Gayatri mantra benefit and significance in hinduism



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GAYATRI MANTRA - BENEFIT AND SIGNIFICANCE IN HINDUISM

Gayathri, Savitri and Saraswati are three goddesses representing the


presiding deities of the famous Gayathri mantra chanted thrice a day.
Gayathri is the presiding deity of the morning prayer and rules over
the Rig-Veda and the garhapatya fire. Every grihasta (householder)
was expected to keep 5 or 3 sacred fires ( Five fires: ahavaneeya,
dakshagni, garhapatya, sawta, aavasadha.) in his house to perform
Vedic rituals.

In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry: rhyme and


meter are not written whimsically. The Gayathri Mantra has a Vedic
metre of 24 syllables. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gayathri
mantra, chanted by properly qualified persons, is the most prominent.
The Gayathri mantra is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Great sins
are said to be expiated by a pious recitation of this Gayathri verse
which reads as follows:

Om bhoor bhuvassuvaha,


Tatsa Vitur varenyam,
Bhargo devasya dheemahi,
Dheeyo yonah prachodayat

Gayathri mantra is meant for realization of God and is regarded as


representing the Supreme Lord. It is meant for spiritually advanced
people. Success in chanting it enables one to enter the
transcendental position of the Lord. But, in order to chant the
Gayathri mantra, it is necessary for one to first acquire the
qualities of the perfectly balanced person in terms of the qualities
of goodness according to the laws of material nature. The Gayathri
mantra is considered to be the sonic incarnation of Brahman and is
regarded as very important in Vedic civilization. In Bhagavad-Gita
(Ch. 10. 35), Lord Krishna states:

Brihat saama latha saamnaam


Gayathri chandasaam aham
Maasaanam maarga sirshoham
Ritunaam kusumaakaraha

Among the hymns, I am the Brihat saama sung to Lord Indra,


Of the poetry, I am the Gayathri verse sung daily by the initiated,
Of all the nuwsas (months), I am the margasira (November- December)
Among all the ritus (seasons), I am the flower bearing - spring.
Gayathri is depicted seated on a lotus. She is depicted with five
faces representing the pancha pranas /pancha vayus(five lives/winds):
prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana, of the five principles/ elements
(pancha tatwas) earth, water, air, fire, sky (prithvi, jala, vayu,
teja, aakasha). She has 10 hands carrying the five ayudhas: shankha;
chakra, kamala, varada, abhaya, kasha, ankusha, ujjwala utensil,
rudrakshi mala.

Hindu Temples across the world perform Gayathri havan (homam)


periodically to propitiate the Lord. Ghee (rectified butter) is
applied during the homa by all the participants seated around the
homa-kunda.

GAYATRI MANTRA - ITS MEANING


Gayathri Mantra (the mother of the Vedas), the foremost mantra in
Hinduism and Hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May
the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the
righteous path".

Summary of the Gayathri Mantra:

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

Word for Word Meaning of the Gayathri Mantra

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,


Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

Aum == Brahma


bhoor == embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran)
bhuwah == destroyer of sufferings
swaha == embodiment of happiness
tat == that
savitur == bright like sun
varenyam == best choicest
bhargo == destroyer of sins
devasya == divine
dheemahi == may imbibe
dhiyo == intellect
yo == who
naha == our
prachodayat == may inspire!

Origin and Benefits of the Gayathri Mantra

Rishis selected the words of various Mantras and arranged them so
that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of
righteous wisdom through their utterance.

All the problems of a person are solved if he/she is endowed with the


gift of righteous wisdom. Once endowed with far-sighted wisdom, a man
is neither entangled in calamity nor does he tread the wrong path. A
wise man finds solution to all outstanding problems. Only those
persons who do not think correctly find difficulty and take wrong
steps due to foolishness.

Chanting of Gayathri Mantra removes this deficiency. The teachings


and powers incorporated in the Gayathri Mantra fulfill this purpose.
Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after Jap (recitation) of the
Gayathri Mantra is performed.

The Gayathri Mantra consists of fourteen words, each of which holds


an important meaning...

Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah Tat Savitur Varenyam


Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

Gayathri Mantra - Goddess Gayathri

Gayathri Devi is an incarnation of Saraswati Devi, consort of Lord
Brahma, symbolizing the "Shakthi" (strength) and "dev" (quality) of
Knowledge, Purity and Virtue. Saraswati Devi is held to be the
patronness of the Arts, being a poet and musician, as well as
skillful composer. In the form of Gayathri Devi, with the blessings
of Lord Brahma, she is believed to have given the four Vedas to
mankind.

