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The Gayatri mantra is composed of a metre cons is ting of 24syllables - generally arranged in a triplet of eight syllables each.Therefore, this particular meter (tripadhi) is also known as theGayatri Meter or "Gayatri C hhanda." Today, this mantra is meditated, chanted and sung not only inIndian subcontinent but all around the world with reverence,devotion and love. This mantra has soothing and beautiful flowof sounds with various rhythmic patterns making it the mostpowerful mantra for daily spiritual prac tice or spiritualenlightenment. Gayatri mantra has a universal meaning and is applicable towhole mankind irrespec tive of their faith and religious beliefs . Gayatri mantra is also known as ved mata or Savitri.(Mother ofall Vedas).

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Goddess Gayatri and gayatri mantra Gayatri mantra is compulsorily rec ited by Brahmin (Espec ially inthread ceremony) as their daily rituals to praise god to givewisdom and enlightenment. Origin of gayatri mantra A ccording to anc ient sc riptures , god gifted Sage vishwamitrathis Gayatri mantra for his eons of deep meditation andpenance. This was to be a gift for all humanity. The Gayatri Mantra was firs t written in Sanskrit in the Rig V eda.So keeping in mind that rigveda is atleast 10000 years old, one


can safely say that gayatri mantra was chanted at least before8000 B.C.

Meaning of gayatri mantra Gayatri mantra is derived from Sanskrit words: gaya, meaning “vital energies” andtrâyte, meaning “protects , preserves , grants liberation , givesdeliverance”.

So, In a very s imple language, gayatri mantra means "May thedivine light of the Supreme Being illuminate our intellec t, to leadus along a path of righteousness".

More precise translation O God. You are almighty creator of this Universe. You areomnipotent and omnipresent! You are supreme source ofKnowledge, light and Bliss. You are Des troyer of all fear and evil.We meditate and bow upon your light for your light may guide ourintellec t in the right direc tion. Gayatrî Mantra rec itation is often prefaced as a short invocationor a long invocation. In either of the invocations, we begin therecitation by using the divine symbol 'Aum' to salute theformless and nameless Almighty Power.


Meaning of Gayatri mantra Line by line meaning of gayatri mantra is We meditate on the glory of the C reator;Who has c reated the Universe;Who is worthy of Worship;Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light;Who is the remover of Sin and Ignorance;May He open our hearts and enlighten our Intellec t. Detailed word by word meaning:


O M Symbol of the P ar Brahman

Bhur Bhu-Loka (Phys ical plane) referring to five bas ic elements of nature.

Bhuvah A ntariksha-Loka (A s tral plane)

Swah Swarga-Loka (C eles tial plane)

Tat That; T ranscendent P aramatman

Savitur Ishawara or C reator

V arenyam Fit to be worshipped or adored

Bhargo Remover of s ins and ignorance.The Radiance, the Spiritual E ffulgence, the Light that bes tows Wisdom

Devasya Resplendent; Shining, Divine Reality

Dheemahi We meditate

Dhiyo Buddhis ; Intellec ts ; Unders tandings


Yo Which; who

Nah O ur

P rachodayat Enlighten; Guide; Impel

More detailed elaboration A - emerges from the throat, originating in the region of thenavelU - rolls over the tongueM - ends on the lipsA - waking, U - dreaming, M - sleepingIt is the sum and substance of all the words that can emanatefrom the human throat. It is the primordial fundamental soundsymbolic of the Universal Absolute. Word ‘Aum’ is also calledPranav because its sound emanates from the Prana (vitalvibration), which feels the Universe.


Aum-Sound of universe

AUM is the primeval sound from which all sounds emerge; AUMis metaphor for Source Energy or the Supreme Being. Soundcreated due to the rotation of earth, planets and galaxies is"AUM". Hence this sound "Aum" was agreed to be the name ofthe God, since this sound is available in all the three periods oftime. Rishi Vishvamitra explained that the formless God can beunderstood through the sound of 'Aum'. "Gita" also mentions that, "Omiti ekaksharam brahma", meaningthat the name of the almighty God is Aum, which contains onlyone syllable.


'Bhur' means the earth, 'Bhuvah' the planets and 'Swah' meansthe Galaxy. So, collectively, om Bhur Bhuva Swaha is a preambleto the main mantra which means that we invoke the supremebeing in our prayer and meditate the One who is ourcreator(earth, planets and galaxy), inspirer, and abode ofsupreme Joy. The above three words of the Gayatri, literally means "past,""present," and "future," are called Vyahrities. Vyahriti is thatwhich gives knowledge of entire cosmos or "ahriti".The terms bhur, bhuvas, suvaha (mahâ vyâhritis) are invocationsto honor the stages of our existence and to call to our aid thepresiding deities of the three planes in which we live ourordinary life: the physical, astral and mental planes. Tat Savitur Varenyam Tat meaning THAT, again representing theSupreme Being. Savitur meaning, the radiating source of lifewith the brightness of the Sun; and Varenyam, meaning themost adorable, most desirable. Bhargo Devasya Deemah: Bhargo meaning splendor and luster,Devasya meaning divine or supreme and Deemahi meaning “Wemeditate upon”. It is advised to meditate upon the light ofstars and perform the 'Aum' Japnam,to know the formlessCreator. But the human mind being very restless cannotconcentrate or meditate without the blessings of Lord Brahma Deeyo Yo Naha, Prachodayaa : Deeyo meaning ourunderstanding of reality, our intellect, our intention. Yomeaning He Who, and Naha meaning Our. Finally, Prachodayaat,meaning May he Inspire, Guide. O Almighty God ! Please give usthe power to use our intellect in the right direction How to chant gayatri mantra If you intend to chant Gayatri mantra, it is very important to


chant it correctly not only in pronunciation but also in intent andintegrity. This also means that one needs to understand themeaning of gayatri mantra before they start chanting. Gayatrimantra is said to carry tremendous power if chanted correctlywith good intention and pure heart.

