Essentials of Hinduism - Sandyhavandana And Gayatri Japa 2

Essentials of Hinduism

Sandyhavandana And Gayatri Japa

Second Part

The main item in the second part of Sandhyavandana is the repeated chanting of Gayatri Mantras. Woven around this Japa are the Auxiliary Rituals with the appropriate Veda Mantras which purify the Mind and Body and prepare one for concentrating on the Divine. The Gayatri Japa has been devised as a means for the Jivatma, individual soul, to pray and contemplate on the Paramatma, pure consciousness, with a view to merge with it. It is the highest spiritual aspiration of which a Human Soul is capable. This is known as Brahma Jnyana or Self Realization.

PRATA SANDHYAVANDANA RITUALS (CONTINUED):

Achamana: Face east or north; do not face West or South. See Details stated earlier.

Ganesha Dhyana (Meditation):

Sankalpa:

Perform resolution to perform Gayatri Japas. Pray to Gayatri Devi and surrender to her totally to destroy all the sins committed to make ourselves worthy of God’s Grace. To qualify for His Grace, perform Gayatri Japas during Prata Sandhyavandana; Madyanika and Sayam Sandhyavandana.

Pranayama: See Details stated earlier.

Gayatri Avahana: Utter this Mantra with folded hands to invoke Divine Gayatri Devi. She comes as Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati forms in the Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

Gayatri Nyasa: Chant certain Mantras and perform the prescribed Body gestures.Then make sure to continue the Dhyana on the Gayatri Devi.

Gayatri Japa: Perform the Japa as described elsewhere in Detail in this Chapter. Sit on a wooden plank or woolen mat placed close to the place where Sandhyavandana was performed. Make sure not to lean on a wall or on a Pillar. Wear the Yajnyopavita in the Upavita position (just as yajnyopavita is worn normally); do not look around, keep eyes half closed, Meditate on the Gayatri Devi and do the Japa with total dedication and concentration.

Gayatri Upastana: After completing the Gayatri Japa and Pranayama, chant Mantras to return Gayatri to Her Abode.

Surya Upastana: This is a Prayer to the Sun God.

Samasta Abivadana: Salutation to all Deities.

Abivadana: Request for Blessings – the Sandya Devi should be saluted by touching the two ears with two hands uttering the Abivadana Mantra and then touching the feet and the Earth.

Samarpana: Chant Kayena Vacha Mantra and perform Achamana explained earlier. This Mantra is very important and says that whatever Karmas one has done during this Sandhyavandana, they are dedicated to Sriman Narayana.

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GAYATRI MANTRA:

Gayatri means the Person performing the Japa of Gayatri Mantras is shielded from all imminent dangers. Following are the glorifications of the Gayatri Mantra found throughout the Hindu Scriptures:

1) In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “Gayatri Chandasamaham” (I am the Gayatri among the Chandas). Gayatri is so called because it protects one who practices it.

2) Vedas refer to Gayatri as “Gayatri Chandasa mata (Gayatri is the Mother of all the Chandas). Also, Gayatri Mantra is the essence of Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas and contains the Power of all the Vedas. It is said that there is no Mantra even inside the Vedas superior than the Gayatri Mantra. A repetition of the Gayatri Mantra is in effect tantamount to a recitation of the three Vedas. Gayatri helps us to unfold human consciousness progressively. With deeper level of consciousness, we get to know the Vedas. It will therefore be seen that the only true and effective way of knowing the Vedas is through Gayatri.

3) The Gayatri, “Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat” is called Tripada Gayatri, because, it has three Feet of eight Syllables each.

1 st Foot: Tat Savitur Varenyam;

2 nd Foot: Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi;

3 rd foot: Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat.

4) Narayaniya makes the most Supreme Statement on Gayatri Mantra – Gayatri Japa has the Power to grant even the Moksha to one who chants it with Total Devotion.

BENEFITS OF DOING GAYATRI JAPA:

It is said that a ten repetitions of the Gayatri destroys sins of the moment, a hundred the sins of the Day and Night, and a thousand, those of a Year. It is also said that the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra in the Morning burns away the sins of the previous Night and the chanting of Gayatri Mantra in the evening burns away the sins of that day. Further, for the person performing Gayatri Japa on a daily basis, his sins of the previous Births gets washed away! Such a Powerful Gayatri Mantra was created by the Sage Vishvamitra.

