Gayatri Mantra Detailed Word by Word
Meaning
The Gayatri Mantra consists of twenty-four syllables - three lines of eight
syllables each. The first line (Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah) is considered an
invocation, and is not technically a part of the original Gayatri Mantra as it
appears in the Upanishads. Gayatri is also referred to as a Vedic poetic meter
of 24 syllables or any hymn composed in this meter. Hence, there exists a whole
family of Gayatri Mantras, which serve as meditative aids to pray for the
blessings of a particular personal God.
Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah, Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
A basic translation can be given as…
Oh God, the Protector, the basis of all life, Who is self-existent, Who is
free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles, Who
pervades the Universe and sustains all, the Creator and Energizer of the whole
Universe, the Giver of happiness, Who is worthy of acceptance, the most
excellent, Who is Pure and the Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God,
so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction.
The Four Parts of the Gayatri Mantra
Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swah
1. AUM , the Supreme name of God.
BHUR BHUVAH SWAH. These three words collectively are known as the
“Mahavyahriti”. They express the nature of God, and demonstrate his
inherent qualities.
2. BHUR
Firstly, the word Bhur implies
existence. God is self-existent and independent of all. He is eternal and
unchanging. Without beginning and without end, God exists as a continuous,
permanent, constant entity. Secondly, the word Bhur can also mean the Earth, on
which we are born and sustained. God is the provider of all, and it is through
His divine will that we our blessed with all that we require to maintain us
through our lives. Finally, Bhur signifies Prana, or life (literally, breath).
God is That which gives life to all. Whilst He is independent of all, all are
dependent on Him. It is God who has given us life, God who maintains us
throughout our lives, and God alone who has the ability to take away our life,
when He so chooses. The only permanent entity, all others are subject to His
own will
3. BHUVAH
Bhuvah describes the absolute
Consciousness of God. God is self-Conscious as well as being Conscious of all
else, and thus is able to control and govern the Universe. Also, the word
Bhuvah relates to God’s relationship with the celestial world. It denotes God’s
greatness - greater than the sky and space, He is boundless and unlimited.
Finally, Bhuvah is also indicative of God’s role as the remover of all pain and
sufferings (Apaana). We see pain and sorrow all around us. However, through
supplication to God, we can be freed from that pain and hardship. God Himself
is devoid of any pain. Though He is Conscious of all, and is thus aware of
pain, it does not affect Him. It is our own ignorance that makes us susceptible
to the effects of Maya, or illusion, which causes us to feel pain. Through true
devotion to God, we can be freed from the clutches of Maya, and thus be rid of
pain and sorrow.
4. SWAH
Swah indicates the all-pervading
nature of God. He is omnipresent and pervades the entire multi-formed Universe.
Without Form Himself, He is able to manifest Himself through the medium of the
physical world, and is thus present in each and every physical entity. In this
way, God is able to interact with the Universe created by Him, and thus sustain
and control it, ensuring its smooth and proper running and function.
Also, Swah symbolizes God’s bliss. All but God
experience pain, suffering and sorrow. Devoid of all such things, God alone is
able to experience supreme bliss. Happiness as experienced by humans is
temporary, a transient state of mental satisfaction, which soon dissolves back
into the mire of worldly troubles. Perfect, and without any form of deficiency,
God alone experiences true bliss, permanent and unaffected by worldly pains and
woes. One who realizes God is able to join in this bliss, and thus God is able
to impart true happiness to those who establish oneness with that Supreme
Divinity.
The Mahavyahriti can be summed up by comparison to the word
AUM itself, and through this comparison to the tripartite structure, can be
compared to the essential nature of God, which differentiates Him from the
other two entities recognized in that structure (namely, matter and soul), in
the same way as the comparison between the three parts of the word
Satchidananda, another name also used to describe God…
- BHUR Prana Earth Sat
Existence
- BHUVAH Apana Sky Chit
Consciousness
- SWAH Vyana Heaven Ananda
Bliss
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
5. TAT
Literally, this word means
“that”, being used in Sanskrit to denote the third person. It is also
mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Sri Krishna Himself, where He implies the
selfless nature of the word. Being used in the third person, the word has
implicit in it an idea of selflessness. Sri Krishna uses it to imply the
selfless nature of charity (charity, or a gift, being used as an analogy for
worship, in the form of action, implying that action should be preformed
without regard to its fruits, but simply out of devotion and sense of duty, or
Dharma). Tat then is used here in the Gayatri Mantra to indicate that the
worshipper is referring to [that] God, and that the praise being offered to God
in the prayer is purely directed towards Him, without thought of gaining any
personal benefit from that praise.
