Part1 Gayatri Mantra in Vedic Scriptures
The Upanisads (sacred texts) of Hinduism contain several references to the Gayatri Mantra. ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेन्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।। Chandogya Upanishad 3.12.1-6 (Qualities of Gayatri) गायत्री वा ईदं सर्वं भूतं यदिदं किं च वाग्वै गायत्री वाग्वा इदं सर्वं भूतं गायति च त्रायते च ॥ ३.१२.१ ॥ gāyatrī vā īdaṃ sarvaṃ bhūtaṃ yadidaṃ kiṃ ca vāgvai gāyatrī vāgvā idaṃ sarvaṃ bhūtaṃ gāyati ca trāyate ca || 3.12.1 || या वै सा गायत्रीयं वाव सा येयं पृथिव्यस्यां हीदं सर्वं भूतं प्रतिष्ठितमेतामेव नातिशीयते ॥ ३.१२.२ ॥ yā vai sā gāyatrīyaṃ vāva sā yeyaṃ pṛthivyasyāṃ hīdaṃ sarvaṃ bhūtaṃ pratiṣṭhitametāmeva nātiśīyate || 3.12.2 || या वै सा पृथिवीयं वाव सा यदिदमस्मिन्पुरुषे शरीरमस्मिन्हीमे प्राणाः प्रतिष्ठिता एतदेव नातिशीयन्ते ॥ ३.१२.३ ॥ yā vai sā pṛthivīyaṃ vāva sā yadidamasminpuruṣe śarīramasminhīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etadeva nātiśīyante || 3.12.3 || यद्वै तत्पुरुषे शरीरमिदं वाव तद्यदिदमस्मिन्नन्तः पुरुषे हृदयमस्मिन्हीमे प्राणाः प्रतिष्ठिता एतदेव नातिशीयन्ते ॥ ३.१२.४ ॥ yadvai tatpuruṣe śarīramidaṃ vāva tadyadidamasminnantaḥ puruṣe hṛdayamasminhīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etadeva nātiśīyante || 3.12.4 || सैषा चतुष्पदा षड्विधा गायत्री तदेतदृचाभ्यनूक्तम् ॥ ३.१२.५ ॥ saiṣā catuṣpadā ṣaḍvidhā gāyatrī tadetadṛcābhyanūktam || 3.12.5 || तावानस्य महिमा ततो ज्यायांश्च पूरुषः । पादोऽस्य सर्वा भूतानि त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवीति ॥ ३.१२.६ ॥ tāvānasya mahimā tato jyāyāṃśca pūruṣaḥ | pādo'sya sarvā bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṃ divīti || 3.12.6 || · 1. 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. · 2. That which is this Gayatri, even that is this earth; for on this earth are all the beings established and they do not transcend it. · 3. That which is this earth (as Gayatri), even that is this, i.e. this body in respect of this person; for these senses are indeed established in this body and they do not transcend it. · 4. That which is the body in respect of a person, even that is identical with the heart within this body; for these senses are indeed established in it and they do not transcend it. · 5. This well-known Gayatri is four-footed and sixfold. · 6. Such is the greatness of this (Brahman called Gayatri). The Person is even greater than this. All this world is a quarter of Him, the other three quarters of His constitute immortality in heaven. Chandogya Upanishad 3.16.1 पुरुषो वाव यज्ञस्तस्य यानि चतुर्विंशति वर्षाणि तत्प्रातःसवनं चतुर्विंशत्यक्षरा गायत्री गायत्रं प्रातःसवनं तदस्य वसवोऽन्वायत्ताः प्राणा वाव वसव एते हीदंसर्वं वासयन्ति ॥ ३.१६.१ ॥ puruṣo vāva yajñastasya yāni caturviṃśati varṣāṇi tatprātaḥsavanaṃ caturviṃśatyakṣarā gāyatrī gāyatraṃ prātaḥsavanaṃ tadasya vasavo'nvāyattāḥ prāṇā vāva vasava ete hīdaṃsarvaṃ vāsayanti || 3.16.1 || 1. The human body is like a sacrifice, and the first twenty-four years are like the morning libation. The gāyatrī has twenty-four syllables, and the morning libation is accompanied by the gāyatrī. The Vasus reside in this morning libation. The Vasus are the vital breaths and the sense organs, for the word vasu means those who make others live and who live themselves. Man, truly, is the sacrifice. His (first) twenty-four years are the morning libation, for the metre Gayatri is made up of twenty-four syllables, and the morning libation is related to the Gayatri metre. With this the Vasus are connected. The Pranas indeed are the Vasus, for they make all this stable. Chandogya Upanishad 4.17.1-6 (Origin of Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah) · 1. Prajapati (the progenitor of the worlds) brooded on the three worlds. From them he extracted their essences; fire from the earth, air from the sky and the sun from heaven. · 2. He further brooded on these three deities. From them he extracted their essences: the Riks (Rg-veda) from fire, the Yajus-mantras (Yajur-veda) from air, and the Saman (Sama-veda) from the sun. · 3. He brooded on the three Vedas. From them he extracted their existences; Bhuh from the Riks, Bhuvah from the Yajus-mantras and Svah from the Samans. · 4. Therefore if the sacrifice is rendered defective on account of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans), then with the Mantra ‘Bhuh Svaha’ (or ‘Bhuvah Svaha’ or ‘Svah Svaha’), the Brahman priest should offer an oblation in the fire. Thus verily, through the essence