Discourse on Gayatri

The word "gayatri" refers to three things.
1 - A gayatri is a form of Vedic poetry consisting
of 24 syllables.  Many gods have a gayatri specific
to them [some gods have more than one].  These deity
gayatries will be discussed in later files.

2 - The Gayatri mantra [which is what this file will
concern] is, quite possibly, the single most popular
and important mantra in India.  It is a hymn to the
Sun and is recited for all purposes.

3 - GayatriDevi ["Devi" means Goddess) is the personifi-
cation on the Gayatri mantra mentioned above.  She is
said to be the Shakti* of Brahma and a form of Saraswati.
It is important to note, however, that the Gayatri mantra
is not a mantra go the goddess Gayatri herself.

*Shakti - The Sanskrit word "shakti", directly translated,
means power or strength.  On a deeper level, however,
"Shakti" is the feminine force, Devi [I will capitalize
the word when referring to this meaning].  Shakti is the
force behind all action.  The movement of my fingers on
the keyboard, of my eyes across the screen, the pulse of
my heart, these are all happening because of Shakti.
Each deva [god] has his complimentary Shakti.  While the
two are often personified as husband and wife, they are
actually inseparable parts of the same whole.  Without
his Shakti, a deva is powerless, a lifeless corpse.
Conversely, if Shakti has no deva, she/it is unfocused
power, incapable of acting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that I've covered that side note, on to
the Gayatri mantra.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Gayatrî Mantra is first recorded in the Rig Veda
(iii, 62, 10) which was written in Sanskrit about 2500
to 3500 years ago, and by some reports, the mantra may
have been chanted for many generations before that."
~http://wahiduddin.net/mantra/gayatri.htm

As mentioned above, the Gayatri mantra is a hymn to the
Sun [Surya/Savitri].  It is also known as a mantra of
illumination, both of the spirit and of the intelligence.
Recitation of this mantra is said to aid in reaching
enlightenment and to flood the spirit/aura with pure
light [the energy of the Divine].  It is recommended that
one chant the Gayatri mantra a minimum of three times a
day, followed by "Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti", which
instills the mind with peace and allows the mantra to work
more effectively.  The Gayatri mantra is purported to
dispel sorrow and negativity/evil spirits, protect the
person saying it, cure sickness, bring peace, raise
spiritual vibrations, ward off misery, fulfill desires,
bestow blessings, replace "lower" tendencies with more
spiritually enlightened ones, etc.  So, as you can see,
the recitation of the Gayatri mantra is recommendable,
even if it is said only three times a day [at least one
full mala in the morning is preferable, but not necessary].

- http://www.sathyasai.org/devotion/prayers/gayatri.html


One last thing to look at is the meaning of this mantra.
The two websites above both have translations and there
are many more descriptions of it's meanings, so I'll just
give one of it's basic translations here.

Aum - the sacred sound, the primordial sound of creation/
    manifestation.
Bhur - Earth (physical world)
Bhuvaha - Atmospheric region (mental world)
Swaha - Solar region (spiritual world)
Mahaha - the casual/silent mind (also, the heart vibration)
Janaha - the world of creativity (also, the power of the
       Divine, spiritual word)
Tapaha - the world of intuition (also, realm of highest
       spiritual understanding)
Satyam - the world of the Absolute, that which is beyond
       human comprehension.
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi
Diyo Yonah Prachodayat - We meditate upon the radiant Divine
                       Light of that adorable Sun of
                       Spiritual Consciousness; May it
                       awaken our intuitional consciousness.
                       (S. Krishnamurthy)


Ok, so, now that you have a basic understanding of
the mantra, what IS it?

Well, this, too, varies.  There are three different
forms of the mantra that I have come across, but I
have never found one to be any better than the other.
I will present all three here and let you decide
which one is best for you.
The variations concern the invocation which is said
before the actual gayatri [lowercase 'g', signifying
the form of poetry] is said.  There is a long form,
a short form, and a form that blurs the invocation
with the mantra itself.  They are as follows:

1)
Aum Bhur
Aum Bhuvaha
Aum Swaha
Aum Mahaha
Aum Janaha
Aum Tapaha
Aum Satyam
Aum Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi
Diyo Yonah Prachodayat

2)
Aum Bhur Bhuvaha Swaha
Aum Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi
Diyo Yonah Prachodayat

3)
Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhemahi
Diyo Yonah Prachodayat


Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti