Arun Kumar Gupta
We meditate on that Isvara’s Glory who has created the Universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May He enlighten our intellects.”
What is that enlightenment? Now you have Deha-Atmabuddhi, a Buddhi that makes you to identify yourself with the body, to mistake the body for Soul. Now you are praying to the blessed Mother of the Vedas – Gayatri, to bestow on you a Suddha-Sattva-Buddhi which will help you to realise “Aham Brahma Asmi”-“I am Brahman.” This is an Advaitic meaning of Gayatri. Advanced students of Yoga may take up this meaning: “I am That Supreme Light of lights which gives light to the Buddhi or intellect.”
In the Gayatri Mantra there are 9 names, viz., 1. Om, 2. Bhuh, 3. Bhuvah, 4. Svah, 5. Tat, 6. Savituh, Varenyam, 8. Bhargah and 9. Devasya.
Through these nine names the God is praised. ‘Dheemahi signifies worship of or meditation on the God; ‘Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat’ is a prayer. Herein there are five halts or stops, viz., ‘Om’ is the first stop; ‘Bhur Bhuvah Svah’ the second; ‘Tat Savitur Varenyam’ the third; ‘Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi the fourth; and Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat’ the fifth.
While chanting Gayatri Mantra, you should stop a little at every stop or halt.
Savita is the presiding Deity of the Gayatri Mantra, Fire (Agni) is the mouth, Visvamitra is the Rishi and Gayatri is the metre. This Mantra is recited during the investiture of sacred thread, practice of Pranayama and Gayatri Mantra. What Gayatri is, the same is Sandhya, and what Sandhya is, the same is Gayatri. Sandhya and Gayatri are identical. He who meditates on Gayatri, meditates on the Supreme God of the Universe.
A man can repeat the Gayatri Mantra mentally, in all states, even while lying, sitting, walking, etc. There is no sin of commission or omission of any sort in its repetition. One should thus perform Sandhya-Vandana with this Gayatri Mantra three times every day, in the morning, noon and evening. It is the Gayatri Mantra alone that can be commonly prescribed for all the Hindus. The God commands in the Vedas: “Let (one) Mantra be common to all”-“Samano Mantrah.” Hence the Gayatri should be the one Mantra for all the Hindus. “The secret lore of the Upanishads is the essence of the four Vedas, while Gayatri with the three Vyahritis is the essence of the Upanishads.” He is the real Brahmana who knows and thus the Gayatri.
Benefits of Gayatri Mantra –
Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas and is the destroyer of sins. There is nothing more purifying, on the earth as well as in the heaven, than the Gayatri. The chanting of Gayatri Mantra brings the same fruit as the recitation of all the four Vedas together with the angas. This single Mantra repeated three times a day brings Kalyana or Moksha. It is the supreme Mantra of the Vedas. It destroys all sins. It bestows splendid health, beauty, strength, vigour, vitality and magnetic aura in the face (Brahmic effulgence).
Gayatri destroys the three kinds of Taapa or pain. Gayatri bestows on one of the four kinds of Purushartha, viz., Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desired objects) and Moksha (Liberation or freedom). It destroys the three Granthis or knots of ignorance, Avidya, Kama and Karma. Gayatri purifies the mind. Gayatri bestows on the Upasaka Ashta-Siddhis. Gayatri makes a man powerful and highly intelligent. Gayatri eventually gives Liberation or emancipation from the wheel of birth and death.
The repetition or Japa of Gayatri brings the Darsana of Gayatri and finally leads to the realisation of the Advaitic Brahman or Unity of Consciousness (Tanmayata, Talleenata, Tadrupata, Tadakarata) and the aspirant who asked for light from Gayatri, in the beginning, sings now in exuberant joy: “I am that Light of lights that gives light to the Buddhi.”
May Gayatri, the Blessed Mother of the Vedas, bestow on us right understanding, pure intellect, right conduct and right thinking! May Gayatri Mantra guide us in all our actions! May Gayatri Mantra deliver us from the Samsaric wheel of birth and death! Glory! Glory unto Gayatri, the Creatress, the Generatrix of this Universe!
The Brahma-Gayatri Mantra has twenty-four Aksharas. So, one Gayatri-Purascharana constitutes the repetition of Gayatri Mantra 24 lakh times. There are various rules for Purascharana. If you repeat the Mantra 3,000 times daily, you should keep up the number daily all throughout till you finish the full 24 lakhs. Cleanse the mirror of the Manas (mind) of its Mala (impurities) and prepare the ground for the sowing of the spiritual seed.
Sri Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviyaji is a votary of Gayatri- Purascharana. The success in his life and the establishment of a grand Hindu University at Banares is all attributable to his chanting of Gayatri Mantra and the benign grace of the Blessed Mother Gayatri.
Only Yoga-Bhrashtas and pure-minded persons can have Darsana of Gayatri by doing only one Purascharana. As the minds of the vast majority of persons in this Kali Yuga are filled with various sorts of impurities, one has to do more than one Purascharana according to the degree of impurity of the mind. The more the impurities, the greater is the number of Purascharanas.
Methods to chant Gayatri Mantra :-
After the Purascharana is over perform Havan and feed Brahmins, Sadhus and poor people to propitiate the God.
Those who wish to do Purascharana may live on milk and fruits. This makes the mind Sattvic. One will derive great spiritual benefits.
There are no restrictions of any kind when you repeat a Mantra with Nishkama Bhava for attaining Moksha. Restrictions or Vidhis come in only when you want to get worldly gains, when you do the chantings with Sakama Bhava.
When a Purascharana of Gayatri is done on the banks of the Ganga, underneath an Asvattha tree or the Pancha-vrikshas, Mantra-Siddhi comes in rapidly.
If you repeat Gayatri 4000 times daily, you can finish the Purascharana in one year, seven months and twenty-five days. If you do the Japa slowly it will take at least 10 hours to finish 4000 daily. Anyhow, the same number should be repeated daily.
You must observe strict Brahmacharya when you do Purascharana.
The practice of Akhanda Mouna (unbroken silence) during Purascharana is highly beneficial. Those who are not able to practise this, can observe full Mouna for a week in a month, or only on Sundays.
Those who practise Purascharana should not get up from the Asana or the pose till they finish the fixed number. Also, they should not change the pose.
Counting can be done through Maala, fingers or watch. Count the exact number that you can do in one hour. Suppose you can repeat the Gayatri-Mantra 400 times in one hour, then Japa for ten hours means 10 X 400 4000. There is more concentration in counting the number through watch.
There are three varieties of the forms of Gayatri, for meditation in the morning, noon and evening. But many meditate on the five-faced Gayatri alone throughout the day.
In nutshell, all the human beings should chant the Gayatri Mantra in the wee hours of the morning to attain salvation.
(The author is President of Arya Samaj Dayanand Marg City Chowk, Jammu.)
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