Our Scriptures say that there is no Mantra Superior to Gayatri, no Divinity Superior to Mother, no sacred place Superior to Varanasi (Kasi) and no Vrata equal to Ekadasi Vratha (Fasting). Regardless of whatever other benefits are portrayed, it is certain that practicing the Gayatri Japa and reflecting on its meaning and purpose, will give us the feeling of Harmony, Peace and Contentment everyday.

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GAYATRI DHYANA:

If we consider the most ideal manner in which the Japa has to be recited, the Gayatri Dhyana i.e., the preparatory to the Japa Recital needs to be done. This consists of going through Mana Suddhi practices through the recital of a few Mantras given below. The object of these practices is to stop, at least for the period of the Worship, all the distracting and disturbing thoughts and to attune the Mind to the powers and forces which are invoked subsequently.

PROCEDURES TO PERFORM THE GAYATRI JAPA:

Our scriptures prescribe a particular way by which the Japa should be done. The Japa can be done in three ways: chant Gayatri Mantra mentally (Manasika); chant with lips movement (Upamsu) and chant where words can be heard (Vaikari). Manasika is the best of the three chants.

The most important point for the beginner to remember with regard to the Japa is that it is not a mere mechanical repetition of a formula or name. One should gather the Thoughts, Aspirations, Spiritual Will Power which all function together – in order to obtain the reaction from the Divine Power hidden in the Mantra. It is true this cannot happen overnight. It develops slowly with the use of earnest, prolonged Japa and other Elements of Self Discipline.

The proper way to perform the Gayatri Japa is to split the Mantra into five segments. The Japa has to be done with a pause after each segment:

First Syllable: Om (Aum);

Meaning: Omkaara Pranava

Second Syllable: Bhurbhuvassuvah;

Meaning: Bhu Loka, Bhuvar Loka and Suvar Loka.

The first line is the Pranava that represents the Paramatma. The second line is the Vyahritis (Mystic Words) which represents again the Paramatma in the form of the three Worlds – Bhuloka (the Earth), Bhuvarloka (the World of our Ancestors or Pitrus), and the Suvarloka (the Heaven); also believed to be derived from the three Vedas – Rig, Yajur and Sama.

Third Syllable: Tatsaviturvarenyam;

Meaning: That brightest Sun.

Fourth Syllable: Bhargodevasyadhimahi;

Meaning: I Meditate upon that Divine Radiance.

Fifth Syllable: Dhiyoyonaprachodayath.

Meaning: May it stimulate my Intellect and awaken the Spiritual Wisdom.

Syllables three, four, and, five represent the three Feet of the Gayatri Mantra. Literally it means, that we Meditate (Dhimahi) upon the adorable light (Bharga) of that Divine - ever brilliant generator (Surya) - who stimulates our mental faculties (Intellect) and directs us to do righteous deeds (Dhiyoyona Prachodayath). This Paramatma is Surya, because He is the Deva, because He is Self-Luminous, and all other light whether Physical or Intellectual, is borrowed from Him. We Meditate upon His light (Bharga), for the attainment of all the four fold values of Life (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha). The term Bharga implies not only to the light but also to the heat which destroys the root of ignorance and misery that bars one from attaining the Supreme.

Perform Gayatri Japa in the Morning facing the East and standing; in the Afternoon facing East or North and standing; in the evening facing West and sitting.

GAYATRI JAPA COUNTS:

The Day after the Annual Shravana Day (Sacred Thread changing day), perform Gayatri Japa up to 1008 times on this day. On a Day to Day basis, during the Daily Ritual, Brahmins chant Japa up to 108 times in the Morning, 32 times in the Afternoon and 64 times in the Evening. However, it was recommended by Late Sri Chandra-Sekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Kamkoti Pitham that Gayatri Japa should be done Everyday a Thousand Times. The Deity of the Mantra is Sun God (Surya). The Day dedicated to Surya is Sunday. Therefore, every Sunday one should at the least make an attempt to do as many Gayatri Japa as possible.

