vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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The Gayatri is the most sacred of all Vaidik mantras.It is recited as under--
“Let us contemplate the wondrous spirit of the Divine Creator (Savitr) of the earthly, atmospheric, and celestial spheres. May He direct our minds, that is ‘towards’ the attainment of dharma, artha, kama, and moksa, Om.”
Max Muller,the German Sanskrit scholar has given a more brief translation as under--
"Let us obtain (meditate on) the adorable splendour of Savitri (Sun God), may He arouse our minds."
A more elaborate translation can be--
We meditate on the glory of the Creator;
Who has created 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 Intellect.
The Gayatri Mantra has been chronicled in the Rig Veda, which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and the mantra may have been chanted for many centuries before that.
For ages, this beautiful prayer has seemed mysterious to the Western mind and was out of reach even for most Hindus. It was a well guarded secret, withheld from women and from those outside the Hindu Brahmin community.
Today, it is chanted, meditated to, and sung around the world with reverence and love. It is often compared to The Lord’s Prayer in significance and impact.
The ancient Hindu scriptures describe how the sage Vishwamitra was given the Gayatri mantra by the Supreme Being as a reward for his many years of deep penance and meditation. This was to be a gift for all humanity.
It is said that this sacred prayer spirals through the entire universe from the heart of the chanter, appealing for peace and divine wisdom for all.
Not only the Gayatri Mantra inspires wisdom in us,there is nothing that cannot be achieved by its repeated and regular recitations.And I am speaking from personal experience.
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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Rishis(seers) selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of righteous wisdom through their utterance. The ideal times for chanting the mantra are three times a day - at dawn, mid-day, and at dusk. These times are known as the three sandhyas - morning, mid-day and evening. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times,though you can chant it more or less.The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the chakras or energy centres in the human body.
Emotional involvement is the key.One should recite with full awareness of each word,and with all the emotions,as if a child is calling the mother.It will change you like nothing else within weeks.
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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'Just like the Sun annihilates darkness, so does the Gayatri Mantra destroy ignorance. The Gayatri Mantra invokes the power and radiance of the Sun to energize all earthly life, to destroy our sins and to reveal the Supreme Self to us.'
Lord Krishna in the Bhagvad Geeta says: " Amongst the Mantras, I am the Gayatri"
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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'the Gayatri Mantra has the power of a thousand atomic bombs!'
Arthur Koestler(British novelist and journalist(1905-1983)
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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"The Gayatri Mantra should be carved on the doors of every laboratory of the world". J.B.S. Haldane(British geneticist and evolutionary biologist)
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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It is both a mantra and a prayer.
Chanting the Mantra purifies the energy and physical bodies of human physiology.
It balances the atmosphere and prana
Mantra has sound potencies that awaken vital energies and dormant parts of our mind.
Rishis arranged the words of the mantra in such a way that it not only conveys the meaning but also creates a specific power of righteous wisdom through its utterance.
The syllables of the mantra are said to create positive effect on all the charkas (energy centers) in the human body.
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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'Many of the greatest prayers, such as the Gâyatrî Mantra from the ancient rishis of India, the Fâtiha which was received by the prophet Muhammad, and the Lord's Prayer which was given to us by Jesus, all share some magnificent similarities, illustrating the highest and noblest principles of prayer. In each of these great prayers, the opening lines are a humble recognition that there is a Greater Power, and that all that we receive comes from the will of that Greater Power. Such prayer is an act of humble submission to That Which is beyond our understanding. And the final lines of each of these great prayers, in humble submission to a Greater Power, acknowledge the gifts of understanding and awakening which are continually bestowed upon all of mankind, even though so few are even aware of the gifts. This humble recognition of the gifts that are constantly showered upon us is an essential element of the highest spiritual practices that we have been given, leading us toward the understand that we can and should rise above our differences and divisions, emerging from our delusion of separation and becoming aware of the Light of Unity which already shines upon all of creation.'
wahiduddin
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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'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 being exists. Speech indeed is Gayatri; for speech indeed sings and removes fear of all this that exists.'
Chandogya Upanisad 3.12.1,2,5 (Qualities of Gayatri)
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vir
Instructor
Posts 1523
Points 1940
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The Vedas say--
'To chant the Gayatri Mantra
purifies the chanter.
To listen to the Gayatri Mantra
purifies the listener.'
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