THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER

The Gaytri Mantra is a sacred chant that demonstrates the unity that underlines manifoldness in creation, and it is through the recognition of this unity that one can understand the multiplicity. And the sadhana of this mantra is one of the most powerful sandhanas, as it bestows wisdom on the practitioner.  

Vedmata

The Divine Mother in the form of Gaytri is called Vedmata, mother of the Vedas. Gaytri is depicted seated on a lotus, and has five faces representing the pancha pranas/pancha vayus; five lives/five winds: prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana of the five principles/elements; pancha tatwa: earth, water, air, fire and sky. Gaytri has ten hands which carry five ayudhas: shankha, chakra, kamala, varada, abhaya, kasha, ankusha, ujjwala and rudraksh mala.  Although there are twenty four different mantras of Gaytri, but the one about which this article is being written is not only the most popular, but is also the only mantra of the mother of Vedas; Savitur – it is her name. Incidentally Savitur is the name used for both the Sun and the Divine Mother. Gaytri has three names: Gaytri, Savitri and Saraswathi. Gaytri is the master of sense. Savitri is the master of prana i.e. life force. And, Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech; vaak. These three represents purity in thought, word and deed, and all of these are present in all of us. In other words it can be said that - Gaytri is the embodiment of all Goddess, our breath is Gaytri, and our faith in existence is Gaytri.

The mantra

The Gaytri Mantra is a universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas, and is addressed to the Transcendent Divine which has been given the name ‘Savitru.’ Ancient men sought to find out what direct proof they could experience of this ‘Transcendental’ power. Sage Vishwamitra found proof in the Sun; as without the Sun there will not be light and all activities will come to a standstill. Hence, the Sage Vishwamitra concluded that the Sun was the visible proof of that ‘Transcendental’ power. And this was the reason why he adored the Sun as the principal deity in the Gaytri Mantra. Another reason for this verse to be called Gaytri is because it is composed in the poetic meter called Gaytri. This mantra consists of twenty four syllables – three lines of eight syllables each. Gaytri Mantra may be considered as having three parts: adoration, meditation and prayer. In it, first the Divine is praised, then it is meditated upon in reverence and finally an appeal is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect, the discriminating faculty of man.     

The story of Gaytri Mantra

There is a story concerning Sage Vasistha and Sage Vishwamitra in connection to Gaytri Mantra. The story goes like this: King Vishwamitra went into forest with his entourage and came across the hermitage of the Sage Vasistha; who had attained the highest position among sages and carried the title Brahma-Rishi. Sage Vasistha greeted them and offered food to eat and a place to rest to the King Vishwamitra and the entire entourage.  The King was reluctant as he thought Sage Vasistha would not be able to feed his entire group. Sage Vasistha unfazed turned to his cow and in an instant a lot of food for the King and his entourage was made available.  King Vishwamitra was fascinated and wanted the cow; to feed the people of his kingdom – that no one stays unfed ever. But when he asked for the cow Sage Vasistha declined, so the King Vishwamitra had to return to his kingdom without the cow. However, he continued to be troubled by the fact that Sage Vasistha was the one who had true power. Then King Vishwamitra gave up his wealth, position and served all his ties with the material world with the intention of following in the path of enlightenment and to be conferred with the title of Brahma-Rishi. With that intention King Vishwamitra spent many years meditating in the forest and faced many obstacles; he also got sidetracked from his mission by apsarah; heavenly nymph Menaka, but overcame all his desires and finally Lord Brahma conferred upon him the title of Maha-Rishi. Lord Brahma added that ‘when Sage Vishwamitra receives the blessings of Sage Vasistha, he would be conferred the title of Brahma-Rishi.’ Then Sage Vishwamitra went to the hermitage of Sage Vasistha, reaching there he overheard the Sage talking to his wife, Arundhati, Sage Vishwamitra eavesdropped on their conversation, and learned that Sage Vasistha had been secretly encouraging him through his journey to enlightenment. Ashamed of his thoughts and actions, Sage Vishwamitra began to hit his head against the wall. Sage Vasistha rushed to the spot to stop Sage Vishwamitra from hurting himself. Sage Vishwamitra collapsed on Sage Vasistha feet and when his head touched Sage Vasistha’s feet he went into Samadhi and in that state Sage Vishwamitra heard the mystical sounds of the Gaytri Mantra inside his head and recited it. Then Sage Vasistha blessed him and conferred on him the title of Brahma-Rishi.   

Meaning

Gaytri Mantra:

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah

Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah

This line is considered as invocation. Aum is the Supreme name of God and Bhur Bhuvah Swah are collectively known as Mahavyhriti, and express the nature of God. First word Bhur implies God is self existent and independent of all. Bhur also means Earth and God is the provider of all. Bhur also signify Prana; meaning God is that which gives life to all, but He is independent of all. The second word Bhuvah describes the absolute consciousness of God. He is self conscious as well as is being conscious of all else, thus He is able to control and govern the universe. Bhuvah word also denotes God’s greatness. Bhuvah is also indicative of God’s role as the remover of all pain and suffering. We see pain and sorrow all around us; however, through plea of God, we can be freed from that pain. God Himself is devoted of any pain; it is our ignorance that makes us susceptible to the effect of Maya – which causes us to feel pain. And, the third word Swah indicates the all pervading nature of God. He is omnipresent, without form, is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the physical world, and thus present in each and every physical entity. Swah also symbolize God’s bliss, only God can experience Supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by us is temporary; a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon dissolves back into the mire of worldly troubles. God’s bliss is permanent, unaffected by worldly pain and loss. And one who realize God is able to join in that bliss; God’s permanent bliss.   

