Bhagavadgita Pages, Chapters 1 to 18
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V.Krishnaraj
Gayatri Mantra
` ÉUÉuRv> Sv>
tt! sivtuvRre{y<
ÉgaRe devSy xImih
ixyae yae n> àcaedyat!.
We adore That Light
We meditate on the Divine Splendor
May He (She) inspire our intelligence
A non-denominational Mantra for all times, regions, religions, beliefs, races, creeds, colors, nationalities.
Please click on the following link, if you decide to listen to the divine voice of Anuradha Paudwal sing a 22-minute rendition of Gayatri. Copy and paste if necessary.
www.dishant.com/album/Anuradha_Paudwal_-_Gayatri_Mantra.html
If you are a Hindu, that Light is the sun, Brahman, Gayatri Devi; a Jew, Adonai; Christian, the Lord; Muslim, Allah. For the Hindu, the image is Gayatri Devi; for the Jew, Christian and Muslim it is the Light of lights. There is no religious accretion in Gayatri Mantra.
Gayatri Devi: Credit: GangesIndia.com
Gāyatrī = Gāya + Trī.
Gāya is derived from Ga (singing, page 352 Monier Williams Sanskrit Dictionary);
Trī = Female defender.
Tra = Trā = male defender, page 457.
Gāya = song; Gāyak = singer; Gāyan = singing
Gāyatrī / Gayatri = Song that protects; Gayatri Devi is the protector.
Gayatri = A Vedic Meter, three feet and 24 syllables long; Gayatri Devi
Line one: Tat Savitur Vareniyam
Tat Sa vi tur Va re ni yam = 8 syllables
Second line: Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi
Bhar go De va sya Dhī ma hi = 8 syllables
Third line: Dhiyo yonah pracodayāt
Dhi yo yo nah pra co da yāt = 8 syllables
Tirumular (1000 BC to 800 BC) of Tirumantiram says the following in Verse 994 about 24-syllable Gayatri Mantra.
994.
¬Ú ±Øò¾¡ø ¬Ú ºÁÂí¸û
¬ÚìÌ ¿¡§Ä þÕÀòÐ ¿¡Ö ±ýÀ÷
º¡Å¢ò¾¢¡¢Â¢ø ¾¨Ä ±ØòÐ ´ýÚ ¯Ç
§À¾¢ì¸ ÅøÄ¡÷ À¢ÈÅ¢ «üÈ¡÷¸§Ç.
The six letters are the six Samayas (faiths). Six multiplied by four is 24, which are the syllables contained in Gayatri Mantra. The leading head of the Mantra is Om. They who know the true meaning of Pranava will for ever escape the round of birth.
Gayatri Mantra sung by Anuradha Paudwal with golden and silken voice.
Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5t8kzbJVf4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg4o3PAYjX8
Bhagavan Krishna says in Bhagavd Gita (10.35)
Of the hymns in Sama Veda (I am) Brhatsama; of meters, I am Gayatri; of
months (I am) Margasirasa (Dec-Jan); of all seasons, I am flower-bearer
(spring).
Gayatri Devi is endowed with five heads, ten eyes, and ten hands and sits on a red lotus. Because of Her many auspicious qualities and powers, She is One beyond compare and yet She is Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Vedas and Goddess; thus She has five heads, ten eyes and ten hands, which hold weapons and accouterments of the said deities. The three eyes in each head are the sun, the moon, and the third eye. The all-knowing third eye when turned inside is for contemplation and meditation. When opened to outside, it brings destruction of evil.
Though She is Parabrahman (Supreme Brahman, Brahman beyond attributes or mutation...; Immutable Ultimate Reality), she is considered the consort of Brahma. The five heads are the four Vedas and the Godhead. The weapons are for protection. Protection for and from whom? She is Almighty Goddess and does not need protection. The weapons are visible symbols to the devotees who are really in need of protection. It is a show of immense strength and power. Seeing (the weapons on the Goddess) is believing that she provides divine protection. We are earthbound creatures, hard-wired in the principle of WYSIWYG. From time immemorial, countries have been parading their weapons and soldiers. Once the devotee sees the weapons on Gayatri, he is reassured of protection from Her. The red lotus is a symbol of wealth. The Darshan (seeing, looking, observing the divine) of five faces amounts to expunging the five sins and acquiring five divine graces. The ten eyes are looking in the eight directions plus the sky and the earth protecting the good and killing the bad. We use idioms such as double-tongue, triple-tongue, forked tongue, foreign tongue, slip of the tongue, tongue in cheek, speaking in tongues, hold one's tongue; literal meaning of these words in a second language is the stuff of a stand-up comic. In like manner all these extra body parts convey a special meaning. Demon Ravana had ten heads; imagine inviting him for a dinner and having a chat. The ten talking heads will drive every guest bonkers. It is like a gaggle of senior correspondents, invited guests and opinion peddlers on a political TV forum engage in vociferous intrusive verbal slugging. Imagine the amount of sumptuous food he will be eating, when children are starving in countries like kotakongaponga. Imagine his twenty chaotic flailing hands make maddening excursions between plates and his ten mouths. What about the clanging flatware, silverware and hollowware. Add all these to his metronomic eructations (from each head), growling borborygmi, emissive flatulence, and a drumbeat; there you have an eruptive orchestra. That is a one man show, the best you will ever see and hear. His ten heads represent ten bad qualities which stream forth from the head(s), the seat of thought. Sri Swami Sivananda lists the ten bad qualities: passion, pride, anger, greed, infatuation, lust, hatred, jealousy, selfishness and crookedness. Ram Bhagavan cuts off all his ten heads in one sweep, telling us that we should rise above these ten bad qualities. They also represent ten ego-centric senses: five motor and five sensory organs. Motor organs are larynx, hands, feet, anus and genitals and their functions are speech, grasp, locomotion, evacuation and reproduction; organs of perception are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. These organs must be brought under control. The senses have their headquarters in the head. Vaishnavites are of the opinion that the Indriyas (senses) are created for the express purpose of glorifying Vishnu: chanting His names, hearing His names, tasting the sweetness of His names .... All other uses are of secondary importance.
Here are the five sins:
Pancha-ma-Patakam (five heinous sins of killing, lying, stealing, drinking and abusing one's Guru). The votary should engage in Pancha Suddhi (five-part purification) in worship: Bhuta suddhi, Anma suddhi, Dravya suddhi, Mantra suddhi, and Linga suddhi in Saivism. Tantrics also have five-part purification: Atma suddhi, Stana Suddhi, Mantra suddhi, Dravya Suddhi, and Deva Suddhi.
Bhuta Suddhi: Daily ceremonial by which the soul is purified from daily sins, part of Anma-Suddhi.
Anma Suddhi: Soul's realizing Divine grace as its mainstay.
Dravya Suddhi: Purification of defiled objects.
Mantra Suddhi: Ceremonial purification by sprinkling water consecrated by mantra.
Linga Suddhi: Realizing the immanence of God in the non-sentient universe, as well as in the sentient.
The following is special to Tantrics, but applicable to all sects.
Stana Suddhi: Purification of the place of worship (Tantra).
Deva Suddhi: Purification of a deity which consists in placing its image on a seat, bathing it, adorning it with garments, ornaments, etc., and offering incense, light.
The five graces of God or Gayatri are also His or Her names: SadyojAta, Vamadeva, Tat Purusha, Isana, and Aghora.
SadyojAta: Sadyo + jAta = fresh + brought into existence, born = Creator.
VAmadeva: VAma + Deva = pleasant, agreeable, fair + god = preserver.
Tatpurusha: Tat + Purusha = That + man = Original or Supreme Spirit.
IsAna: The grace-giving form of Siva, Sadasiva. He is invisible to the human eye
Aghora: Not terrific. Destructive aspect of Siva as prelude to regeneration. It is fire that is followed by new growth.
Gayatri,
the sacred mantra of 24 syllables and
three feet (eight syllables in each),
is recited by Brahmanas in their daily worship. All castes, classes, races, and
followers of all religions can chant this Mantra. It has an universal appeal. When Gayatri has not been
sung for three generations in a Brahmana family, the family loses its privilege
and caste status and ceases to be Brahmanas. They still retain the Brahmin
status; it is one or several notches below the real entity. Vaidika
(Sanctioned by Vedas) Gayatri is a seed mantra and the Vedas are
ensconced in it. Vaidika Gayatri:
Surya the Sun God
A sculpture from Karnataka (credit: kamat.com
Woodroffe observes and amplifies, "The Self of all which exists in the three regions appears in form of Sun-god with His body of fire. The Brahman is the cause of all, and as the visible devata is the eye of the World and the Maker of the day who vivifies, ripens and reveals all beings and things. The Sun-god is to the sun what spirit (Atman) is to the body. He is the Supreme in the form of the great Luminary. His body is the Light of the World, and he Himself is the Light of the lives of all beings. He is everywhere. He is in the outer ether as the sun, and in the inner ethereal region of the heart. He is the wondrous Light which is the smokeless Fire. He it is who is in constant play with creation, maintenance and destruction; and by His radiance pleases both eye and mind. Let us adore Him that we may escape the misery of birth and death. May He ever direct our minds (Buddhivrtti) upon the path of the world (Trivarga) and liberation (Moksa)."
GAyatri Mantra is so important that the Sun God himself came down as the preceptor and priest for Upanayana Initiation of Lord Vamana (Dwarf incarnation of Vishnu) and UpanyAsa of the Gayatri Mantra to child Vamana.
When God decided to become many (from Niskala to Sakala mode) a multitude of triplets appeared: three varnas (AUM); three vyahrtis (expansions, additions, utterance); three footed Gayatri, three Vedas, three Devas, and three fires. The Mantra is tatsavitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yonah prachodayāt; it is preceded by Pranava (Om) and maha-vyahrtis (bhur-bhuvah-svaha, added by Yajur Veda).
Vyahrti: Utterance, speech, declaration, statement. The mystical utterance of the names of the seven worlds (viz. Bhūr, bhuvar [or bhuvah], svar, mahar, janar, tapar, satya , the first three of which, called ‘the great Vyāhrtis,’ are pronounced after Om by every Brahmana in commencing his daily prayers and are personified as the daughters of Savitri and Prisni). Monier williams Sanskrit Dictionary page 1039
The three worlds, Bhūr, bhuvar [or bhuvah], svar are the habitats of men and gods. It is confluence of body, mind and soul. In a subjective sense, life on earth is waking; life in the atmospheric domain, dream sleep; life in heaven, deep sleep. A note: Man in deep sleep is the Purest Being known to man; he gives up all good, bad, and indifferent deeds of his awake life; thus, a man in deep sleep is a spiritual being or the purest being; he is in touch with his God in deep sleep; thus deep sleep is heaven. Have you ever heard of a thief stealing or planning to steal in deep sleep? Here is another example. The man holding on an umbrella when awake is the man with worldly attachments; the man (dozing off in a moving train) going to sleep lets go of his umbrella and gets in touch with his god in deep sleep. When he comes out of deep sleep, he is disconnected from his God and temporary bliss and looks for his loose umbrella (lying on the floor of the moving train). When we are in deep sleep, we are awake to the world of Spirit. The progression is from spiritually marginal condition of awake life (Bhūr, Earthly life) full of desires, to a dream world of aspirations and expectations of Bhuvar, and to the world of deep sleep of Svar (heaven), where flesh dies along with desires, and spirit rises. When we are in deep sleep we are all virtuous (Sattva); when we come back to awake life, we resume our old personality which is a combination of Sattva (virtue and goodness; the quality of truth, goodness, reality, purity), Rajas (motion, passion, desire), and Tamas (darkness, ignorance, heaviness, illusion, anger, pride, sorrow, dullness, solidity [dense]). All of us and matter possess these three qualities; they are in various combinations, each in different proportions, all amounting to 100%. Very few are 100% Sattvic: Maharishis, Ramana Maharishi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Very few are 100% Tamasic: Hitler. There is nothing in this universe which is free of these three qualities except Parabrahman. Satya SAi Baba says the following (paraphrase): Take the sun in its orb; our daily lives are tuned to the apparent movement of the sun. Early morning hours (4 AM to 8AM) is a time of Sattva, prayers and meditation; risen sun to afternoon hours (8 AM to 4 PM) coincide with Rajas and frenetic activity of the human race and most other creatures; Sattvic period comes again between 4PM to 8PM for prayer and meditation; setting sun and the dark of night (8 PM to 4 AM) mark the Tamasic dark period.
All substances have these three qualities. Take water; water at room temperature is of Sattva guna, fit for drinking; boiling water and steam are of Rajasic nature; ice is of Tamasic nature.
(Maharishi Bharadvaja was a Vedic Scholar and yet at age 96 he was not satisfied with the extent of his knowledge of the Vedas; he thought his knowledge was incomplete. He prayed to Indra, sought and received an additional lifetime of 100 years for the learning of Vedas and thus he received three 100-year lifetimes for intense study of Vedas. Before the last term was up for renewal, Indra appeared before Bharadvaja and asked him, "What are you going to do with the fourth 100-year lifetime?" Bharadvaja answered, "O Indra, What are you saying? I have nothing else to do except to remain a Brahmacharin and learn Vedas." Indra at once created three mountain-worlds: Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svahah (world, atmosphere, and heaven). He addressed the Sage and said, "Look at these three worlds; these are the Vedas." Bharadvaja's joy knew no bounds and asked Indra, "Did I learn all these three Vedas in my three 100-year lifetimes?" Indra responded by scooping up one fistful of mud from each mountain and retorted, "O Bharadvaja, What you say is very far from the fact. The Vedas that you have learnt in three hundred years are three fistfuls. How many 100 years do you need to scour the three mountains clean?" Bharadvaja was pretty shaken up at the immensity of the proposal and task. This reminds us of the Valluvar's pithy saying, "What you have learnt is of the size of fistful of mud and what you haven't learnt is of the size of the world." Thus Vedas are endless apart from its eternal existence, absent claim of authorship, and its learning by word of mouth from generation to generation.)
The view from the West
The West regards Indra as an Aryan God, whose life, times, prestige, power, glory, valor and sovereignty over the universe came to an end when Vishnu and Siva came into their own. It further states the importance of the other elemental gods of Aryans waned as Siva and Vishnu came to the forefront and yet the elemental gods remained as demigods and demiurges. What they saw in nature which they could not control, the Aryans called god: The sun, the moon, the earth, water, fire, air, ether, sky...At first, for Aryans seeing was believing, unlike the Dravidians who in addition made an internal journey to understand and interpret god. That is how the whole repertoire of deep-thought philosophy of Dravidians came into existence. Saiva Siddhanta is one of the best examples of such philosophical speculation of the nature of god. The Aryans wandered around with makeshift shelters and hastily built fire pits for Yagna. Joseph Campbell states they were the genetic and soul brothers of the ancient Greeks, from whom they broke away and wandered into India (from Central Asia). Modern Indologists dispute out-of-India origin of Aryans. They were constantly exposed to wind, air, fire, water, space, sky, sun, moon, stars, which became their gods. Indra wields Vajra (the thunderbolt) and sends drenching rain which defeats the drought demon, Vrta. Indra thrives on Soma; the Aryans are the purveyors and suppliers of Soma; it is a perfect fit in the domain of supply and demand; it is like commerce. When he imbibes Soma, he exhibits more strength, vigor and power, which he uses to reward the suppliers of Soma and thus provides for the welfare of mankind by sending rain and cattle. Krishna keeps the Aryan god Indra in line all the time so that he does not puff up with pride. In one instance, to defy Krishna's supremacy as the Paramatman, Indra sends days and days of endless rain. The cowherds, their spouses, children, and animals (cows) face an imminent threat of being washed away in floods. (It was worse than Katrina 2005) Krishna comes to the rescue and holds up a mountain, so that all the living creatures can take shelter under its cover. They live by grace of Krishna. Indra coming to know of it begs for forgiveness. The West says that this is an instance where Vishnu (Krishna) eclipses Indra totally and irrevocably. Krishna is not an Aryan in the strict sense. His father was an Aryan king and his mother was a non-Aryan princess. Krishna uproots (steals) the celestial tree (Parijata tree--Erythrina Indica) from the celestial garden of Indra and mounts it on Garuda for transportation to Dwaraka at the request of his consort, Satyabhama. The gardeners of Indra protest and tell Indra and his wife Saci (Indrani, Aindri). Parijata is no ordinary tree. It came from Milk ocean. Saci loved its fragrant flowers and luscious fruits. She wore the flowers on her tresses. Saci was heart-broken; Indra could not bear to see an unhappy distraught wife. He fought with Krishna and lost his weapons, elephant.... When he was standing on the battlefield without weapons, Krishna let him live. To make things short, Indra and Saci agreed to let Krishna take the tree and return it after Krishna's demise. (This is one of the most important tenets of SriVaishnavism: Yes, everything is His; No, you don't own it; you have a temporary custody of it; don't become attached to it; what He giveth, He taketh away.) Partly it sounds like a Christian thought. As you enter the temple of Krishna in Guruvayoor, you may say "Om Namo Narayana" besides Govinda and other Mantras. NAMO = NA + MAHAH = No + Yes (power, perfection). The votary says to Narayana, "No, Nothing is mine; Yes, (all power, perfection, the universe, the souls) belong to You. The door frame of the temple denotes this principle.
Abbe Dubois derides Gayatri Mantra, so highly regarded by Hindus. He observes that Gayatri Mantram removes the sins and that gods tremble at it. The Brahmin must make sure that he always repeats it in a low voice, that he is not overheard by a Sudra, or even by his own wife, particularly at the time when she is in a state of uncleanness (monthly periods). The Mantram should not be imparted to an unbeliever (like Abbe Dubois). Page 138-140: Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies
Donald A Mackenzie says that Brahma took Gayatri, the milkmaid, as a second wife because his chief wife, Sarasvati, despite her wisdom arrived late for a certain important ceremony, at which the spouse of the god was required. Sarasvati cursed Brahma so that he could only be worshipped once a year. page 44, 149 Myths & Legends of India.
The following commentary by the author (Krishnaraj) is an analysis rather than an expression of vexation. Dear mack: Calling Gayatri the milkmaid is as bad, idiotic, inconsiderate, vile and ignorant as calling the Lord Jesus Christ the unemployed carpenter and a loser, President Truman the out-of-his-league haberdasher, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) the Bulldog that barked in queen's English, Mahatma Gandhi a half-naked fakir, Honorable Jewish Matchmaker Shadchan a pimp, Bible a Jewish Fairy tale, Prophet Moses a shepherd who lost his way....
