GAYATRI MANTRA -ITS MEANING

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Summary of the Mantra

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. Word for Word Meaning of the 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 ;

Meaning of Gayatri Mantra

Rishis selected the words of various Mantras and arranged them so that they not only

convey meaning but also create specific power through their utterance. Gayatri Mantra

inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead

us along the righteous path". 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 this Mantra is performed.


SREE VEDAMATA GAYATRI

Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati are three goddesses representing the presiding deities

of the famous Gayatri mantra chanted thrice a day. Gayatri is the presiding deity of

the morning prayer and rules over the Rigveda and the garhapatya fire. Every grihasta

(householder) was expected to keep 5 or 3 sacred fires ( Five fires: ahavaneeya,

dakshagni, garhapatya, sawta, aavasadha.) in his house to perform Vedic rituals.

In Sanskrit, there  are definite rules that regulate poetry: rhyme and meter are not

written whimsically. It has a Vedic metre of 24 syllables. Amongst the regulated poetry,

the Gayatri mantra, chanted by properly qualified persons, is the most prominent.

The Gayatri mantra is  mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Great sins are said to be

expiated by a pious  recitation of this Gayatri verse which reads as follows:

Om bhoor bhuvassuvaha, Tatsa Vitur varenyam,

Bhargo devasya dheemahi,Dheeyo yonah prachodayat


Gayatri mantra is meant for realization of god and is regarded as representing the

Supreme Lord. It is meant for spiritually advanced people. Success in chanting it enables

one to enter the transcendental position of the Lord. But, in order to chant the

Gayatri mantra, it is necessary for one to first acquire the qualities of the perfectly

balanced person in terms of the qualities of goodness according to the laws of material

nature. The Gayatri mantra is considered to be the sonic incarnation of Brahman and is

regarded as very important in Vedic civilization. In Bhagavadgita (Ch. 10. 35),

Lord Krishna states: Brihat saama latha saamnaam Gayatri chandasaam aham Maasaanam

maarga sirshoham Ritunaam kusumaakaraha


Among the hymns, I am the Brihat saama sung to Lord Indra, Of the poetry, I am the

Gayatri verse sung daily by the initiated, Of all the nuwsas (months), I am the margasira

(November- December). Among all the ritus (seasons), I am the flower bearing spring.

Gayatri is depicted seated on a lotus. She is depicted with five faces representing the

pancha pranas /pancha vayus(five lives/winds): prana, apana,vyana, udana, samana,

of the five principles/ elements (pancha tatwas) earth, water, air, fire, sky

(prithvi, jala, vayu, teja, aakasha). She has 10 hands carrying the five ayudhas:

shankha; chakra, kamala, varada, abhaya, kasha, ankusha, ujjwala utensil, rudrakshi mala.

The Shiva-Vishnu Temple performs Gayatri havan (homam) periodically to propitiate

the Lord. Numerous devotees participate in the function performed outdoors in the

Temple precincts depending on the weather conditions. Ghee (rectified butter) is

applied during the homa by all the participants seated around the homa-kunda.