Gayathri Mantra - Source and Origination

The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true
knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayathri Devi
also gave to mankind the "Gayathri Mantra", also known as the "Guru
Mantra" and the "Savitri Mantra", one of the oldest mantras, and
generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful
mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the
Mother of the Vedas". It appears in Yajur Veda - Adhyaya (Chapter)
36, Mantra (Verse) 3.

Due to its great power, the Gayathri Mantra had become, over time,


the sole property of the Brahmins, who abused their power to maintain
a hold of the common people. The great Hindu reformer, Swami (often
called Maharishi) Dayanand Saraswati however freed the mantra from
the iron clutches of the Brahmins, and thus made it freely available
to the entire world. Through this, as well as various other acts, he
strove to distance the Hindu community from the false beliefs and
superstitions that had crept into it, and brought about a reversion
to the true, Vedic faith.

The Gayathri Mantra occupies a unique place in that it has both the


power of mantra and of prarthana (prayer). It is important then in
considering the Gayathri Mantra to distinguish the difference between
these two deceptively similar words.

A mantra may be articulate or inarticulate, or a combination of them,


as with AUM. It has an inherent power, known as "Mantra Shakthi",
which has a positive influence not due to any philosophical meaning
behind the mantra, but simply due to its utterance alone (of
course, "utterance" may or may not be vocal or heard - it can be
silent, expressed only in the mind, or at the deepest level, heard
only by the soul itself). As explained, a pure mantra may or may not
have any actual meaning or philosophical significance, its power
being intrinsic to the mantra itself, and not instrumental to any
meaning.

A prarthana on the other hand does have a philosophical meaning


behind it, and it is generally through this meaning that the
prarthana has its power. Since the mantra is devoid of any kind of
actual meaning, it cannot be conceptualised or visualised. This makes
its understanding extremely difficult to the normal human mind, thus
rendering its correct enunciation almost impossible to the untrained
person. A prarthana however, having a meaning that can be
comprehended through purely intellectual means, is far easier to be
understood, since rational thought, unlike spiritual meditation, is
much more in the reach of the ordinary person. Thus, the method of
prarthana is generally the form of worship used today.
The Gayathri, or Guru, Mantra possesses both the power of mantra and
the power of prarthana, and thus has both an intrinsic power
(i.e. "mantra Shakthi"), through its mere utterance alone, and also
an instrumental power (ie "prarthana Shakthi"), which is derived from
the exposition and understanding of its meaning and philosophical
significance. The repeated and correct chanting of the Gayathri
Mantra, with proper understanding of its meaning, is believed to be
of the greatest good to the individual.

The Gayathri Mantra can be broken down into six parts...


1. AUM, the Supreme name of God. A full explanation of this has been
given in another article.

2. BHUR BHUVAH SWAH. These three words collectively are known as


the "Mahavyahriti". They express the nature of God, and demonstrate
his inherent qualities

BHUR
Firstly, the word Bhur implies existence. God is self-existent and


independent of all. He is eternal and unchanging. Without beginning
and without end, God exists as a continuous, permanent, constant
entity. Secondly, the word Bhur can also mean the Earth, on which we
are born and sustained. God is the provider of all, and it is through
His divine will that we our blessed with all that we require to
maintain us through our lives. Finally, Bhur signifies Prana, or life
(literally, breath). God is That which gives life to all. Whilst He
is independent of all, all are dependent on Him. It is God who has
given us life, God who maintains us throughout our lives, and God
alone who has the ability to take away our life, when He so chooses.
The only permanent entity, all others are subject to His own will

BHUVAH
Bhuvah describes the absolute Consciousness of God. God is self-


Conscious as well as being Conscious of all else, and thus is able to
control and govern the Universe. Also, the word Bhuvah relates to
God's relationship with the celestial world. It denotes God's
greatness - greater than the sky and space, He is boundless and
unlimited. Finally, Bhuvah is also indicative of God's role as the
remover of all pain and sufferings (Apaana). We see pain and sorrow
all around us. However, through supplication to God, we can be freed
from that pain and hardship. God Himself is devoid of any pain.
Though He is Conscious of all, and is thus aware of pain, it does not
affect Him. It is our own ignorance that makes us susceptible to the
effects of Maya, or illusion, which causes us to feel pain. Through
true devotion to God, we can be freed from the clutches of Maya, and
thus be rid of pain and sorrow.

