| Revision as of 20:26, 4 November 2005 edit66.15.180.64 (talk) →External link← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:27, 4 November 2005 edit undo66.15.180.64 (talk) →External linkNext edit → | ||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
| * (flaez.ch) | * (flaez.ch) | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| {{Hinduism}} | {{Hinduism}} | ||
Revision as of 20:27, 4 November 2005
Gayatri (gāyatrī) is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. It can be:-
- The name of a Vedic poetic meter of 24 syllables (three lines of eight syllables each).
- Any hymn composed in this meter.
- In Hinduism, it is one mantra in particular, and a goddess as its personification. It was written and developed by one of the greatest brahmarishi sages, Vishwamitra.
Mantra
The Gayatri Mantra (also called Savitri) is the most revered mantra in Hinduism. It consists of the prefix om bhur bhuvah svah , a formula taken from the Yajurveda, and the verse 3.62.10 of the Rig Veda (which is an example of the Gayatri meter). Since all the other three Vedas contain much material rearranged from the Rig Veda, the Gayatri mantra is found in all the four Vedas. The Deva or the deity invoked in this mantra is Savitŗ, and hence the mantra is also called as Sāvitrī.
In illustrations, the goddess often sits on a lotus flower and appears with five heads and five pairs of hands, representing the incarnations of the goddess as Parvati, Saraswati etc. She is especially identified with Saraswatī.
Widely acclaimed in India and by Hindus, the Gāyatrī Mantra's supreme status is further enhanced by Lord Krishna's proclamation in his spiritual discourse, the Gītā, that among the mantras he is the Gāyatrī.
Text
See Sanskrit for details of pronunciation.
- In Devanagari:
- ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः ।
- तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।
- भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
- धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
- In standard transliteration
- oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
- (a) tát savitúr váreniyam
- (b) bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
- (c) dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyāt
Translation
- O earth, atmosphere, heaven:
- (a,b) "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitr the God:"
- (c) "So may he stimulate our prayers."
Word-by-word explanation (words not in exact order):-
- om The sacred sound, see Om.
- bhūr or bhūs 'earth'
- bhuvas 'atmosphere'
- svar 'light, heaven, space'
- dhīmahi 'may we attain' (1st person plural middle optative of dhā- 'set, bring, fix' etc.)
- tát várenyam bhárgas 'that excellent glory' (accusatives of tad (pronoun), varenya- 'desirable, excellent' and bhargas- 'radiance, lustre, splendour, glory')
- savitúr devásya 'of Savitr the god' (genitives of savitr-, 'stimulator, rouser; name of a sun-deity' and deva- 'god' or 'demi-god')
- yáh pracodáyāt 'who may stimulate' (nominative singular of relative pronoun yad-; causative 3rd person of pra-cud- 'set in motion, drive on, urge, impel')
- dhíyah nah 'our prayers' (accusative plural of dhi- 'thought, meditation, devotion, prayer' and nah enclitic personal pronoun)
Another translation as given by Times Music. "Oh, Creator of the universe! We meditate upon thy supreme splendour. May thy radiant power illuminate our intellects, destroy our sins, and guide us in the right direction."
or direct over sanskrit dictionary: "Oh matter-energy-mind (triple universe); Upon this worthy source of divine spiritual light, meditate: thus enlighten our intellect."
Goddess
Originally the personification of the mantra, the goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and the consort of the God Brahma and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena.
Gayatri is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms:-
- Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.
- Accompanied by a swan, holding a book in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of Education.
External link
- RV 3.62.10 (flaez.ch)
- Gayatri Mantras for JAPA
- Gayatri Pariwar
| Hindu deities and texts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gods |  | |
| Goddesses | ||
| Other deities | ||
| Texts (list) | ||