
| Bhur: | The physical body, or the physical realm |
| Bhuvah: | life source, could also stand for the mental realm |
| Suvah: | life source, could also stand for the mental realm |
| Tat Savitur: | that sun god, the Creator, the Source of all life |
| Varenyam Bhargo: | expressing adoration to the divine light |
| Devasya: | The Supreme Lord |
| Dhimahi: | to mediate (on) |
| Dhiyo: | the divine intellect |
| Yo: | Oh! May this light |
| Nah: | (literally) our |
| Prachodayat: | illuminate, or inspire |
The Gayatri Mantra is said to be greatly potent when chanted in the proper manner. Pronunciation is as important as any other ritual and experts recommend that devotees learn the right manner of pronunciation before starting the ritual. Best practices would include starting the recitation in the morning after a cleansing bath. The chant is best recited facing the sun in a seated position with the hands folded. The ideal number of times the mantra is to be repeated is 108 times, though starting with 21 is the most common practice. The most ideal times to recite the mantra would be dawn, mid-day, and dusk, in accordance with the movement of the sun.
Every mantra is supposed to bring a certain combination of blessings and positive influences in the life of the devotee. As one of the most powerful of the yogic chants, the Gayatri Mantra has its own set of blessings for its devotees. Let’s look at a few of them:
In a nutshell, regular and proper recitation of the Gayatri Mantra can be a practice that bestows the devotee with the blessings and benefits of all the sacred mantras put together.
SOURCES
www.sathyasai.org/
https://www.yogajournal.com/
https://greenmesg.org
https://en.wikipedia.org
Yoga is an art as well as science. It can be described as a spiritual discipline which helps the individual focus on finding and maintaining balance and harmony between the mind, body, and the Universe. Yoga teaches that our body is made of seven energy centers, or chakras. Our interaction with the world and the various situations we are put in, as well as our reactions towards them produces imbalances in these energy centers, resulting in physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. Yoga recommends the use of meditation in combination with mudras and mantras and chakra stones in order to bring these into balance.
Mantras, along with meditation are said to be a very powerful combination in combating imbalances of the mind. The chanting of mantras enables us to turn our awareness inwards. It is an especially useful tool for those who are beginners in the practice of meditation.
Yoga teaches us that mantras are sound forms of the divine. Different mantras evoke different aspects of the Great Consciousness.
In this article, we delve into mantras, more specifically, one of the most basic mantras in Yoga: Om Namah Shivaya or Aum Namah Shivaya
Om Namah Shivaya(ॐ नमः शिवाय) is easily the most important, and perhaps the most popular, and therefore, recognizable chant in the mantra collective. It originated as a product of the Shaivism sect of the Hindu religion 2500 years ago. In Shaivism, the god Shiva is considered the most influential, and the most relevant among the Hindu gods.
Shiva is most popularly recognized as the god of destruction. But according to the Shaivites, he is the creator (in the avatar of Brahma), as well as the preserver (typically seen in the avatar of Vishnu), in addition to the most potent destructive force in the universe. He is what is called the totality.
Om: According to the Hindu beliefs of origin, there was nothing but a void of pure existence before the Universe came into being. Vibrations and energies, which are central to life and spiritual existence in the Hindu scriptures, were non-existent at this time. The pure void that existed at the beginning generated the Om vibration, which gave birth to the Universe as we know it today.
Namah: This can be literally translated to ‘bow down’.
Shivaya: This part of the mantra easily translates to Shiva. But it goes deeper than that: in this mantra, Shiva is said to represent the inner self.
In essence, the mantra expresses devotion to the inner self. The three elements together translate to I bow to the inner self. According to Rodney Birney, MD, Om Namah Shivaya (ॐ नमः शिवाय) is a love song to ourselves.
In certain sects of Shaivism, Nama Shivaya represents the unifying power that Shiva exerts over the five elements:
| Na | Earth |
| Mah | Water |
| Shi | Fire |
| Va | Air |
| Ya | Sky |
This is meant to represent that universal consciousness is one and that the universe is absolute in the Hindu philosophy.
