Gayatri Mantra

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File:Gāyatrī-mantra-devanāgarī.svg
Gāyatrī Mantra in Devanāgarī script.
File:Gayatri Mantra as it is 2021 02 13 05 48 +.wav
Recitation of the Gayatri mantra. Duration: 23 seconds.

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File:Gayatri1.jpg
Gayatri Mantra personified as the goddess Gayatri, surrounded by the Tamil Om symbol, with the mantra written in it. From left clockwise: Brahmi as Pratah Sandhya (Morning), Maheshwari as Madhyanika Sandhya (Afternoon), Pranava Rishi and Vaishnavi as Sayam Sandhya (Evening).

The Gāyatrī Mantra (Script error: No such module "IPA".), also known as the Sāvitrī Mantra (Script error: No such module "IPA".), is a sacred mantra from the Ṛig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10),[1] dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr.[1][2] The mantra is attributed to the rajarshi Vishvamitra.

The term Gāyatrī may also refer to a type of mantra which follows the same Vedic metre as the original Gāyatrī Mantra (without the first line). There are many such Gāyatrīs for various gods and goddesses.[3] Furthermore, Template:Transliteration is the name of the Goddess of the mantra and the meter.[4]

The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Hindu texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy, and classical Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Harivamsa,Template:Sfn and Manusmṛti.Template:Sfn The mantra and its associated metric form was known by the Buddha.[5] The mantra is an important part of the initiation ceremony. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to everyone and its use is now very widespread.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Text

The main mantra appears in the hymn RV 3.62.10. During its recitation, the hymn is preceded by Template:Transliteration (Script error: No such module "Lang".) and the formula Template:Transliteration (Script error: No such module "Lang".), known as the Template:Transliteration, or "great (mystical) utterance". This prefixing of the mantra is properly described in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (2.11.1-8), which states that it should be chanted with the syllable Template:Transliteration, followed by the three Vyahrtis and the Gayatri verse.[6]

Whereas in principle the gāyatrī mantra specifies three pādas of eight syllables each, the text of the verse as preserved in the Samhita is one short, seven instead of eight. Metrical restoration would emend the attested tri-syllabic Template:Transliteration with a tetra-syllabic Template:Transliteration.[7]

The Gayatri mantra with svaras is,[6] in Devanagari:

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In IAST:

Template:Transliteration
Template:Transliteration
Template:Transliteration
Template:Transliteration
– Ṛgveda 03.062.10[8]

Dedication

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The Gāyatrī mantra is dedicated to Savitṛ, a solar deity. The mantra is attributed to the much revered sage Viśvāmitra, who is also considered the author of Mandala 3 of the Rigveda. [9][10]

Translations

After splitting the sandhi (Padapatha), the hymn may be glossed as follows:

Template:Interlinear

The Gayatri mantra has been translated in many ways. Quite literal translations include:

  • (1947): "We meditate on the effulgent glory of the divine Light; may he inspire our understanding."[15]
  • (1953): "We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may She inspire our intelligence."[16]
  • Sri Aurobindo: "We choose the Supreme Light of the divine Sun; we aspire that it may impel our minds."[17] Sri Aurobindo further elaborates: "The Sun is the symbol of divine Light that is coming down and Gayatri gives expression to the aspiration asking that divine Light to come down and give impulsion to all the activities of the mind."[17]
  • Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton: "Might we make our own that desirable effulgence of god Savitar, who will rouse forth our insights."[18]

More interpretative translations include:

  • Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) (1913): "Om. Let us contemplate the wondrous spirit of the Divine Creator (Savitri) of the earthly, atmospheric, and celestial spheres. May He direct our minds (that is, 'towards' the attainment of dharmma, artha, kama, and moksha), Om."[19]
  • Ravi Shankar (poet): "Oh manifest and unmanifest, wave and ray of breath, red lotus of insight, transfix us from eye to navel to throat, under canopy of stars spring from soil in an unbroken arc of light that we might immerse ourselves until lit from within like the sun itself."[20]
  • Pandit Shriram Sharma: Om, the Brahm, the Universal Divine Energy, vital spiritual energy (Pran), the essence of our life existence, Positivity, destroyer of sufferings, the happiness, that is bright, luminous like the Sun, best, destroyer of evil thoughts, the divinity who grants happiness may imbibe its Divinity and Brilliance within us which may purify us and guide our righteous wisdom on the right path.[21]
  • Sir William Jones (1807): "Let us adore the supremacy of that divine sun, the god-head who illuminates all, who recreates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, whom we invoke to direct our understandings right in our progress toward his holy seat."[22]
  • William Quan Judge (1893): "Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light, that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."[23]
  • Sivanath Sastri (Brahmo Samaj) (1911): "We meditate on the worshipable power and glory of Him who has created the earth, the nether world and the heavens (i.e. the universe), and who directs our understanding."[24]Template:Refn
  • Swami Sivananda: "Let us meditate on Isvara and His Glory who has created the Universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May he enlighten our intellect."
  • Dayananda Saraswati (founder of Arya Samaj): "Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness. Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction."[25]
  • Kirpal Singh: "Muttering the sacred syllable 'Aum' rise above the three regions, And turn thy attention to the All-Absorbing Sun within. Accepting its influence be thou absorbed in the Sun, And it shall in its own likeness make thee All-Luminous."[26]

Syllables of the Gayatri mantra

Gayatri mantra, called Gayatri Chandas in Sanskrit, is twenty-four syllables comprising three lines (Sk. padas, literally "feet") of eight syllables each, in this case starting from tat savitur vareṇyaṃ. The first line, oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, is not part of the gayatri syllables, but an introduction to invoke the mantra to work on three Vyāhṛti or planes (physical, mental and spiritual).[27]

The Gayatri mantra as received is short one syllable in the first line: Template:Transliteration. Being only twenty-three syllables the Gayatri mantra is Nichruth Gayatri Chandas ("Gayatri mantra short by one syllable"). Script error: No such module "Unsubst".A reconstruction of Template:Transliteration to a proposed historical Template:Transliteration restores the first line to eight syllables. In practise, people reciting the mantra may retain seven syllables and simply prolong the length of time they pronounce the "m", they may append an extra syllable of "mmm" (approximately va-ren-yam-mmm), or they may use the reconstructed Template:Transliteration.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Textual appearances

Hindu literature

The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Hindu texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy,Template:RefnTemplate:Refn and cited several times in the Brahmanams and the Srauta-sutras.Template:RefnTemplate:Refn It is also cited in a number of grhyasutras, mostly in connection with the upanayana ceremony[28] in which it has a significant roleScript error: No such module "Unsubst"..

The Gayatri mantra is the subject of esoteric treatment and explanation in some major Upanishads, including Mukhya Upanishads such as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,Template:Refn the Shvetashvatara UpanishadTemplate:Refn and the Maitrayaniya Upanishad;Template:Refn as well as other well-known works such as the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana.Template:Refn The text also appears in minor Upanishads, such as the Surya Upanishad.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The Gayatri mantra is the apparent inspiration for derivative "gāyatrī" stanzas dedicated to other deitiesScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. Those derivations are patterned on the formula Template:Transliteration,[29] and have been interpolated[30] into some recensions of the Shatarudriya litany.Template:Refn Gāyatrīs of this form are also found in the Mahanarayana Upanishad.Template:Refn

The Gayatri mantra is also repeated and cited widely in Hindu texts such as the MahabharataScript error: No such module "Unsubst"., Harivamsa,Template:Sfn and Manusmṛti.Template:Sfn

Buddhist corpus

In Majjhima Nikaya 92, the Buddha refers to the Sāvitri (Pali: sāvittī) mantra as the foremost meter, in the same sense as the king is foremost among humans, or the sun is foremost among lights:

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In Sutta Nipata 3.4, the Buddha uses the Sāvitri mantra as a paradigmatic indicator of Brahmanic knowledge:

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File:Gayatri japa.jpg
Gayatri Japa. 1851 lithograph