6. SA-VI-TUR
Savita, from which Savitur is
derived, is another name of God, this being the reason that the Gayatri Mantra
is often known as the Savitri Mantra. The implication of Savita is of God’s
status as the fountain, the source of all things. It is through His Divine
Grace that the Universe exists, and so this word sums up the Mahavyahriti, by
describing God’s ability to create the Universe and sustain it, as well as, at
the right time, bring about its dissolution.
Savita is also indicative of God’s gift to mankind.
Humans also have, in limited amount, the power, or shakti, of Savita. This
shakti acts as an impetus in humans, and brings about the requirement for them
to do something. They cannot sit idle, and are constantly searching for
something to do. This is what is commonly known as the “creative urge”.
It is through this shakti that mankind has created art, and it is through this
shakti also that scientific advances are made. The gift of Savita also gives
creatures the ability of procreation. Hence, Savita can be thought of as
meaning Father (or Mother) also.
Finally, it is the power of Savita that enables
mankind to distinguish right from wrong, and vice from virtue. Through this
ability, we are able to in some part direct our own selves, and thus, Savita
imparts to us a certain self-guiding ability. Thus, by using this word in the
mantra, we demonstrate that we are making efforts ourselves also, since God
will not help us unless we are willing to help ourselves.
7. VA-RE-NY-AM
Varenyam signifies our acceptance
of God, and can be translated as meaning “Who is worthy”. Ever ready
to obtain all the material riches of the world, more often than not, they are a
disappointment once they have been achieved. God however is the one who, once
realized and achieved, has the ability to truly satisfy. We therefore accept
Him as the Highest reality, and it is to Him that we dedicate our efforts.
Varenyam can also be interpreted as signifying one
who is eligible. We have chosen Him to be our Leader and our Guide. We place
our all into His hands, and accept Him regardless of anything else. We place no
conditions on this acceptance, as it is all out of sheer devotion.
BHARGO DEVASYA DHIMAHI
This triplet is a further description of the attributes and qualities of God
- His functional and instrumental qualities, rather than intrinsic qualities -
and through those qualities, His relationship to us.
8. BHAR-GO
Bhargo is taken to signify the
Glorious Light that is God’s love and power. It indicates His complete purity -
being absolutely pure Himself, God also has the ability to purify those that
come into contact with Him. Thus, Bhargo is indicative of God’s power to
purify, and to destroy all sins and afflictions. In the same way as a metal ore
placed into a fire will yield the pure metal, by merging with God, by realizing
His Divine Form and establishing unity and oneness with Him, we can cleanse
ourselves and be made pure by His Grace.
Though the soul, being itself Divine in nature,
possesses that Light, it lacks luster, having been made impure by the sins and
vices, which are a result of the darkness of Maya. By removing the veil of
Maya, and cleansing our soul, God can enable the soul to realize its true,
Divine self, and thus purify it.
9. DE-VAS-YA
The word Deva, from which this word
is derived, has been translated by different people in many different ways. It
is generally thought of as meaning simply “God”. However, its meaning
is more complex than that.
Deva, which forms the root of the words
“Devata” and “Devi”, means “quality” or
“attribute”, and can be thought of as another word for
“Guna”. Thus, the various forms of God are given this name, as each
of those forms is related to a specific quality and function (for example,
Brahma has the quality of Creation, Kamadeva has the quality of love, etc.).
Also, Deva is thus used to describe anyone who is considered to possess a
special quality.
Since Deva is symbolic of the individual qualities
of God, the word demonstrates the inherent oneness of those different Forms,
and thus the use of this word can be taken as describing the fundamental unity
of God. Thus we see that here, we reaffirm that central belief in the Hindu
Dharma that “Ekam sat viprah bahudah vadanti” (Truth, or God,
is one, but wise men call Him/It by different names).
Thus, Deva is indicative of the various
multifaceted entity that is the absolute Personality of God. It describes in
one word all the functions, roles and different attributes of God, and
symbolizes therefore his absolutely essential nature - without God, nothing can
exist.
10. DHI-MA-HI
Meaning to meditate and focus our
mind on God. Meditation on God implies that we remove all other thoughts from
our mind, since thoughts of the world render our mind impure, and thus we are
unable to conceptualize the absolute purity of God. We must be able to
concentrate, and direct our mental energies towards the task in hand - which is
communion with God.
DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT
Prayer is carried out for four main reasons:
- to praise and glorify God;
- to thank God;
- to ask forgiveness from God;
- or to make a request from
God.
Having carried out the other three parts (praise of His greatness, thanks
for His generosity in Creation and maintaining us through our lives, and
forgiveness by demonstrating our awareness of our own impurity, which we have
realized is present and must be cleansed through contact with God), this part
is now our request from God. Since our soul is the Light of Life within us, and
that acts on our body via the medium of the brain, we ask God to make this
contact pure and righteous. The soul is of course inherently pure, being itself
Divine in nature. The body is under the complete control of the mind. The link
is the mind, which is affected not only by the soul, but also the outside
world. We ask in these four words that God help us to improve our intellect,
and guide it towards what is right.
11. DHI-YO
Sanskrit for “intellect”,
this is the essence of this part of the Gayatri Mantra. Having firmly set God
in our hearts, we now must try to emphasize His presence and influence on our
mind and intellect.
Material prosperity holds no true meaning for the
person who is truly devoted to God. Pain and suffering are of no consequence to
him as, touched by God, he is imbued with God’s own Divine Bliss, and all
worldly sorrows pale to nothingness in comparison. However, still the
individual must live in the world. Thus, it is important that the person’s
intellect remains focussed on serving God, and that it is able, through the
medium of the body, to serve God to the best of its ability.
Physical objects can be obtained very easily, if
one is intelligent enough to know how to go about it. Intellect however cannot
be obtained, but must be there from the very first. It is by use of this
intellect, in fact, that one is able to cultivate all other qualities (building
of wealth, “success” in life (in material terms), physical fitness,
etc.) Thus, intellect is the key to all else in life, and as such, it is the
most important possession. We ask God in the Gayatri Mantra to gift us with the
highest intellect, and to help us by showing us the way to use that intellect.
12. YO
Meaning “Who” or
“That”, Yo signifies yet again that it is not to anyone else that we
direct these prayers, but to God alone. Only God is worthy of the highest
adoration, only God is perfect and free from all defects. It is That God to
Whom we offer these prayers.
13. NAH
Nah means “Ours”, and
signifies the selflessness of the request we make of God in this part of the
Gayatri Mantra. We offer this prayer, and make the request of God, not simply
for ourselves, but for the whole of humanity. We seek the uplift of the whole
of society. Hindu philosophy has since the beginning recognized the concept of
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - “The whole world is one big
family”. Thus, we pray not only for ourselves, but for each and every
member of that great family, that we may all benefit from the greatness and
generosity of the All-loving God.
14. PRA-CHO-DA-YAT
Prachodayat, the final word of the
Gayatri Mantra, rounds off the whole mantra, and completes the request we make
of God in this final part. This word is a request from God, in which we ask Him
for Guidance, and Inspiration. We ask that, by showing us His Divine and
Glorious Light (cf. BHARGO), He remove the darkness of Maya from our paths,
that we are able to see the way, and in this manner, we ask Him to direct our
energies in the right way, guiding us through the chaos of this world, to find
sanctuary in the tranquility and peace of God Himself, the root of all
Happiness, and the source of true Bliss.
MY 24 HOURS