Sarasvati, despite her wisdom arrived late: This characterization of dissociating wisdom from late-coming is a subtle and yet obvious insult to Sarasvati, who is the goddess of arts, music and letters. mack expects all wise people to show up on time; only stupid people show up late. All this goes to show that the West goes out of the way to denigrate Hinduism in any way it can. What mack says is that Brahma left a learned woman for a milkmaid. mack must have felt a toothless vicarious glee at this scandal. West treats Hinduism in a manner the media treats Paris Hilton or Jamie Lynn Spears. (Feb 2008). Sensationalism is its currency. Brahma's consorts are his energies. What Sarasvati represents in Brahma is His Creative Aspect and Knowledge required for such an act. Sarasvati's other names are Gayatri, Satarupa, Savitri and Brahmani. Actually her full name is Sarasvati Gayatri, who is the personified energy of Brahma. Many names of Sarasvati are intended to depict her essential quality in each of her names. When Sarasvati was busy with other important chores, Sarasvati sent herself in the name of Gayatri (a deity can do such things) for the sacrifice which could not continue without the physical presence of wife. Sarasvati is a river, wife of Brahma, daughter of Brahma, goddess of all arts and sciences, a milkmaid....Remember mack, in your days when there was no supermarket (Yes, I am talking to a dead man), your wife was a milkmaid. I bet you had a milch cow around ready and willing to be milked. Let me give you an example as to how mack has interpreted Brahma's marriage to Gayatri (the milkmaid). King and queen attend a ball. The queen on occasions adjusts his pillow, makes his bed, cooks his meals in the microwave oven, and makes coffee for the king. What mack says is that the king takes his maid (cook) for the ball.
The West quotes RV.,VI.44 and 45 in a benignly divisive note with vicarious toothy glee that the priests sometimes plead with Indra to punish the ones who fail to give them gifts (daksina- an example of commerce) and cuff the dark-skinned dasyus and pamper, preserve and protect the purity of Aryan race. (That is news to me, incredulous!) The Dasyu hatred softened with intermarriage and transmuted to punishing those who broke the religious covenant and laws of Varuna, Aryaman and Mitra. Varuna is the enveloping sky, personified as an Aryan God and the Lord of light and dark. He is a noble Lord and a relentless enforcer of RTA. He is the Law and Order god of the skies. He eyes from the sky, which any day outperforms the modern spy satellites and his spies have their sight fixed at all times on the violators of law and order. He is the silent and invisible omnipresent secret agent in all assemblies of people of any size. Ok, I have to concede that we have the next best thing, the MQ-1 Predator, the unmanned aerial vehicle and a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UVA System that does reconnaissance and fires missiles.
One day, we will all be carrying a chip on our shoulders by law or choice. The chip will be so small, non-reactive and inert, it will not elicit any foreign-body reaction. Mothers will insist on chips to locate the children in case they lose them. The chip will be implanted by injection. Your child's first shot may be the ID chip in the nursery or doctor's office. It will be like the foot print. As in the supermarket checkout counter or E-Z pass, wherever you go, you will be registering your presence and movement on the ubiquitous bar-code registers all over the country and in the sky. There are pros and cons. First the pros. When you get stranded and need help, the register will help locate you fast.
Consider the case of James Stephen Fossett (Born April 22, 1944 - missing Sep 3, 2007 in a plane crash). If he was wearing a traceable and trackable ID, he would have been found the same day, he was lost. He disappeared September 3, 2007 and his remains were found more than a year later on September 29, 2008. With all the millions at his disposal, he died a lonely death, which could have been prevented by traceable and trackable ID.
The lawmen will be carrying a wand reader. Law-abiding people have nothing to worry. People who are genuinely concerned about privacy have to think of the pros instead of the cons. I can think of a funny thing that happens in the privacy of a bedroom, a room, a nook or a backseat, when two chips are engaged in surreptitious consortium. The undulating chips on the monitor are a source of fun, entertainment and livelihood for the law enforcement personnel, sleuths, scamps, gumshoes, flatfoots, pries, rapscallions, scoundrels, turds,.... Beware! Profligate Patrons, the walls in the hotels will have registers that record all encounters, esp. the surreptitious undulations of a pair of chips. Remember peepholes, mirrors and cameras. Since chips are removable by surgical excision, there will be ID by DNA. You cannot remove or destroy your DNA. There will come a time when the DNA fingerprint ID of every person will become the identifier and be televised on the screen in the airports etc. The Cameras, Chip Readers and possibly DNA readers in one unit and place will become the ubiquitous instruments of surveillance of every block, every nook and every corner in the cities. Teenagers or underage children cannot buy cigarettes or alcohol unless they get a swiping and frisking with a Wand Chip Reader. Dealers in death-dealing recreational drugs will be fitted with non-reactive chips in the maxillary sinus cavity or peritoneal cavity by ENT or general surgeons, so tracing their movements can be as simple as connecting the dots. If worse comes to worse, some devilish entrepreneurial neurosurgeon will offer services to implant a non-reactive chip deep in the ventricle of the brain, traceable and trackable by GPS. It beats the removable ankle bracelets for parolees proposed for GPS tracking. Of course, these are way over the top. But a timorous nation, society or community may clamor for such extreme measures for extreme situations like keeping a sexual predator on leash. Try to get the Ventricular Implant removed in a walk-in Neuropathic clinic in the city of Tunkutinku. The people whose freedom has been taken away by the Govt. go to the extent of removing the dermal ridges from the finger tips by surgical means. Remember those days when poor children and adults were submitted to frontal lobotomy for cockamamie reasons.
Now we have the automatic identification of retinal arteries and veins from dual-wavelength images. It is not fool-proof. What happens to the image when the person develops diabetic retinopathy, exudates, hemorrhages, cataracts, corneal opacities....?