Upanayana ceremony

Imparting the Gayatri mantra to young Hindu men is an important part of the traditional upanayana ceremonyScript error: No such module "Unsubst"., which marks the beginning of study of the Vedas. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan described this as the essence of the ceremony,[15] which is sometimes called "Gayatri diksha", i.e. initiation into the Gayatri mantra.[31] However, traditionally, the stanza RV.3.62.10 is imparted only to BrahmanaScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. Other Gayatri verses are used in the upanayana ceremony are: RV.1.35.2, in the tristubh meter, for a kshatriya and either RV.1.35.9 or RV.4.40.5 in the jagati meter for a Vaishya.[32]

Mantra-recitation

Gayatri japa is used as a method of prāyaścitta (atonement)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".. It is believed by practitioners that reciting the mantra bestows wisdom and enlightenment, through the vehicle of the Sun (Savitr), who represents the source and inspiration of the universe.[15]

Brahmo Samaj

In 1827 Ram Mohan Roy published a dissertation on the Gayatri mantra[33] that analysed it in the context of various Upanishads. Roy prescribed a Brahmin to always pronounce om at the beginning and end of the Gayatri mantra.[34] From 1830, the Gayatri mantra was used for private devotion of BrahmosScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. In 1843, the First Covenant of Brahmo Samaj required the Gayatri mantra for Divine WorshipScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. From 1848-1850 with the rejection of Vedas, the Adi Dharma Brahmins use the Gayatri mantra in their private devotions.[35]

Hindu revivalism

In the later 19th century, Hindu reform movements spread the chanting of the Gayatri mantra.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In 1898 for example, Swami Vivekananda claimed that, according to the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita, a person became Brahmana through learning from his Guru, and not because of birthScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. He administered the sacred thread ceremony and the Gayatri mantra to non-Brahmins in Ramakrishna Mission.[36] This Hindu mantra has been popularized to the masses, pendants, audio recordings and mock scrolls.[37] Various Gayatri yajñas organised by All World Gayatri Pariwar at small and large scales in late twentieth century also helped spread Gayatri mantra to the masses.[38]

Indonesian Hinduism

The Gayatri Mantra forms the first of seven sections of the Trisandhyā Puja (Sanskrit for "three divisions"), a prayer used by the Balinese Hindus and many Hindus in Indonesia. It is uttered three times each day: 6 am at morning, noon, and 6 pm at evening.[39][40]

Popular culture

File:George's mantra, Pier Head.jpg
A statue representing the Beatles was unveiled in Liverpool in 2015. Each of them features a symbol expressing a milestone in their respective lives. On the back of George Harrison's belt is engraved the Gayatri Mantra written in the Devanagari script.
File:Classic Cher 5.jpg
Cher, dressed in the Indian style, performing the song titled Gayatri Mantra at a concert in Oxon Hill, Maryland (19 March 2017)
  • George Harrison (The Beatles): on the life-size statue representing him, unveiled in 2015 in Liverpool, the Gayatri mantra engraved on the belt, to symbolize a landmark event in his life (see picture).
  • A version of the Gayatri mantra is featured in the opening theme song of the TV series Battlestar Galactica (2004).[41]
  • A variation on the William Quan Judge translation is also used as the introduction to Kate Bush's song "Lily" on her 1993 album, The Red Shoes.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  • Cher, the singer/actress, in her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour, in 2002-2005, sang the Gayatri Mantra while riding a mechanical elephant. She later reprised the performance during her Classic Cher concert residency in 2017-2020 and Here We Go Again Tour in 2018-2020 (see picture).
  • The Swiss avantgarde black metal band Schammasch adapted the mantra as the outro in their song "The Empyrean" on their last album "Triangle" as a Gregorian chant.[42]
  • The film Mohabbatein (2000) directed by Aditya Chopra which came under controversy when Amitabh Bachchan recited the sacred Gayatri Mantra with his shoes on leading some Vedic scholars in Varanasi to complain that it insulted Hinduism[43]
  • In the game Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (2016), Gayatri Mantra can be heard being sung during the destruction of Gaalsien flagship, Hand of Sajuuk, in the final mission of campaign, Khar-Toba.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  • The HBO show The White Lotus (2021) features a character singing a version of the Gayatri Mantra multiple times throughout the first season.[44][45]
  • The TV show Pantheon (2023) features a modern remix of the Gayatri mantra in the background of a character's uploaded conscioussness working in a loop

