Monday, September 24, 2012

The Gayatri Mantra (1) - Its Origin, Meaning, Scientific Impact on our Mind and Body.

The enclosed article explains the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra, its scientific merits, and the  universal application of its meaning and benefits to all people irrespective of caste, creed, nationality or religion. 

The Gayatri Mantra is a non religious mantra devoted to the promotion of righteous intellect in the world.

The following note is an amalgamation of writings from two books :
"The Super Science of Gayatri" and "The Tangible Miracles of Gayatri Meditation". Both books are authored by Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya.



In Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya's own words, the significance of the Gayatri Mantra is explained as follows :

"A person can proceed rapidly on the path of spiritual growth and self realization through the devotion of Goddess Gayatri the Supreme creative energy of the Divine. The Mantra endows its devotee with true wisdom.

A subtle uninterrupted current of divine energy starts flowing through the inner being of the devotee, cleansing his intellect , mind and emotions of the perverse ,  dark thoughts , feelings and desires. The effects of sincere and steadfast Gayatri Sadhana are swift and miraculous in purifying, harmonizing and steadying the mind and thus establishing unshakable inner peace and a sense of joyous calm even in the face of grave trials and tribulations in the outer  life of the devotee. 


Darkness has no independent existence of its own. Darkness is nothing but the absence of Light. In the same way unhappiness is nothing but the absence of knowledge. Otherwise in this orderly creation of God, there is no shadow or suffering. God is Sat, Chit, Anand, the embodiment of Supreme Truth, Pure , Awareness and Divine Bliss. Human beings suffer because they choose to aimlessly wander in the wilderness of ignorance - forgetting their true identity as Divine Sparks. Otherwise, birth in a human body is a great boon, which even the Gods covet, because it is the only means through which a soul can attain self realization, the fountainhead of unalloyed Bliss.

The Sadhna of Gayatri is the worship of Supreme Knowledge. It is my personal experience and firm belief that those who worship Gayatri will never be lacking in spiritual enlightenment and worldly happiness."
                                               


Gayatri Mantra the Origin of the Vedas:
It is said that Lord Brahma(Supreme Universal Consciousness)  created the Four  Vedas with the help of the 24 letters of Gayatri Mantra. In order to throw more light on the deep importance  of the knowledge captured in the Vedas, the  Shaastra, Darshan, Brahmana, Aaranyaka, Upanishad, Smritee, Sootra, Purana, Itihaas  were additionally written. In this manner the Gayatri Mantra is known to be the Mother of the Vedas. The Vedas deal  with laws of nature that govern the material and spiritual sciences. If one truly imbibes the meaning of Gayatri (i.e. righteous intellect) we become  adept at the sum and substance of all  Vedic scriptures. 


The 24 syllables of the Gayatri Mantra and what they signify:

The Gayatri Mantra:
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्यः धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् .

The Gayatri Mantra In English:
Om Bhoor Bhuvah Swah Tat Savitur Vareniyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat .


OM : The divine sound of OM teaches us that our individual consciousness is a subset of the Universal Consciousness, that pervades this Universe. Therefore we should  live  life in a manner that upholds the flag of Universal Consciousness.

“Bhoor”: teaches us to  identify and modify those traits that destroy us and replace them with those that uplift us in an all round manner.

“Bhuvaha” : tells us to carry out our appointed duties very meticulously and after having done the same and  accept the results as God’s grace. We should engage in actions and Karma that uphold the welfare of all.

“Svaha” : emphasizes the importance of developing a balanced thought process where we can face both  joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, profit and loss, good and bad with equanimity of character.

“Tat” : signifies that we should not  look upon the pleasures attained via the body and senses to be the be all and end all of our life. Sensory  pleasures and their benefits are transient in nature (short term feel good pleasures) and spiritual pleasures in contrast are life long and eternal.

“Savitur” : emphasizes that we gain  wisdom, righteous intellect, good health, righteously gained  wealth, righteously gained name and fame etc.