The scientists can insert Slam-Dunk markers (fluorescent) on your DNA. The DNA will fluoresce on the screen. You will light up the screen like a glowworm. There will be non-invasive rapid DNA analyzers and readers everywhere. They can, in the future, analyze and read your spit for DNA in a matter of seconds or minutes. In the airports there will be Spit-and-Go security checks; the security personnel will keep you dangling in the airport departure lounge before your DNA will be ready and before you board the plane. If you are of the nervous nature, your sweating and fidgets invite unwanted attention from the prying eyes. You might have to take a mild tranquilizer to quell your fidgets. Things will be so bad coming from the bad dudes and consequently from the security apparatus of a country, you will be glad you chose Spit-N-Go rather than No-Go at all. You shed your DNA in your spit, all body fluids and from the skin. If you try to fool the airport security with dry mouth by taking antihistamines or some such thing, they can swab your buccal cavity for DNA. Or they can ask you to tinkle. You will be so nervous you will tinkle unawares in your pants, which they can wring to get your DNA. They can take your hat, or any headwear and get your DNA from the shed hair follicles. If you reject all tests and are of the stone face, heart, mind and soul, they can take your comb or rake your hair with sterile comb for Dandruff-DNA. If you are the fastidious clean type, sport a baldpate and show no dandruff, they can lance your tender finger tip for blood-DNA. If you still reject all lawful requests for your DNA, they can confiscate your used toothbrush for your DNA. Dude, it is bad to walk around the airport and the cabin with halitosis and odor-emitting sinus cavities. Man, it is hard to fight the law. Give up, dude; make it easy on yourself. If you pride yourself as a Privacy Nut and engage them in a physical altercation, they can scratch your face and recover your DNA from under their finger nails. If you went for personal services at the airport, they can get your DNA from the airport dentist, doctor, pedicurist.... If you are a stamp licker or use spit to turn pages or count bills (disgusting), they can confiscate your envelope, your book and or your wad of greenbacks. Of course you can demand a receipt. Ladies, if you are the kind who uses spit to clean your daughter's face, they can swab your daughter's face. Man, if you are a spit-and-polish type, they can confiscate your shiny shoes. If they smell vile cigarette smoke on you and or saw you smoking, they can legally appropriate your discarded cigarette butts for DNA. So it goes with drinking cups, straws, flatware.... If they saw you cleaning your ear canal with a swab, they can confiscate and extract DNA from the swab. Decency forbids me to mention details of other methods of confiscating your DNA that you deposited in likely places.
Your ID card (SS card or credit card) will carry your DNA profile. A match will be made instantaneously on the bright screens. Courts will rule Privacy Issues will have to give, in the name of National Security.)
Mitra is his associate in his official duties. If you happen to notice a person with dropsy, ask him to seek forgiveness from Varuna, because the patient may have offended Varuna, the proof being his dropsy. He is quick to anger and yet melts with compassion and cures his petitioner. He does not have the wherewithal for all sickness and maladies of the world. He himself once suffered from erectile dysfunction and received herbal remedy from a Gandharva. He is associated with horses and ocean. The remedy made him the enviable stallion of all times. It was a one-dose remedy. (We have become a pill-popping society; we pop pills for this and that.) Take a back seat, Viagra, Cialis and the like. He is the Lord of waters and rides an aquatic animal, Makara. Waters are his consort. Sometimes his wife Varunani gets tipsy and thus earns the name the goddess of wine and inebriation. Varuna cedes his power and prestige, according to the West, to Vishnu who assumes his portfolio. The West surmises that the Aryans were afraid of the god of the natives, Siva, who is the Yogi of all Yogis. He was Rudra before He became Siva. Rudra roars and explodes into a red flash. The Aryans were afraid of Rudra. He was the Howler, the Ruddy One, the Rider of wild boar, and the father of Maruts (Rudras). You cross Him; you got a storm on your hand. They named the red god storm-god. I suggest that the meteorologists and hurricane-prone coastal states pray to Rudra so that He will render the category 3-5 hurricanes into innocuous breeze. Soon the Aryans embrace Rudra as their own because Rudra like Indra was a rain-maker. They somersault (go head over heels) to please and eulogize Him and get into His good graces; they called Him the Auspicious, Siva. The Aryans welcomed Dravidian God, Siva into the theistic brotherhood of elemental gods. He outshone them by zillion times. (Any one who has not read Saiva Siddhanta, in my opinion, is not a philosopher though he may a Ph.D in religion and philosophy from a prestigious university. Primer in Saiva Siddhanta) The West says that Siva is a Dravidian God, whose body consists of all elements, which the Aryans worshipped; now you know how Siva took away all the elements from the elemental gods. Siva knocked the wind out of the Wind God of the Aryans: that is just one example. Siva is all in One. Listen to the Most Outrageous Claim (MOC = mock) of the mocking West: Siva originated in Mesopotamia and came over the snow-capped mountains and decided to stay here in Kailas. Incredible indeed. Indra's sons were named Maruts (Rudras); it may be an instance of sycophancy. They have night-vision eyes. Go on, they don't need night-vision goggles. They move in darkness among friends and enemies without being seen, so that they can confuse and whack the enemies dead. I am sure the military would like a battalion of invisible Maruts to fight the wars. No one is yet to find out who hit the enemies of Maruts. The enemies die not knowing who or what hit them. In modern warfare, we need Maruts to fight our wars. (We have the next best thing, the night-vision goggles.) They are friends of Agni, the fire god and Vayu, the wind god. Wind and fire will do the job in war. The Maruts have teeth of iron. You thought James Bond character Jaws (portrayed by Richard Kiel) was the first one to sport stainless steel teeth. It is not custom-fitted as in Jaws. The Maruts have a better idea. The Maruts are born with iron teeth. (The modern-day Marut [man of iron teeth] is Lakshmi Mittal of Mittal Steel, who is buying and chewing up all the steel in the world.-- May/June 2006). Their weapons system is very advanced even by modern standards. They can hit with lightning and thunderbolt. When they are not fighting and killing their enemies, what do they do? Right, they drink Soma. Hard at that. Indra considers the Maruts as his subjects. Their birth is a miracle even in modern times; the scientists of today can't even imagine what Indra did to the embryo of Diti. He split the embryo into 49 pieces. It is a fact that an embryo, a blastocyst can become more than one fetus. If someone has the right equipment (Indra obviously had a microtome that separated the cells of the embryo without damaging the cells.) to divide the embryo into 49 pieces, we can have 49 babies from one embryo. Take a backseat , modern science. Diti, the mother and the spouse of Kasyapa begs Indra to make them attendants of gods. He says, "so be it." The Maruts with such a proud history and ancestry enter an arena with the roar of lions, pizazz, and razzmatazz wearing robes of rain and blowing blasts of wind. Modern circus and Water Worlds can't even come close in imitating the Maruts. Coming back to Siva, the post-Vedic Aryans called the Yogin of yogins the god of destruction. They appealed to His good side and eulogized Him.