This number five can be seen in various manifestations in the world, and the cosmos in general. Other than the five base elements reflected above, we also see it in the senses, the fingers, toes, acts, etc. There is further meaning associated with each of these five elements of the Namah Shivaya mantra. These have to do with their association with the body and the way in which they represent the chakras, or energy centers in the human body. The utterance of these five syllables of the Om Namah Shivaya (ॐ नमः शिवाय) mantra are said to balance energies from five out of the seven chakras in the body in an ascending order.
Na starts at the first chakra, located at the base of the body, at the tailbone. It grounds you by connecting your energy to the Earth. It deals with emotions, survival, and ownership.
Ma rises into the second chakra and is called your creative, expressive center. It keeps your creative juices flowing and keeps your sexual and emotional selves healthy.
Si rises higher to the next chakra, which lies in the solar plexus, also known as the Manipura (translated: lustrous gem). This is also sometimes called the warrior chakra since the combination of the chakra’s senses of wisdom, decisiveness, and personal power can be comparable to the feeling of a wise warrior going out to war.
Va rises further still and resonates in the fourth chakra at the heart. This middle chakra helps us connect our lower chakras to our higher heavenly qualities. It opens the soul to love and be loved.
Ya, the final syllable, resonates in the fifth chakra, found at the throat. When this chakra is successfully balanced, you will be able to speak with love, kindness, and truth.
Om, said to be the heart of Lord Shiva, resonates in the head. The sixth chakra, called the Third Eye is located here. Starting the chant with this syllable enables us to tune in to this higher consciousness.
The Vedicfeed states that the five elements also have the following meanings associated with them:
Na – the concealing grace of the Lord
Mah – the Earth, or the world
Shi – the Lord Shiva
Va – the revealing grace of the Lord
Ya – the Soul, also known as the Atman
This is a reflection of the five acts associated with Shiva: creation, maintenance, destruction, concealment, and graceful revelation.
THE METHOD: HOW TO CHANT Om Namah Shivaya (ॐ नमः शिवाय)
This chant can be performed anywhere, since there are no rituals or ceremonies involved. The only important requirement is that you perform the chant while sitting upright and giving the chant your full attention. It is recommended that the mantra is chanted 108 times. Many people use the rudraksha beads to keep a track of the count. It is said that the numerous benefits of the mantra can only be experienced if the chanter is able to visualize complete surrender to the inner self.
The sound vibration of this mantra is said to be a pure expression of our deepest self. We allow those core vibrations of the mantra to tune into our true inner selves when we chant it continuously.
Repetition of the mantra is said to greatly improve concentration. Additionally, the chanting of Om Namah Shivaya is said to remove toxicity that may have accumulated within the body in the thoughts and emotions due to difficulties and negativity within the environment. Our actions and behaviors are thus cleansed, and in tune with those of Shiva, the source of everything. When the body and soul are thus cleansed, a six-fold blessing is said to be reflected from the cosmos because of the positive energy emitted by the individual.
In essence, chanting Om Namah Shivaya (ॐ नमः शिवाय) taps into the energies starting at the highest center, the source, and then dips down through the lowest chakra and moves up through the corresponding chakras again, cleansing the chakras themselves, as well the associated elements, and the emotional issues surrounding them. That is why it can be safely said that this chakra is a love-song to ourselves.
SOURCES :
blog.mindvalley.com/
https://www.doyou.com/
https://www.scienceandnonduality.com
https://vedicfeed.com
https://blog.sivanaspirit.com
https://www.mea.gov.in/
Dr.Howard Steingeril, an american scientist, collected Mantras, Hymns and invocations from all over the world and tested their strength in his Physiology Laboratory..
Hindus’ Gayatri Mantra produced 110,000 sound waves per second.. This was the highest and was found to be the most powerful hymn in the world. Though the combination of sound or sound waves of a particular frequency, the Mantra is claimed capable of developing specific spritual potentialities.
The Hamburg university initiated research into the efficacy of the Gayatri Mantra both on the mental and physical plane of CREATION… The GAYATRI MANTRA is broadcast daily for 15 minutes from 7 P.M. onwards over Radio Paramaribo, Surinam, South America for the past two years, and in Amsterdam, Holland for the last six months
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