Gayatri Mata

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेंयम भर्गो देवस्य

 धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात 

It has almost been an year since I decided to create a blog but could never find the perfect topic to begin with. Today I have discovered the perfect topic to write about and therefore I dedicate my first blog to Gayatri Mata.

Who hasn't heard of Gayatri Mantra ! But like many others, even I was not aware of the meaning of the Mantra. So here I would like to describe the meaning of the divine Gayatri Mantra.

Aum ~ Brahma ;

Bhoor ~ Embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran) ;

Bhuvah ~ Destroyer of sufferings ;

Swaha ~ Embodiment of happiness ;

Tat ~ That ;

Savitur ~ Bright like sun ;

Varenyam ~ Best choicest ;

Bhargo ~ Destroyer of sins ;

Devasya ~ Divine ;

These first nine words describe the glory of God.

Dheemahi ~ May imbibe ;(Pertaining to Meditation)

Dhiyo ~ Intellect ;

Yo ~ Who ;

Naha ~ Our ;

Prachodayat ~ May inspire ;

'Dhiyo yo naha prachodayat'  is a prayer to God.

Hence the Gayatri Mantra is unique in the sense that it embodies the three concepts of stotra (singing the praise and glory of God), dyaana (meditation) and praanrthana (prayer).

So here is the meaning in Hindi :-

"उस प्राण स्वरुप, दुखनाशक, सुखस्वरूप, श्रेष्ठ, तेजस्वी, पापनाशक, देवस्वरूप परमात्मा को हम अपनी अंतरात्मा में धारण करें. वह परमात्मा हमारी बुद्धि को सम्मार्ग की ओर प्रेरित करे."

Goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all vedas and also the personification of the Parabrahma, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahma Himself, in the feminine form. 

In Hinduism, there is only one creation who can withstand the brilliance of Aditya and that is Gayatri. She is also considered the mother of all Gods and the culmination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati.

Gayatri Mata 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 white swan, holding a book to portray knowledge in one hand and a cure in the other, as the Goddess of education.

Since I m not so learned that I can tell you all about her .. let me tell you how Gayatri Mata blessed my life.

The first person to elucidate the power of Gayatri Mantra to me was my respected Masosa. He gave me the Gayatri Chalisa and told me that reciting this will give my life a wonderful direction. Since I was at a turning point of my life.. I decided to give it a try. :) I created a small Puja area in my room n started reciting the Chalisa religiously.

I was, at that point of time, about to face my pre-medical tests. Everyday while reciting the Chalisa I would ask God to help me clear my medical entrance but God knew better. :)  Slowly I started realizing a light within myself, a sense of confidence developed within me.. I felt protected and secure in my world..I really fall short of words while describing the change it brought in me. My friends noticed a tej in my personality. I had started being satisfied with myself and my life (many people do not realize the importance of this.. but you will feel the bliss when you'll achieve it ).

But human brain is so fidgety ! There came a spell of bad encounters in my life and silly me.. I thought it is futile to worship n all (I could not have been more wrong if I tried ! ) I stopped all my puja-path. And life was the same like any other human being.

Many-a-times I tried to restart it again but every time I did it and there was a problem.. I would blame it on God and stopped again. I wont say that life was bad for me after that.. it was wonderful ! But there was something missing. I could never feel the same happiness, the same confidence and the same satisfaction again ! While I progressed in life, I got lost in the humdrums and somehow my personality deteriorated ! 

But I am not a person to give up. Though I wasted a lot many years doubting the effect of worshiping but as they say 'its better late than never' ! :) I have again started reciting the Mantra and the Chalisa and trust me .. I am feeling the change already ! :)

I just want to pray to Gayatri Ma to forgive my ignorance and to give me the strength to continue on this path and always shower her divine blessings on me and my loved ones. :)

The purpose behind writing this post is that I am sure many of you might have gone through a similar feeling or may be not ..but as my Masosa says ~ Each of us has God within us, in our soul. This Gayatri Mantra helps to awaken the God in us !' This is a small effort to make you and me (very importantly) realize the power of faith ! May Gayatri Ma bless us all ! :)