1. AUM (ॐ), 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.
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.
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).
4. SWAH (स्व:)
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. 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.
Literally, this word
means "that", being used in Sanskrit to denote the third person. Tat 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
9. DE-VAS-YA (देवस्य s.3-5)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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