of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans), through the virility of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans), he makes good the injury of the sacrifice in respect of the Riks (or Yajus or Samans). · 5. And if the sacrifice is rendered defective on account of the Yajus, then with the Mantra ‘Bhuvah Svaha’, (the Brahman priest) should offer an oblation in the Daksinagni. Thus verily, through the essence of the Yajus-mantras, through the virility of the Yajus-mantras, he makes good the injury of the sacrifice in respect of the Yajus-mantras. · 6. And if the sacrifice is rendered defective on account of the Samans, then with the Mantra ‘Svah Svaha’ (the Brahman priest) should offer an oblation to the Ahavaniya fire. Thus verily, through the essence of the Samans, through the virility of the Saman, he makes good the injury of the sacrifice in respect of the Samans. The Sacred Gayatri *Verse 5.14.1:* भूमिरन्तरिक्शं द्यौरित्यष्टावक्शराणि; अष्टाक्शरं ह वा एकं गायत्र्यै पदम्, एतदु हैवास्या एतत्; स यावदेषु त्रिषु लोकेषु तावद्ध जयति योऽस्या एतदेवं पदं वेद ॥ १ ॥ bhūmirantarikśaṃ dyaurityaṣṭāvakśarāṇi; aṣṭākśaraṃ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryai padam, etadu haivāsyā etat; sa yāvadeṣu triṣu lokeṣu tāvaddha jayati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda || 1 || 1. ‘Bhūmi’ (the earth), ‘Antarikṣa' (sky) and ‘Dyaus’ (heaven) make eight syllables, and the first foot of the Gāyatri[1] <https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-brihadaranyaka-upanishad/d/doc122201.html#note-e-76319> has eight syllables. So the above three worlds constitute the first foot of the Gāyatri. He who knows the first foot of the Gāyatri to be such wins as much as there is in those three worlds. Verse 5.14.3: प्राणोऽपानो व्यान इत्यष्टावक्शराणि; अष्टाक्शरं ह वा एकं गायत्र्यै पदम्; एतदु हैवास्या एतत्; स यावदिदं प्राणि तावद्ध जयति योऽस्या एतदेवं पदं वेद; अथास्या एतदेव तुरीयं दर्शतं पदं परोरजा य एष तपति; यद्वै चतुर्थं तत्तुरीयम्; दर्शतं पदमिति ददृश इव ह्येष; परोरजा इति सर्वमु ह्येवैष रज उपर्युपरि तपति; एवं हैव श्रिया यशसा तपति योऽस्या एतदेवं पदं वेद ॥ ३ ॥ prāṇo'pāno vyāna ityaṣṭāvakśarāṇi; aṣṭākśaraṃ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryai padam; etadu haivāsyā etat; sa yāvadidaṃ prāṇi tāvaddha jayati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda; athāsyā etadeva turīyaṃ darśataṃ padaṃ parorajā ya eṣa tapati; yadvai caturthaṃ tatturīyam; darśataṃ padamiti dadṛśa iva hyeṣa; parorajā iti sarvamu hyevaiṣa raja uparyupari tapati; evaṃ haiva śriyā yaśasā tapati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda || 3 || 3. ‘Prāṇa,’ ‘Apāna’ and ‘Vyāna’[5] make eight syllables, and the third foot of the Gāyatrī has eight syllables. So the above three forms of the vital force constitute the third foot of the Gāyatri. He who knows the third foot of the Gāyatrī to be such wins all the living beings that are in the universe. Now its Turīya, apparently visible, supramundane foot is indeed this—the sun that shines. ‘Turīya’ means the fourth. ‘Apparently visible foot,’ because he is seen, as it were. ‘Supramundane,’ because he shines on the whole universe as its overlord. He who knows the fourth foot of the Gāyatrī to be such shines in the same way with splendour and fame. Brahadaranyaka Upanisad 5.14.4 (Gayatri as the Protector) The Gayatri Mantra is based on truth. For truth is based on strength. Strength is breath, and is based on breath. So, Gayatri protects (tra) the wealth (gaya) (the breath!) of those who speak it with earnestness and devotion. When one recites Gayatri on behalf of someone, it protects that person’s breath too! Brahadaranyaka Upanishad 5.14.5 (Four ‘foots’ of the Gayatri) This verse talks about the unbounded wealth contained within the four ‘foots’ of the Gayatri Mantra. · The first foot (aum bhur bhuvah svaha) is said to be equivalent to the wealth contained in the three worlds put together. · The second foot (tat savitur varenyam) is said to be equivalent to the wealth contained in the three main vedas. · If one were to receive a gift extending as far as there are living beings, that would equal the third foot (bhargo devasaya dheemahi). · The fourth foot (dheeyo yo nah prachodyaat) is based on the glory of the sun, whose power and wealth remains unequaled and unrivaled. Hence, there is no amount of wealth that can equal the fourth foot of the Gayatri! · KR IRS 10 11 23 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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