Note: Indians feel that the Indo-Aryans and Dravidians are one race like the white and brown rice.
Seven Vyahrtis represent seven levels of consciousness, starting from the consciousness of Muladhara Chakra and ending in the realm of Superconsciousness of Sahasrara Chakra. They also stand for seven worlds: Bhur, the physical plane; Bhuvah, the atmosphere, sky or astral plane; Svah, heaven, the mental or astral plane; Mahar, the world of Saints; Janah, birth-world, a world of Siddhas and Kumaras beyond the Solar system and the world of birth of animals destroyed in cosmic fire; Tapar of seven sages (Saptarishis); Satya of Infinite Truth. Vaikuntha is the 8th plane, the abode of Lord Narayana, Krishna's devotees, and Kamala, consort of Narayana; Goloka is the 9th plane and the highest of all, the abode of Krishna, Radha, and Sridama (Krishna's friend).
Savitur in Gayatri Mantra refers to the sun, worthy of worship. Without sun no life as we know can exist; thus, sun is life and soul of this universe. All gods say that their eyes are the sun and the moon; thus worshipping the sun is worshipping God. During Sri Chakra worship, the fire, the moon and the sun are worshipped. Kalas (12) of sun worthy of worship are 1) Tapinī, 2) Tāpinī, 3) Dhūmrā, 4) Marīci, 5) Jvālinī, 6) Ruci, 7) Sudhūmrā, 8) Bhoga-dā, 9) viśvā, 10) Bodhinī, 11) Dhārinī, 12) Ksamā (heat container1, heat emanator2, color of smoke3, Ray producer4, burner5, luster6, smoky red7, grantor of enjoyment8, universal9, giver of knowledge10, illuminator11, patience and forbearance12. Dharini and Ksama refer to selfless qualities of sun which drinks up the ocean and showers it on earth in the form of rain.
Our body has all the elements in the universe and thus is a microcosm of the macrocosm. Paramatman is the source of Light and wisdom in us and imparts light to the sun, moon, stars, our individual soul. He resides in our spiritual heart as Light. We have three gunas (modes, qualities) running our life on earth. Sattva is Light, goodness, virtue; Rajas is motion and passion; Tamas is darkness, dullness and lethargy. Tamasa elements work against us while Sattva is an agonist and Rajas gives the direction to Sattva or Tamas. Sun stands for Light, intellect, memory, goodness, virtue and other auspicious qualities, which Rajasa and Tamasa gunas suppress and repress. In order to eliminate the suppressive elements and free the sun to give full expression in our body, we perform Sandhyavandhanam in the morning and evening. By facing the sun, chanting Gayatri Mantra to the sun, pouring water towards the sky, we destroy the negative elements that block the sun element in our body. Pouring water (Arghyam) from copper, silver or gold vessels is to drive the negative forces, as water is a purifying element. (Next time you see the Catholic or Hindu Rituals (all derived and copied from Tantrics of India), you know the salubrious effects and noble thought and idea behind them.)
Bhagavan Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita: 10.21: Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu. Of the lights, I am the radiant sun. Of the Maruts, I am the Marici. Of the stars, I am the moon.
Adityas are the 12 sons of Kasyapa and Aditi: Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Rudra, Varuna, Surya, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusa, Savita, Tvasta, and Vishnu. Besides the above, Aditi bore 21 more children, 33 in all. These 33 children (Adityas) of Aditi are the progenitors of 330 million devatas. The 12 Adityas are collectively called Tushitas, Suryas, Dvadasadityas [(dva =2 + dasa = 10) =12] Adityas.
Savita is one of the Adityas, thus is Vishnu; Savitur, his consort is his radiant energy or splendor (Bhargo). Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu carries different names and Savitur is her name in relation to Savita. Savitur reveals Savita; the sunlight reveals the sun. Lord Narasimha has three eyes: Sun the right eye, Moon the left eye and Agni the middle eye. The Sun and Moon came out of the respective eyes, according to Purusa Sukta. The sun should be worshipped everyday. If anyone eats without worshipping the sun, he is equal to the squiggly worm wriggling in the cow dung according to Vedas. The proponents of Surya Namaskaram (Sun worship) say it helps prevent diseases and deficiencies of the body such as heart disease, development of cataract, hearing impairment.... Once I went visiting with an Indian octogenarian who retired from Indian Military Service. I could not hear him or read the books he gifted me without my eye glasses. He read the book without glasses; NO, he was not wearing contact lenses. He heard me perfectly well without any hearing aid, though I could not hear him well without my hearing aid. He had no arthritis; his limbs and joints were supple and he was sitting in Lotus position without any discomfort. He pointed out to me that his health and comfort with his body were all due to Yogas (and sun worship). Poor me, I ambled down the staircase with my hearing aid and glasses in place holding on to the parapet wall by the steps; my joints were creaking and complaining.
There are many Sun Temples in India. One of the famous ones is in Orissa. Sūrya or Savitar is the Sun God; His daughter is Sūryā, who is abducted by the Asvins as their bride. Sur or Svar is to shine. Sū is to bring forth as in creation. We won't be here if not for the sun. Savitŗ is vivifier or animator. It is the source of light, wisdom, and dispeller of ignorance and darkness. Saura is the sun cult. The most famous Saura cult Temple is Konarak temple in Orissa. The Sauras wear red sandal paste on the forehead and red flower garlands and chant Gayatri. Rohita, the Red One, is another name for sun; His female counterpart is Rohini, the deity of cattle and the daughter of Surabhi and the mother of Kamadhenu, the cow of plenty. Rohini, the red star in the constellation of Taurus, is one of the 27 consorts of Soma, who stand for the 27 lunar asterisms or Nakshatras. Soma was so enamored with Rohini he neglected the other 26 wives who went home to their father Daksa. Soma changed his mind and asked for the return of his 26 wives, who came on condition that he would treat all of them equally; such was the promise extracted by Daksa. Soon Soma fell from grace and exclusively doted on Rohini; he was struck with phthisis, a wasting disease (most likely tuberculosis). The Adityas, the sons of Aditi, twelve in number representing 12 Solar months cured him of his disease. Rohita and Rohini are the allegorical king and queen of heaven, earth, space.... Etasa is the dapple horse, which draws the chariot of the sun. Tarksya is a white horse that draws the Sun's chariot across the heaven. The goddess of dawn leads the white horse at dawn. A troop of seven celestials, under the aegis of Vishnu, occupy the sun dispensing cold, heat and rain as appropriate for the season. The twelve Adityas appear as 12 suns at dissolution and thus the sun is said to have 12 souls. Iranian hvare, Hittite šurias, Greek helios are the sun.
