AUM
BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT
SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO
DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO
YO NAHA
PRACHODAYAT.
Summary of the Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri
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".
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.
Gayatri Mantra in Sanskrit
Word for Word Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra
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 Gayatri Mantra
Rishis
selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra 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 Gayatri Mantra removes this deficiency. The teachings and powers
incorporated
in the Gayatri Mantra fulfill this purpose. Righteous wisdom starts emerging
soon
after Jap(recitation) of the Gayatri Mantra is performed.
The
Upanisads (secret texts) of Hinduism contain several
references to the Gayatri. Here
are
a selected few snippets from the Upanisads (Oxford World's Classics)
. The translation of The Upanishads ) by Eknath Easwaran is also
eminently
readable.
Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.1
This
entire creation is Gàyatrì. And the Gàyatrì is speech - for speech sings (gayati)
and
protects
(trayati) this entire creation.
Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.4
The
Gàyatrì Mantra is based on truth. For truth is based on strength. Strength is
breath,
and
is based on breath. So, Gayatri protects (tra)
the wealth (gaya) (the breath!) of those
who
speak it with earnestness and devotion. When one recites Gàyatrì on behalf of
someone,
it protects that person's breath too!
Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.5
This
verse talks about the unbounded wealth contained within the four 'foots' of the
Gàyatrì
Mantra.
• The first foot (aum bhur bhuvah
svaha) is said to be equivalent to the wealth
contained
in the three worlds put together.
• The second foot (tat savitur
varenyam) is said to be equivalent to the wealth
contained
in the three main vedas.
• If one were to receive a gift extending as far as
there are living beings, that would
equal
the third foot (bhargo devasaya dheemahi).
• The fourth foot (dheeyo yo nah
prachodyaat) is based on the glory of the sun,
whose
power and wealth remains unequaled and unrivaled. Hence, there is no
amount of wealth that can equal the fourth foot of the
Gàyatrì!
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