Gayatri Mantra: Gayatri - Mother Of All Mantras

By L R Sabharwal

Vedic rishis, sages and scholars have sung the glory of the Gayatri Mantra, which begins thus: Aum bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam / Bhargo devasya dhimahi / dhiyo yo nah prachodayat .

Prayer is common to all religions. Love for God is universal, the mode or method of prayer could be different since everyone is free to pray to the divine power in their own way. Prayer should be acceptable to all, simple and easy to adopt in daily life. Generally, people follow the path of prayer practised in the family. The Gayatri Mantra and any other prayer should be recited with sincerity and for the love of God. Only then its true benefit can be derived.

The Gayatri Mantra is a universal prayer; chanting it leads to wisdom and illuminated deeds. This mantra can be recited at all times, during the day or before or after finishing work. Our greatest heritage, this mantra is also known as the Guru Mantra, Savitri Mantra and Maha Mantra.

Mahatma Anand Swami Saraswati in Anand Gayatri Katha has explained the meaning and importance of this mantra in great detail: "If we want to recite the Gayatri, we shall have to dispossess our mind of hatred, and throw out all feelings of jealousy and enmity; only then we can achieve the state of being happy. Miseries do come in life and if we lose our patience and our mental balance, we shall retain base thoughts. It is thoughts which disturb us. It is the heart that brings us sorrow and it is the same heart that brings gladness. So life can be hell or heaven, the result of thoughts. This world is what we think it to be''.

As individuals we have to create the right type of environment around us. So, we pray in the Gayatri Mantra: "O Lord, direct our intellect and understanding towards Thee. Be kind to us so that your love can grow in our hearts, and we find you are always with us''.

AUM is one of the names of God. Aum is the way towards salvation of soul and it is the support of soul. God is addressed as Bhu because he is the support of all life in the universe. He is dearer to us than life. God is addressed as Bhuvah because He is free from all sorrow. Man's soul becomes free from all sorrow in His company. God is called Svaha because He is spread through the entire Universe in all its diversely coloured forms and maintains it. Savitah is another name of God. He is the creator of the Universe. He confers upon us all power. We address God as Devah because he bestows on us all happiness; all inspiration to attain Him. As such he is Varenyam. He is the best of all.

The Gayatri Mantra can enable us to perform hard work, to plan for and overcome life's difficulties. The word 'Gayatri' means to pray and sing the glory of God to direct our intellect in an honest and just direction. The mantra is not a remedy for pain. The Gayatri Mantra beautifies our intellect and this helps the intellect seek the right path.

Dr Radhakrishnan said: "The Gayatri is the bestower of new life and is a unique prayer. Tagore accepted this mantra as a simple and great one which has the power to awaken India".

Gayatri is that mantra which guides our faculty of thinking in difficult circumstances. It is a simple mantra that can be recited daily by all, regardless of age, race, group, sex or religious adoption. The Gayatri can improve our thinking and judgment, give us better control over our anxieties and emotions, cultivate determination and self-esteem, inner peace and prosperity. Meditation on the Gayatri Mantra calms the disturbed mind.

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See also: Peace of Mind, Peace on Earth, Life and Beyond, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul

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