Savita marries Prsni, who begets three girls, Savitri, Vyahriti, and Trayi and four boys, Agnihotra, Pasu, soma, and Caturmasya (Mahayajnas, the three Great sacrifices).
Vyāhriti = utterance; declaration; mystical utterance of the names of the seven worlds, bhur, bhuvar, svar, mahar, janar, tapar, satya.
Maha vyahriti: utterance of the names of the Great three worlds, bhur, bhuvar, and svar.
Utterance of Vyahritis prepares the chanter of Mantra to rise from the world of marginal spirit to a world of aspirations and expectations and further on to a world of Grace and spirit.
The presiding deity of Gayatri is Supreme Brahman, Devi, Vishnu, the Sun, or Saguna Brahman. The mantra is suitable for all asramas.
tat savitur varenyam = THAT Light (sun) adore
bhargo devasya dhīmahi = Splendor divine meditate
dhiyo yo nah prachodayāt = Intelligence who our inspires
Om, world, atmosphere and heaven, we meditate on the divine splendor as the adorable Light (Sun). May our intelligence be inspired.
The following translation is adapted from the published discourses in Tamil by Mukkur Lakshmi Narasimhachariyar and other sources.
Vedas say that Gayatri is Vishnu: Gayatriye Vishnu. The believers say that the daily reciter of Gayatri Mantra has Brahma Varcas in Bhrumadya, meaning Brahman's brilliance or power. Here Brahman is Vishnu. Thus the face is the reflector of one's Tejas. Bhrumadya = between the eyebrows. Not all can notice the Tejas; only those who already have that Tejas can see it. Vedas eulogize GAyatri: Ojasvathi Gayatri, Balasvathi Gayatri.
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(Gayatri with splendor, strength). This Slokam is invoked before meditation of Gayatri for full measure of benefits. Acharya recommends seeking a realized Guru in initiation of Gayatri mantra. BrahmOpadesam involves initiation during Upanayanam (Sacred thread and beginning of the study of Vedas) with Gayatri Mantra; the initiate takes the second birth with Gayatri as another Mother and the Guru-initiator, as the father and mother.
Gayatri is the universal benefactor of followers of all religions, persuasions and beliefs. O Gayatri! You are endowed with strength; You have Tejas; You have brilliance; Where are my Tejas and strength, if you are not standing by my side? All is You, O Gayatri.
Gayatri is the universal aggregate of all powers and brilliance, all gods, all Mantras, all Yantras; such is the greatness of Gayatri.
Sastras say that Gayatri should not be chanted loud (and yet I can't resist the temptation of listening to Gayatri sung by Anuradh Paudwal) Loud chanting earns poor grades and low gains; Sotto voce begets greater benefits; lipping Gayatri Mantra earns the highest reward. There are five stops in the course of reciting the Mantras; there are five faces of Gayatri Devi. 1st stop is after Om; 2nd stop after Bhur, Bhuva, Svaha; 3rd stop after tat savitur varenyam; 4th stop after bhargo devasya dhimahi; 5th stop after dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. Chanters get Brahma Varcas (Tejas, power, splendor, brilliance); that is why it is called Brahma Sutra. Gayatri's Tejas gives the Light to Solar, Lunar and Stellar Mandalas and that light has spread to all that shines. It is the Light in the eye, the heart and all the lights you see. Gayatri is so supreme that it is beyond the Gunas. It is like the sun casting its light on the high and the low, the pure and the impure, the sacred and the sacrilegious and yet it does not take on the character of the object it shines on.
Here is simple way of breath control and recitation of Gayatri for the one in a hurry, wanting to reap its full benefits.
A simple Sandhyavandanam Pranayama is performed as follows: block the right nostril by the right thumb, breathe in with the left nostril for the duration it takes to mentally say the Gayatri mantra. Block both nostrils, hold the breath and say the Gayatri; breathe out through the right nostril as you block the left nostril for the duration it takes to chant Gayatri.
Gayatri Mantra: 1st round of Mantra, mental recitation should span the duration of inhalation; same applies for 2nd round with retention of breath and 3rd round with expiration. That means one should mentally recite the whole mantra once with inhalation, once with retention and once with exhalation. Three grand rounds of a total of nine recitations are considered suitable for a person in a hurry. Inhalation and mental chanting takes 10 seconds; retention and exhalation take 10 seconds each. If you face the sun and do it, it is even better.
Om -- Bhur, Bhuva, Svaha -- tat savitur varenyam-- bhargo devasya dhimahi--dhiyo yo nah prachodayat-. You may stop to catch the breath after each round, if you cannot do all nine rounds continuously. Performing all nine rounds in one session does not usually pose any problem.
Upasana, the Puja rituals.
The cardinal features of Upasana (Puja) are as follows:
1) Bhutasuddhi: Cleansing Bhutas or gross elements of the subtle body.
2) Nyasa: By the power of Sound, Mantra and digital pressure, he invokes the spirit to descend on his body.
3) Pranayama: Breath Control.
4) Dhyana: meditation.
5) Chantless mental worship.
6) Japa or chanting of Mantra.
Once body is cleansed and purified, the divine enters the body of the priest, who is deity himself. The priest has to destroy his papam (sin); next he purifies his subtle body by Pranayama (breath control). He goes on to purify the five elements in his body (bhutasuddhi). The priest activates the Kundalini fire in Muladhara Chakra and takes it through upper Chakras to Sahasrara Chakra for union with the spirit. This rise of Kundalini fire power destroys the gross and subtle body, as it were, of the priest. Now the spirit has descended on his body (of the priest) devoid of any worldly taints. The priest is now an ethereal body, devoid of Sthula and Suksma Sarira, and occupied by the spirit; thus, the priest has acquired Divya Sarira (divine body). The deity has taken residence in his spiritual heart. For the divine spirit to pervade his body and organs, he performs Nyasa.