SWAH
Swah indicates the all-pervading nature of God. He is omnipresent and


pervades the entire multi-formed Universe. Without Form Himself, He
is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the physical world,
and is thus present in each and every physical entity. In this way,
God is able to interact with the Universe created by Him, and thus
sustain and control it, ensuring its smooth and proer running and
function.
Also, Swah symbolises God's bliss. All but God experience pain,
suffering and sorrow. Devoid of all such things, God alone is able to
experience supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by humans is
temporary, a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon
dissolves back into the mire of worldy troubles. Perfect, and without
any form of deficiency, God alone experiences true bliss, permanent
and unaffected by worldly pains and woes. One who realises God is
able to join in this bliss, and thus God is able to impart true
happiness to those who establish oneness with that Supreme Divinity.
The Mahavyahriti can be summed up by comparison to the word AUM
itself, and through this comparison to the tripartite structure, can
be compared to the essential nature of God, which differentiates Him
from the other two entities recognised in that structure (namely,
matter and soul), in the same way as the comparison between the three
parts of the word Satchidananda, another name also used to describe
God...

•      BHUR Prana Earth Sat Existence


•      BHUVAH Apana Sky Chit Consciousness
•      SWAH Vyana Heaven Ananda Bliss

A fuller explanation of this tripartite structure ("Traita-vada") has


been given elsewhere, in the discussion of the word AUM.

3. TAT SAVITUR, a reference again to God Himself

TAT
Literally, this word means "that", being used in Sanskrit to denote
the third person. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Sri
Krishna Himself, where He implies the selfless nature of the word.
Being used in the third person, the word has implicit in it an idea
of selflessness. Sri Krishna uses it to imply the selfless nature of
charity (charity, or a gift, being used as an analogy for worship, in
the form of action, implying that action should be preformed without
regard to its fruits, but simply out of devotion and sense of duty,
or Dharma). Tat then is used here in the Gayathri Mantra to indicate
that the worshipper is referring to [that] God, and that the praise
being offered to God in the prayer is purely directed towards Him,
without thought of gaining any personal benefit from that praise.

SAVITUR
Savita, from which Savitur is derived, is another name of God, this


being the reason that the Gayathri Mantra is often known as the
Savitri Mantra. The implication of Savita is of God's status as the
fountain, the source of all things. It is through His Divine Grace
that the Universe exists, and so this word sums up the Mahavyahriti,
by describing God's ability to create the Universe and sustain it, as
well as, at the right time, bring about its dissolution.
Savita is also indicative of God's gift to mankind. Humans also have,
in limited amount, the power, or Shakthi, of Savita. This Shakthi
acts as an impetus in humans, and brings about the requirement for
them to do something. They cannot sit idle, and are constantly
searching for something to do. This is what is commonly known as
the "creative urge". It is through this Shakthi that mankind has
created art, and it is through this Shakthi also that scientific
advances are made. The gift of Savita also gives creatures the
ability of procreation. Hence, Savita can be thought of as meaning
Father (or Mother) also.

Finally, it is the power of Savita that enables mankind to


distinguish right from wrong, and vice from virtue. Through this
ability, we are able to in some part direct our own selves, and thus,
Savita imparts to us a certain self-guiding ability. Thus, by using
this word in the mantra, we demonstrate that we are making efforts
ourselves also, since God will not help us unless we are willing to
help ourselves.

4. VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA. This triplet is a further description of


the attributes and qualities of God, this time related, rather then
to intrinsic qualities, to His functional and instrumental qualities,
and through those qualities, His relationship to us, His Creation

VARENYAM


Varenyam signifies our acceptance of God, and can be translated as
meaning "Who is worthy". Ever ready to obtain all the material riches
of the world, more often than not, they are a disappointment once
they have been achieved. God however is the one who, once realised
and achieved, has the ability to truly satisfy. We therefore accept
Him as the Highest reality, and it is to Him that we dedicate our
efforts.

Varenyam can also be interpreted as signifying one who is eligible.


We have chosen Him to be our Leader and our Guide. We place our all
into His hands, and accept Him regardless of anything else. We place
no conditions on this acceptance, as it is all out of sheer devotion.

BHARGO
Bhargo is taken to signify the Glorious Light that is God's love and


power. It indicates His complete purity. Being absolutely pure
Himself, God also has the ability to purify those that come into
contact with Him. Thus, Bhargo is indicative of God's power to
purify, and to destroy all sins and afflictions. In the same way as a
metal ore placed into a fire will yield the pure metal, by merging
with God, by realising His Divine Form and establishing unity and
oneness with Him, we can cleanse ourselves and be made pure by His
Grace.

Though the soul, being itself Divine in nature, possesses that Light,


it lacks lustre, having been made impure by the sins and vices, which
are a result of the darkness of Maya. By removing the veil of Maya,
and cleansing our soul, God can enable the soul to realise its true,
Divine self, and thus purify it.