“Varenyam” : tells us to imbibe only those traits that are truly exalted.

“Bhargo” : tells us to imbibe  purity in  our body, mind, wealth, health, home, dress and behavior .

“Devasya”: signifies developing a generous, divine  and farsighted thought process.

“Dhimahi” : signifies developing the ability to imbibe good qualities, great character, divine glories and high thinking.

“Dhiyo” : refers to development of our  intellect . It signifies to us that we should  not blindly follow an  individual, ritual, literature or sect just because a crowd of people is doing so. Instead we should apply discriminating intellect to understand what is just and right and follow the same.

“Yonaha”  : signifies to us that we should imbibe all good qualities for not just our well being but also for the benefit of those around us.

 “Prachodayaat” : signifies the quality of Inspiration. It signifies to us that  we live our life in such a way that we are a source of inspiration to others, so that they too may live life in the same righteous, wise way.



Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra  in Summary:
In short it is a prayer to the Almighty Supreme God, the Creator of the entire Cosmos, the essence of our Life Existence,the  remover of  all our pains and sufferings and the One who grants us our happiness. We beseech HIS divine grace to imbue within us HIS divinity and brilliance which may purify us and guide us on the path of righteous wisdom and intellect.


The Scientific Basis of chanting the Gayatri Mantra. What happens to us when we chant it?

The 24 letters of the Gayatri Mantra have been designed in such a way  that the mere chanting of this Mantra activates subtle energies in the subtle nerves (Naadis) of the tongue, throat, brain centre and palate. 

It is the only Mantra which when chanted opens up and links  all the Chakras present in our body. No other Mantra does the same. The Naadis (subtle nerves) of the mouth transport the impulses of Gayatri Mantra chanting, to the various Chakras  of the body thereby creating an uninterrupted flow of divine energy.

Just as when one hits the keys of the keyboard of a computer, a  corresponding alphabet gets typed on our computer  screen,  so also  the moment the mouth chants the Gayatri Mantra, various Naadis (subtle nerves) of the mouth transport the energy impulses originating in the mouth to the various Chakras of the body . They in turn  get  activated, resulting in the increased manifestation of the subtle energies present in our body.
Apart from the Chakras various Bhramars, Kamals (lotus centres), Granthis (energy knots), Sansthans (other energy centers) also get awakened during the chanting of Mantras.

In this manner the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra  subtly commences  and awakens the subtle energy centres of the body thereby benefiting the devotee extraordinarily both materially and spiritually. As  righteous intellect, and discriminating faculties develop it is only natural that physical, material and spiritual benefits follow.

The Gayatri Mantra Sadhana indicates a well organized scientific process of spiritual growth. Gayatri Sadhana is not based on blind faith but has a solid scientific basis to the same.
                                                                           
Next article : 

The material and Spiritual benefits of the Gayatri Mantra and Gayatri Sadhna(Part2):http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-gayatri-mantra-its-meaning-and-its.html


Other Interesting articles, PPTs +Videos in English and Hindi  on the Gayatri Mantra :

2. Short Informative video in English on the pictorial representation of "Maa Gayatri" , the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra and how to chant and meditate on the same. Must watch video : http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.in/2013/08/gayatri-mantra-video-lecture-and.html

3. Video in Hindi - an explanation of the Gayatri Mantra as well as how to use the Mantra for problem solving in daily life .
To watch this very informative video , please click the link below: http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.in/2013/08/gayatri-mantra-its-meaning-and-its.html

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Source and references to the above article:

If you would like to read the Book "Super Science of Gayatri" please click the enclosed link:http://www.scribd.com/doc/104094422/8206508-THE-SUPER-SCIENCE-OF-GAYATRI-by-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya

If you would like to know more about the author-Acharya Shriram Sharma,whose life was the "realization of the Gayatri Mantra" please click the following link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriram_Sharma

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