* THE GAYATRI MANTRA * Om bhur bhuvah svaha Tat savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat “OM. We meditate on the effulgent glory of the true Divine Sun that pervades earth, sky, and the heavens, from whom all proceed and to whom all must return. Shine as the light of Consciousness in our intellects and burn away our ignorance with the wisdom of the highest Truth.” The “Sun” referred to in the words of the Gayatri Mantra is not the sun which we can all see when we look up into the sky but rather that which some have called the Central Spiritual Sun or Great Central Sun. This is a descriptive term for the manifested Paramatman or Supreme Self and this “Sun” – this glorious and eternally radiant divine Light – pervades and permeates the entire Universe. It is the all-ensouling Life of the Universe. It also represents our own Real Self and our essential nature as pure eternal Spirit, the Atman. * ABOUT THE MANTRA The Gayatri Mantra is the most ancient mantra known to man and comes from the most ancient Scripture known to us today, namely the Rig Veda. It has been called “the quintessence of the Vedas and Hindu culture.” It is a universal prayer for ultimate enlightenment and invokes the inner divinity of all those who recite it with clear understanding, selflessness, and spiritual dedication. The Gayatri Mantra must never be recited or chanted with the aim of it bringing about any self-centred or material gain for the individual…to do so would be very wrong indeed. All mantras, whether the Gayatri or any other, must be treated and utilised with great respect and reverence. The sounds, vibrations, and effects they produce – or at least can produce, under the right circumstances – are of a most holy, powerful, and divine nature and this is why mantras should never be recited casually, half-heartedly, or absent-mindedly, as some do whilst engaged in other activities. If we are going to involve ourselves with a mantra, we must take it seriously and approach it correctly. The name of this Mantra comes from “gayantam trayate iti gayatri,” meaning “that mantra which protects the one who sings or chants it.” “Trayate” also means “that which takes one across the ocean of transmigration or saves one from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.” * RECITATION OF THE MANTRA There are three ways of doing mantra recitation and repetition or “japa” as it is called in the terminology of Hinduism. These are… 1. Vachaka – Ordinary vocal repetition. 2. Upamsa – Silent repetition in which the lips and tongue are moved as in Vachaka but without any sound or vocalisation of the words. 3. Manasika – Mental repetition. Manasika japa and upamsa japa are considered to be higher forms of japa than vachaka, although of course all have their virtues and it is barely possible to succeed in upamsa or manasika without having first spent much time practicing the ordinary vocal recitation of the mantra, or vachaka. * MEDITATION WHILE RECITING THE MANTRA Our meditation (“dhyana”) during japa can be either Saguna (with qualities and attributes) or Nirguna (without qualities and attributes). This is also the way in which human beings can think of God…some prefer or find it easier to conceive of God as having qualities, attributes, and personal characteristics whilst others choose to think of God as being the impersonal Divine Allness or the Supreme Pure Divine Consciousness which is everything and in everything. It is traditionally taught that vachaka japa and upamsa japa are to be accompanied by Saguna dhyana while manasika japa belongs primarily to Nirguna dhyana but these are not hard and fast rules and it is entirely up to the individual. With the Gayatri Mantra, Saguna dhyana is traditionally meditation on the form of Gayatri Devi, the Mother Gayatri, and is sometimes aided by the individual having a picture of her in front of him and focussing his vision on that during the japa/dhyana. This Goddess Gayatri is considered to be an incarnation or form of Sarasvati, who is the Shakti (Force, Energy, Power) of Brahma the Creator. From the more esoteric perspective, Sarasvati is not an anthropomorphic goddess but is the symbol for Mahavidya which is a word meaning “supreme knowledge.” Nirguna dhyana with the Gayatri Mantra involves an inner mental concentration on an all-pervading bright and glorious light whilst imagining that this Divine Light has enveloped you from all sides and that you have become absorbed within it. Esoterically, light almost always represents knowledge, intelligence, and understanding. “This light is the knowledge of the essential Oneness of the Self in each of us and the Self everywhere.” May this most beautiful and most powerful of mantras help us, aid us, and guide us, as we progress ever onward and ever upward towards the great goal of God-realisation.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 04:03:43 +0000
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