Tat Savitur Varenyam

Tat literally means ‘that’ and Tat is used here in Gaytri Mantra to indicate that the worshipper is referring to that God and the praise being offered in the prayer is directed towards Him without gaining any personal benefits. The word Savitur is another name of God. It is through His Divine grace that the universe exists, so this word sums up the Mahavyhriti by describing God’s ability to create the universe and sustain it and also at the right time bring it about its dissolution. Another meaning of Savitur is God’s gift; Shakti to mankind. This Shakti acts as an impetus in us and brings about the requirement of them to do something – this Shakti is commonly called the creative urge. It is these creative urges that have helped men create art and much advancement in scientific and other fields. The Shakti also enables us to distinguish between right and wrong. The word Varenyam signifies our acceptance of God and can be translated as ‘who is worthy.’ We therefore accept Him as the highest reality and it is to Him that – we dedicate our efforts.  Another meaning of Varenyam is ‘one who is eligible.’ We have chosen Him; God to be our leader and guide.

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

The word Bhargo signifies the glorious light that is God’s love and power. God also have the ability to purify those that come in contact with Him. Thus Bhargo is indicative of God’s power to purify and destroy all sins of those who come under His grace. The word Devasya is indicative of the various multifaceted entities that are the absolute personality of God. This one word Devasya contains in itself all the functions, roles and different attributes of God and symbolizes therefore His absolute essential nature. The word Dhimahi means meditative and focus our mind on God. Meditation on God implies that we remove all other thoughts from our mind, since it is these thoughts of the world that render our mind impure and thus we are unable to conceptualize the absolute purity of God.     

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

Thus for in the mantra we have song; His praise, thank Him for generosity and ask His forgiveness for our impurity, now in this part our request is made to God. Since our soul is the light of life within us and that acts on our body via the medium of the brain, we ask God to make this contact pure and righteous. The word Dhiyo means intellect, having firmly set God in our heart, we now must try to emphasize His presence and influence on our mind and intellect. It is by the use of this intellect that we are able to cultivate all other qualities like building wealth, physical fitness etc. Thus intellect is the key to all else in life and thus is the most important possession. The word Yo means who or that. The Yo also signifies ones again that it is not to anyone else that we direct this prayer, but to God alone. The word Nah means ours and signify the selflessness of the request we make to God in this part of the mantra, and we offer the prayer not just for our self but for the whole of the society. The word Prachodayat is a request in which we ask Him for guidance and inspiration. We ask the Divine to show us light that removes the darkness of Maya from our paths. At the end of the mantra we should repeat ‘Shanti’ three times, because it will give Shanti or peace of mind to the three entities in us – the body, the mind and the soul.      

Basic translation can be summed as

Oh God, the Protector, the basis of life, Who is self existent, Who is free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles. Who pervades the Universe and sustain all, the Creator and Energizer of the whole Universe, the Giver of happiness Who is worthy of acceptance, the most excellent, Who is Pure and Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God, so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction.   

References

Gaytri Mantra is mentioned in the sacred texts. In the Smimad Bhagavatam Ch.10.35 Lord Krishna states: ‘among the hymns, I am the Brihat Saama sung to Lord Indira, of the poetry, I am the Gaytri verse sung daily  by the initiated, of all the nuwsas; months, I am the margasira; November-December, among all the rites; seasons, I am the flower bearing spring.’  The sacred text Upanishad contains many references to the Gaytri Mantra: Chandogya Upanishad 3.12.1-6 narrates the qualities of the Gaytri. Then Chandogya Upanishad 3.16.1 narrates why Gaytri Mantra has twenty four syllables. And, Chandogya Upanishad 4.17.1-6 narrates the origin of Bhur Bhuvah Swah. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.14.4 explains Gaytri Mantra as the protector.

Gaytri Mantra Purushcharana

Any person of any age, religion, ability or background can do this sadhana with or without initiation. This sadhana can be started on any full moon day. The aspirant can carry out the routine in the morning or at night. Praying to the Divine Mother in the form of Gaytri in the morning is Vedic worship, while the exact same routine when undertaken at night becomes Her tantric method of worship. In tantra this hymn is known as Gayatra; muscular noun, and one who masters it is called Gayatrin. There are three ways to do a Gaytri Mantra purushcharana. First is the standard purushcharana designed for beginners, it entails chanting the Gaytri Mantra 1,25,000 times in 40days or simply 30 rounds; 1 round is equal to 108 times, everyday using chanting beads. The second purushcharana is done by intermediate practitioners; it involves chanting the mantra 2,400,000 times. And the third purushcharana is undertaken by advanced practitioners, and involves chanting the Gaytri Mantra 32 lakh times. Throughout the purushcharana aspirant should be on a strict vegetarian diet, and the aspirant should face east, north or northeast while doing this chanting. The aspirant should try to maintain stillness in the posture while chanting the mantra, and that too with uttermost mindfulness, faith and devotion. Clothes of any colour are okay, but the best are red, yellow and white. Ideally an aspirant should wear no more than two pieces of clothing; one to cover the lower and the other to cover the upper part of the body. Women can wear saree, blouse etc. And the best seat will be a blanket on which an aspirant should spread the same coloured cloth with which he/she is covering the body; standard meditation mats can also be used.       

A fallacy       

Those looking for material success often either misunderstand or completely discard Gaytri Mantra as irrelevant, because they think how this mantra is going to help them bring material riches – they are so wrong. In fact the truth is that – it is with wisdom alone that one can progress materially and maintain one’s status. Due to the importance of this mantra, it is often said ‘if there is one mantra one should do in their life, let that mantra be Gaytri Mantra. ’  

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