DEVASYA
The word Deva, from which this word is derived, has been translated


by different people in many different ways. It is generally thought
of as meaning simply "God". However, its meaning is more complex than
that.

Deva, which forms the root of the words "Devata" and "Devi",


means "quality" or "attribute", and can be thought of as another word
for "Guna". Thus it is that the various Forms of God are given this
name, as each of those Forms is related to a specific quality and
function (for example, Brahma has the quality of Creation, Kamadeva
has the quality of love, etc.). Also, Deva is thus used to describe
anyone who is considered to possess a special quality.

Since Deva is symbolic of the individual qualities of God, the word


demonstrates the inherent oneness of those different Forms, and thus
the use of this word can be taken as describing the fundamental unity
of God. Thus we see that here, we reaffirm that central belief in the
Hindu Dharma that "Ekam sat viprah bahudah vadanti" (Truth, or God,
is one, but wise men call Him/It by diffeerent names).

Thus, Deva is indicative of the various multifaceted entity that is


the absolute Personality of God. It describes in one word all the
functions, roles and different attributes of God, and symbolises
therefore his absolutely essential nature - without God, nothing can
exist.

DHIMAHI
Meaning to meditate and focus the mind on God. Meditation on God


implies that we remove all other thoughts from our mind, since
thoughts of the world render our mind impure, and thus we are unable
to conceptualise the absolute purity of God. We must be able to
concentrate, and direct our mental energies towards the task in hand -
ie communion with God. In this, we demonstrate that God is the most
important thing to us, and that we value Him above all else.
Prayer is carried out for four main reasons:

•      to praise and glorify God;


•      to thank God;
•      to ask forgiveness from God;
•      or to make a request from God.

Having carried out the other three parts (praise of His greatness,


thanks for His generosity in Creation and maintaining us through our
lives, and forgiveness by demonstrating our awareness of our own
impurity, which we have realised is present and must be cleansed
through contact with God), this part is now our request from 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 soul is of course inherently pure, being
itself Divine in nature. The body is under the complete control of
the mind. The link is the mind, which is affected not only by the
soul, but also the outside world. We ask in these four words that God
help us to improve our intellect, and guide it towards what is right.

DHIYO
Sanskrit for "intellect", this is the essence of this part of the


Gayathri Mantra. Having firmly set God in our hearts, we now must try
to emphasise His presence and influence on our mind and intellect.
Material prosperity holds no true meaning for the person who is truly
devoted to God. Pain and suffering are of no consequence to him as,
touched by God, he is imbued with God's own Divine Bliss, and all
worldly sorrows pale to nothingness in comparison. However, still the
individual must live in the world. Thus, it is important that the
person's intellect remains focused on serving God, and that it is
able, through the medium of the body, to serve God to the best of its
ability.

Physical objects can be obtained very easily, if one is intelligent


enough to know how to go about it. Intellect however cannot be
obtained, but must be there from the very first. It is by use of this
intellect, in fact, that one is able to cultivate all other qualities
(building of wealth, "success" in life (in material terms), physical
fitness, etc.) Thus, intellect is the key to all else in life, and as
such, it is the most important possession. We ask God in the Gayathri
Mantra to gift us with the highest intellect, and to help us by
showing us the way to use that intellect.

YO
Meaning "Who" or "That", Yo signifies yet again that it is not to


anyone else that we direct these prayers, but to God alone. Only God
is worthy of the highest adoration, only God is perfect and free from
all defects. It is That God to Whom we offer these prayers.

NAH
Nah means "Ours", and signifies the selflessness of the request we


make of God in this part of the Gayathri Mantra. We offer this
prayer, and make the request of God, not simply for ourselves, but
for the whole of humanity. We seek the uplift of the whole of
society. Hindu philosophy has since the beginning recognised the
concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - "The whole world is one big
family". Thus, we pray not only for ourselves, but for each and every
member of that great family, that we may all benefit from the
greatness and generosity of the All-loving God.

PRACHODAYAT


Prachodayat, the final word of the Gayathri Mantra, rounds off the
whole mantra, and completes the request we make of God in this final
part. This word is a request from God, in which we ask Him for
Guidance, and Inspiration. We ask that, by showing us His Divine and
Glorious Light (cf. BHARGO), He remove the darkness of Maya from our
paths, that we are able to see the way, and in this manner, we ask
Him to direct our energies in the right way, guiding us through the
chaos of this world, to find sanctuary in the tranquility and peace
of God Himself, the root of all Happiness, and the source of true
Bliss.
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