Other Gāyatrī Mantras

The term Gāyatrī refers to the Vedic meter in which the main part of the present mantra is composed. A number of other "Gāyatrī mantras" not found in the Rigveda are associated with various Hindu gods and goddesses. Some examples include:[46]

Vishnu Gayatri:

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oṃ nārāyaṇāya vidmahe
vāsudēvāya dhīmahī
tannō viṣṇuḥ pracōdayāt

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Indra Gayatri:

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oṃ devaraaja vidmahe
vāsuhastya dhīmahī
tannō sakhrah pracōdayāt

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Krishna Gayatri:

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oṃ devakīnandanaya vidmahe
vāsudevāya dhīmahī
tannō kṛṣṇa pracōdayāt

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Shiva Gayatri:

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om tatpuruṣāya vidmahe
mahādevāya dhīmahi
tannō rudraḥ pracōdayāt

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Ganesha Gayatri:

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oṃ ekadantāya vidmahe
vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi
tannō dantī pracōdayāt

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Durga Gayatri:

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oṃ kātyāyanyaya vidmahe
kānyākumāryaya dhīmahi
tannō durgā pracōdayāt

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Saraswati Gayatri:

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oṃ vāgdevyaya ca vidmahe
kāmarājāya dhīmahi
tannō devī pracōdayāt

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Lakshmi Gayatri:

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oṃ mahādevyāya ca vidmahe
viṣṇupatnyāya ca dhīmahi
tannō lakṣmīḥ pracōdayāt

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See also

Notes

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References

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Sources

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Further reading

External links

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Template:Worship in Hinduism Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Swami Vishnu Devananda, Vishnu Devananda (1999). Meditation and Mantras, p. 76. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ B. van Nooten and G. Holland, Rig Veda. A metrically restored text. Cambridge: Harvard Oriental Series (1994).[1] Template:Webarchive
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Constance Jones,James D. Ryan (2005), Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Infobase Publishing, p.167, entry "Gayatri Mantra"
  10. ↑ Roshen Dalal (2010), The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths, Penguin Books India, p.328, entry "Savitr, god"
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ S. Radhakrishnan, The Principal Upanishads, (1953), p. 299
  17. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Appendix "C", Sivanath Sastri "History of the Brahmo Samaj" 1911/1912 1st edn. page XVI, publ. Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, 211 Cornwallis St. Calcutta, read : Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".. Retrieved on 23 November 2020.
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Shankhayana grhyasutra: 2.5.12, 2.7.19; Khadira grhyasutra: 2.4.21; Apastambha grhyasutra: 4.10.9-12; Varaha grhyasutra: 5.26
  29. ↑ Ravi Varma(1956), p.460f, Gonda(1963) p.292
  30. ↑ Keith, Vol I. p.lxxxi
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ This is on the authority of the Shankhayana Grhyasutra, 2.5.4-7 and 2.7.10. J. Gonda, "The Indian mantra", Oriens, Vol. 16, (31 December 1963), p. 285
  33. ↑ Title of the text was Prescript for offering supreme worship by means of the Gayutree, the most sacred of the Veds. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Sivanath Sastri "History of the Brahmo Samaj" 1911/1912 1st edn. publ. Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, 211 Cornwallis St. Calcutta
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Island Secrets: Stories of Love, Lust and Loss in Bali
  40. ↑ Renegotiating Boundaries: Local Politics in Post-Suharto Indonesia
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/the-white-lotus-review-mike-white-pulverises-privilege-in-spectacular-hbo-satire-a-show-that-ll-give-you-withdrawal-symptoms-101629278409419.html Template:Bare URL inline
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Swami Vishnu Devananda, Vishnu Devananda (1999). Meditation and Mantras, pp. 76-77. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
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