There is a traditional method to count the Gayatri Mantra during the Japa using fingers. Start counting using the thumb of right hand to touch the middle and bottom lines of the second or ring finger, then touch little finger bottom to top lines, then top line of second and middle fingers, finally top to bottom three lines of the fourth or pointing finger – total of ten. One may repeat this procedure clockwise and counterclockwise on the right hand to count 20, 30 etc., until he arrives at the desired total count. Alternate procedure – count the first ten using the method stated above and keep track of each ten counts using the fingers of the left hand.

DESCRIPTION OF GAYATRI DEVI:

Gayatri is known as Lakshmi, Savitri and Saraswati. Gayatri is represented as Vishnu Svarupini or Lakshmi (Gayatri in the Morning), Rudra Svarupini (Savitri at Noon), and, Brahma Svarupini (Saraswati in the Evening). If a Devotee wants Wealth he will invoke Lakshmi; for obtaining help in the dire calamity, he will invoke Savitri; and for Vidya or Knowledge he will invoke Saraswati.

However, if he does not want anything which the three Divinities can give through their respective Saktis but wants Isvara Himself, he should invoke Samasti Gayatri (all the three Goddesses Together), because she represents the power which can enable him to unite his consciousness with that of Isvara and thus to know Him. How does the Samisti Gayatri Devi appear? – She is three Goddesses in One. Samisti Gayatri has five Faces, each with own symbolic color and ten hands, She has the third eye like Shiva and holds the Sankha (Conch) and Chakra (Discus) like Vishnu.

The Gayatri Mantra is the essence of the four Vedas. Being the essence of all Mantras, Gayatri embodies all the Gods with all their Splendor. So, by the invocation of Samisti Gayatri, all these are invoked within Oneself. She is considered as the Vedamata.

MAKE MEDITATION OF THE GAYATRI MANTRA

A HABIT OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE:

The Sadaka who is earnest about the achievement of his aim in Gayatri Upasana, has not only to Meditate on the Gayatri Mantra at the time of Japa, but also to brood over the meaning of the Mantra whenever possible. In fact, this should become a strong habit so that it reverts to the Meditation on the Mantra automatically. It is only out of such a concentrated and constant effort that rapid and remarkable results can be achieved.

Chapter Re-cap:

1) Sandhyavandana is a Ritual that is a Prerequisite for doing all other Religious Karmas. It is very important to keep in Mind throughout our Lifetime that if we do not perform the Sandhyavandanas, it is considered as a sin that gets accumulated each day when it is not done. Therefore, we have to make sure we perform Sandhyavandanas everyday without fail.

2) Sandhyavandana has three important Rituals:

(i) Pranayama; (ii) Argyapradana; (iii) Gayatri Japa.

Do these three Rituals with total Devotion. However, this does not mean the remaining Rituals should be ignored.

3) Our Scriptures prescribe the Worship of Mother Gayatri through Japa of the Gayatri Mantra with absolute Devotion. The term Gayatri is explained as that which protects the person who chants it from various sins, meaning that undesirable bad thoughts and the actions that follow do not even come near such a person.

4) The Gayatri Devi should not be approached in a light spirit of indifference, but with True Humility. Only then the Divine Grace will enter and illuminate our heart.

5) The Gayatri Upasana will lead to the gradual step by step unfoldment of human consciousness at higher levels, and will enable a person to understand the Gayatri as the Mother of the Vedas. It will therefore be seen that the only true and effective way of knowing the Vedas is through the Gayatri Upasana. The main point to realize is that the Upasana and the Japa of Gayatri are the means of unfolding human consciousness without any limit.

6) If we have to name one Powerful Mantra to ward off all the sins of our past, it is definitely the “Gayatri Mantra.” Therefore, it is to our full benefit to chant Gayatri Japa as prescribed in this Chapter to deposit Punya in our Punya Account and to remove all of our sins.

7) According to the Narayaniya, the Gayatri Japa has even the Power to grant Moksha to one who chants it with Total Devotion consistently throughout the Entire Life. The importance of the Gayatri Japa cannot be more emphasized than this Statement.

This article is a snippet from the Book Essentials of Hinduism, Authored by G.S Nilakantan. Hinduism for All is available online at www.giri.in & across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture & Tradition.