Om Bhur Bhuva Swaha (Om Bhoor Bhoova Swa-Ha) Om Tat Savitur Varenyam (Om Tat Sa-Vidoor Va-rain-yam) Bhargo Devasya Deemahi (Bhaargo They-Vas-Ya Dee-Mahi) Deeyo Yo Naha, Prachodayaat (Thee-Yo Yo-Na-Ha, Pra-Cho-Da-Yaat)


Gayatri Mantra

What it means to you: As per the vedas, there exist seven spheres or planes or realmsof existence, each spiritually advanced than the previousone. It is said that through spiritual deeds and development,one progressively advances through the seven realm at the endof which one merge with the Supreme god.Hindus considers Gayatri mantra as a divine awakening of theindividual soul (Atma) and mind, and the easiest way to unitewith the supreme god- Brahman. Understanding and chanting


Gayatri Mantra is considered as the most powerful mantra ofrealizing God. Chanting this mantra enlighten the divine light of these sevenchakras thus experiencing directly the seven spiritual spheres ofexistence.

Effects of gayatri mantra on human body The Vedas say:

Chanting Gayatri Mantra purifies the chanter. Listening Gayatri Mantra purifies the listener.

Ancient sages selected the words of Gayatri mantra carefully and arranged them insuch a way that they not only had good meaning but also create amazing vibrationsinside the body thus enlightening the powers of righteous wisdom. Vedic scripturesdescribe many sages attaining spiritual powers and enlightenment by deepmeditation and consistent chanting of this gayatri mantra. Even spiritual practitioners,scientists and meta-physicists are studying and analyzing the effects of gayatri mantraon human mind and body. Even Nasa uses the word AUM to transmit it through theuniverse to attract inhabitants of other planets (aliens) Recent research has said that the continuous chanting of this mantra stimulates thepower centers located in your subtle body. Continuous enunciation of twenty foursyllables of Gayatri Mantra creates a resonating effect on the threads and nerves ofthe human body. Pronouncing gayatri mantra creates a pressure on lips, tongue,palate, vocal cord and its connecting areas around the brain to generate the musicalflow energizing the sensory energy centers. Continuous repetition of Gayatri Mantracreates a magnetic charge to link the mind with supernatural power currents."


Effect of gayatri mantra References to ancient scripturesThe Upanisads (secret texts) of Hinduism contain severalreferences to the Gayatri Mantra. Let us see some of them 1) This entire creation is Gayatri. And the Gayatri is speech - for speech sings (gayati)and protects (trayati) this entire creation. Gayatri indeed is all this, whatever beingexists. Speech indeed is Gayatri; for speech indeed sings and removes fear of all this thatexists.- Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.1 2) That which is this Gayatri, even that is this earth; for on this earth are all the beingsestablished and they do not transcend it.- Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.2


3) This well-known Gayatri is four-footed and s ixfold.- Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.5 Origin of Bhur Bhuvah Svah explained from ChandogyaUpanisad 4.17.1-6 1. P rajapati (the progenitor of the worlds ) brooded on the threeworlds . From them he extrac ted their essences; fire from theearth, air from the sky and the sun from heaven. 2 . He further brooded on these three deities . From them heextrac ted their essences: the Riks (Rg-veda) from fire, theYajus-mantras (Yajur-veda) from air, and the Saman (Sama-veda) from the sun. 3 . He brooded on the three V edas . From them he extrac ted theirexis tences; Bhuh from the Riks , Bhuvah from the Yajus-mantrasand Svah from the Samans . 4-6 . Therefore if the sac rifice is rendered defec tive on accountof the Riks (or Yajus or Samans), then with the Mantra ‘BhuhSvaha’ (or 'Bhuvah Svaha' or 'Svah Svaha'), the Brahman pries tshould offer an oblation in the fire. Thus verily, through theessence of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans), through the virility ofthe Riks (or Yajus or Samans), he makes good the injury of thesacrifice in respec t of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans). Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.4 (Gayatri as the Protector) The Gayatri Mantra is based on truth. For truth is based ons trength. Strength is breath, and is based on breath. So, Gayatriprotec ts (tra) the wealth (gaya) (the breath! ) of those who speakit with earnes tness and devotion. When one rec ites Gayatri onbehalf of someone, it protec ts that person's breath too!


Devotee of gayatri mantra (Gayatri mantra tattoo has becomevery popular in wes tern countries ). More tattoos can be foundhere Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.5 (Four 'foots' of the Gayatri) This verse talks about the unbounded wealth contained withinthe four 'foots ' of the Gayatri Mantra.


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The Gayatri Mantra is the Universal P rayer enshrined in theV edas , the most anc ient Sc riptures of Man. -SA THYA SA IBA BA The Gayatri Mantra is a P rayer that can well be spoken withyearning by men and women of all c reeds and c limes in allcenturies . Repetition of this Mantra will develop the Intelligence.-SA THYA SA I BA BA


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