Yoga Philosophy: GAYATRI MANTRA
By Swami Ram Swarup, Yoga -Acharya,
Ved Mandir Yol, Distt. Kangra (H.P.), INDIA
Everybody wants peace and happiness. Nobody wants a single sorrow. That is why the soul is bounded with Karma (deeds) theory that whatever the soul wants it is not necessary that she will get it. It is rightly said that ‘man proposes, God disposes’. However the origin of soul in human body is empowered to burn all the sorrows by virtue of worshippping God to get happy, peaceful life and even to attain Salvation. In this pious way Gayatri Mantra is very much beneficial for human beings.
This is the Gayatri Mantra given in Yajur Veda Mantra 22/9,30/2,36/3 Saam Veda Mantra 1462 and Rig Veda 3/62/10.This Mantra has been praised in Manu Smriti 2/81 as the word of God.
Meaning——
Om is a saviour of all and immortal. So this name is everlasting and we must remember it repeatedly.
Bhuhu—-base of breath i.e., creator (God).
Bhuvaha—-ends sorrows (God).
Swaha—-omnipresent (God) .
Tata …He,
Savitaha— creator of whole Universe .
Varenyam— Acceptable .
Devha—giver of pleasure.
Bhagha—unsophisticated/clean/pure or Supreme.
Dhimahi—meditate/concentrate i.e., we do meditation of Almighty God who is base of breath of all, ends sorrows, omnipresent, creator, acceptable , giver of pleasure, unsophisticated/Supreme.
The second part—-
Yaha—who,
Dhiyha—mind,
Nha— our,
Prachodyat—enlightenment with wisdom i.e., the adorable God may enlighten our mind with wisdom.
Yajur Veda Matra 31/7 says that the Vedas are originated from God. So Gayatri Mantra is a complete prayer preached direct by God to us for our benefit which everyone must adhered to. Question may arise why? We see the sun, moon, earth, our body etc., and can guess that these have not been made by us except God. God has given us every facility like water, food, air, milk and family etc., then if we cannot even remember/pray Him (God) in return, then it will be a direct thanklessness towards God.
Rig Veda Mantra 10/110/8 says that while worshipping we have to keep in mind the three aspects:
- Stuti (description of true qualities in God)
- Upasana (to sit nearest to God) God being omnipresent is always within us but being indulged with materialistic world we cannot realize Him. For Upasana—Worship the word Dhimahi i.e., meditation has been used in Gayatri Mantra. So when we keep aside the materialistic world for sometime both in morning and evening and meditate, worship, do japa or Yajna etc., then it is said that we are sitting nearest to God .
- Prayer— by virtue of prayer we are inspired to do auspicious deeds .For prayer the words in Gayatri Mantra are Yha Dhiyha Nha Prachodyat i.e., we pray God to enlighten our mind with wisdom. Due to the lack of this tradition mostly we forget this primary requirement of worship with the result our worship may go in vain. The Gayatri Mantra is thus sound and fulfill the said requirements together as mentioned in above Rig-Veda. In the Vedas there is no other Mantra such as this containing the three aspects together.
So even if we do any kind of worship/Yoga practice everyone must recite or recite within heart the holy Gayatri Mantra before worship which is acceptable by God being originated from Him (God). Gayatri Mantra is a prayer to inspire our mind and enable us to determine wrong and right/pious and sin. So that we may always do pious deeds. We are indulging ourselves in anger, proud, sensuality, selfishness, etc., which are our hidden foe and leading us away from the true path of good deeds/worship etc. This pious, supreme and omnipotent Gayatri Mantra is a perfect worship of God to overcome the above hidden foe and spread peace/ brotherhood and even to get salvation.
