Om and Gaayathri

09/04/2004

Here are some lines of wisdom from Bhagavad Geetha:

*** Be certain none can perish trusting Me.
*** That man alone is wise who keeps mastery of himself.
*** Faith, a little faith shall save thee from anguish of thy dread.
*** The wise in heart mourn not for those that live,nor those that die.
*** Hard the wise Mahatma is to find who sayeth 'All is Vaasudev'
*** Do thine alloted task; work is more excellent than idleness!
*** Infamy is worse for men of noble blood to bear than death!
*** In faith of Me, all dangers thou shall vanquish.
*** If knowing thy duty and task, thou allow them to go by,that shall be
sin.
***No heart that holds one right desire, treadeth the road of loss !
(All from 'Song Celestial' by Sir
Edwin Arnold)

Sukravaaram Suprabhaath !

It is proposed to dwell upon two of the most sacred treasures of our
Vedic
heritage: the mono-syllable 'OM' , and, the manthra 'GAAYATHRI'

OM: The scriptural enunciation 'OM Ithyekaaksharam Brahma' meaning
'OM this single imperishable, indestructible Letter is Brahman Itself',
indicates
the supreme spiritual status given to OM. It is an ever echoing Divine
sound,
permeating the subtle and the gross, the micro and the macro, the within and
the without. Its unending vibration fills the entire universe. Most of the
Vedic
manthras start with OM. It is also called 'Pranava' being 'that sound by
which
the Lord is praised'. It is a powerful vibration benefitting both body and
mind.
OM is said to be made up of three sounds 'A', 'U' and 'M',the first
originating
from the throat, and the third the closing of lips. In between lies 'U'.Thus
they
represent Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, the Trinity of creation, sustenance and
dissolution. According to Mandukya Upanishad, OM is said to represent the
three states of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep, as also the fourth, the
Thureeya, the silence after OM. The Pranava naada is said to represent many
a trio such as :
Bhuh, Bhuvaha, Suvaha : the three 'Loakas' (worlds)
Creation, Sustenance, Dissolution : the three Sakthis (Energies)
Sathwa, Rajas, Thamas : the three Gunas ( Qualities)
Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram : the three Rupas (Forms)
Fire, Water, Air : the three Bhutas (Basic Elements)
Brahman, Prakrithi, Jeeva : Divine Consciousness, Nature, Individual
Past, Present, Future : the three segments of time-scale.

'GAAYATHRI' the Vedic manthra:
Manthras are short slokas or lines having powerful vibrations. 'Mananaath
thraayatheh ithi manthra'. That which when reflected upon, protects us.
There are Vedic manthras of different number of syllables, beginning with
the
mono one OM. There is the twelve syllable 'Namo Bhagavathe Vaasudevaaya'.
The twenty four Akshara manthra is Gaayathri. The meaning of 'Gaayathri' is
given as: 'Gaayantham thraayatheh ithi Gaayathri'. That which when we chant
with swara (music), protects us.
( A misconception had somehow arisen in mideaval times that chanting this
manthra is restricted to males only, and those of priestly class. But it is
said that
there is no such Vedic injunction, and that it can be chanted by anyone of
pure mind, male or female, without distinction of caste or creed).

The Gaayathri manthra has three parts: 1. Vyaahrithi 2. Core 3. Siroe.

Vyaahrithi: 'Om bhuh, Om bhuvaha, Om suvaha, Om mahaha, Om janaha, Om
thapaha, Om sathyam' : These are said to refer to seven
loakas, as also in a
subtler sense to the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and sky, and
also
thapas (reflection), and Truth. All these the manifestations of OM.

Core manthra: 'Thath savithur varenyam, bhargo devasya dheemahi, dhiyo
yonaha prachoadayath'. Meaning: The sheaths of life-sustaining, mental, and
intellectual states,are all sustained by the Lord of Light, self-effulgent
Deity.
The purest and the most desirable rays from such a Deity, we meditate upon
and fill our minds with, such rays which awaken and stimulate our
intellects.
At the subtler 'nirguna' level, 'savithu' implies Divine Consciousness
within us,
whose effulgence we invoke to pursue the Ultimate Truth, and fill with that
central thought. Here 'dhiyo yonaha prachoadayaath' implies 'let not other
thoughts distract my mind, let them merge in that One Thought'.

Siroe manthra: 'Om aapo jyothi rasomritham. Brahma bhoorbhu vassuvaroam'.
Meaning: The five primal elements, as well as the trios like creation,
sustenance
and dissolution, or, sathwa, rajas ans thamas etc., are all contained in OM.

It is to be noted that the manthra has to be musically chanted, with
proper
intonation, rise and fall of sounds, for proper effect. It is said that
'swara haani
is manthra haani'. Not following swara makes it ineffective.

Now, one of my poems from the book 'Random Musings':

EVER IN THY THOUGHTS

Ever in Thy thoughts Me Lord !
Let my mind be immersed,
While everything that I do.
For this boon I ever beseech Thee.

The world entire, a dispensation Divine,
Of joys and sorrows, hopes and despairs;
A mammoth canvas with sparkling colors --
What magical spell hath Thou cast !

For pleasure one pines, but ends up with pains
Caught in the sticky web of material gains --
And still unaware of the secret of joy --
Regaling the nectar of Thy sweet Name.

Thou art Raam, and Thou Raheem,
Christ or Krishna, God Supreme.
Countless are Thy names, countless forms --
Yet, Thou art the One and Only One !

In Thy thoughts ever, Me Lord !
Let my mind be blissfully engrossed.