(Nyasa follows Butasuddhi.) Nyasa is impressing of the body with fingers and mental appropriation or assignment of various parts of the body to the tutelary deities, according to Monier-Williams. Consider it as a painless form of acupuncture (Digipressure, digital pressure) that infuses divine power where the fingers apply pressure. Here you do not use Acus (needle as in ACU-PUNCTURE) but digits come in handy for application of touch and pressure. Digital application (Nyasa) is accompanied by chanting of Mantra and visualization of specific Devata or Bija (seed) Mantra. Sequential touching of the body parts in a geographic progression depends on the type of Nyasa. Once Nyasa is complete, the priest transfers the divinity from inside him to the idol, which is known as Avahana (invitation). By Mudras (gestures), he infuses life into the idol (Pranapratistha). Once the worship is over, the god is dismissed from the idol (Visarjana or Udvasa) and Samhara Mudra (expressive gesture of dissolution). Visarjana = discharging, dismissal. Udvasa = leaving empty, uninhabited. The idea of invitation and dismissal of divinity with regards to the idol sounds apparently ridiculous (on the surface) because god is everywhere and He or She does not need invitation or dismissal. Avahana and Visarjana are confirmation of his presence everywhere.
Some additional points: After the deity is bathed, dressed, decorated and jeweled, the priest keeps all articles near him. He performs ritual acamana, or purification of the mouth before (or during) he utters the mantra. He makes a samkalpa (intention, resolution) for welfare of any of the entities of the world: that is the purpose of worship. (What a noble thought.) Consecration of water follows by invoking in it the seven holy rivers of India. This Arghya (water offered reverentially to gods or devotees) is used wherever water is necessary for rituals. In Acamana, water is sipped with chanting of three mantras from the hollow of the right palm formed by flexing the middle three fingers and extending the thumb and the fifth finger. The Mantras in eulogy of Vishnu-Krishna are AcyutAya namah, AnantAya namah and GovindAya namah.
Pūja: In Hindu religion, Puja ceremony is the most common. Pūja = honor, worship, reverence shown to the deity both in public and private, homes and temples. At home Puja is conducted either by man or woman as the ceremony demands. In temples it is offered on the devotee's behalf by the priest. There is no priestess. There are some internal variations. The general principles and parts of Puja are Avahana, Asana, Svagata, Padya, Arghya, Acamana, Madhu Parka (deity offered a mixture of honey, sugar and milk in a vessel), Snana Jala, Bhooshan abharanasya (offering of clothes, jewels and ornaments), Gandha, Akshatas (grains of rice colored by saffron), Pushpa, Dhupa, Dipa, and Naivedya (offering of cooked rice, fruit, butter, sugar, other victuals and betel).
Rites of worship are prescribed by the Agamas: Nitya, mandatory; Naimittika, situational, periodic, or occasional; Kamya, desire-fulfilling. There are strict set of rules to follow and any infraction makes him a Brahma RAksasa (demon). Guru supervises and enforces these rules. Upacara (worship) has sixteen plus components. There are many internal variations.
Central steps of puja include: 1) acamana, water sipping for purification; 2) Ganapati prarthana, prayers to Ganesha to remove obstacles; 3) sankalpa, declaration of intent; 4) ghanta, ringing bell, inviting devas and dismissing asuras (demons); 5) avahana, inviting the Deity ; 6) mantras and dhyana, meditating on the Deity; 7) svagata, welcoming; 8) namaskara, obeisance; 9) arghyam, water offerings; 10) pradakshina, circumambulation; 11) abhisheka, bathing the murti (the deity); 12) dhupa, incense- offering; 13) dipa, offering lights; 14) naivedya, offering food; 15) archana, chanting holy names; 16) arati, final offering of lights; 17) prarthana, personal requests; 18) visarjana, dismissal of the deity--farewell. Also central are pranayama (breath control), guru vandana (adoration of the preceptor), nyasa (empowerment through touching) and mudra (mystic gestures). Puja offerings also include pushpa (flowers), arghya (water), tambula (betel leaf) and chandana (sandalpaste). --atmartha puja: Karana Agama, v. 2, states: Atmartha cha parartha cha puja dvividhamuchyate, " Worship is two-fold: for the benefit of oneself and for the benefit of others." Atmartha puja is done for oneself and immediate family, usually at home in a private shrine. Parartha puja: "Puja for others." Parartha puja is public puja, performed by authorized or ordained priests in a public shrine or temple.
Those who are interested in details can go to http://www.vishuji.com/sandhya_worship.htm
There are variations in procedure and ritual observances.
1. āvāhana, Avahana: invocation of the deity; holding the thumbs against the root of the ring fingers (Mudra)
2. Āsana, Asana: the manner of sitting forming part of the eightfold observances of ascetics. Offering a seat to the deity.
3. Pādya, padya: Offering water to wash the feet.
4. Arghya: Worthy of a hospitable reception; water given to a guest; objects of worship. Copper, silver and gold vessels are desirable to hold water.
5. ācamana: Rinsing the mouth with water: water for that purpose. ceremonial sipping of water.
6. Snāna, Snana: Religious lustration of idol with water.
7. Vastra: Raiment; offering garment for the idol
8. Bhūsā: Ornament and decoration of idol.
9. Gandha: Fragrance or Sandalwood paste applied to the idol.
10. Puspa: Offering flowers to the idol.
11. dhūpA, Dhupa: Incense or making smoke from aromatic gum or resin.
12. Dīpa, Dipa: Lamp; waving lamp
13. Aksata: Offering unhusked barley-corns
14. Naivedya: Offering victuals to a deity.
15. Tāmbūla, Tambula: Betel leaves and nut.
16. Pradaksinā, Pradaksina: Turning the right side towards the idol; circumambulation from left to right, as a mark of respect.
Aratti: dissatisfaction, discontent. This ceremony is carried out by a married woman to ward off evil. A lighted wick sitting in an oil lamp placed on a circular metal plate is waved at eye level when a person of high station is welcomed into a house, convention or gathering. Aratti is performed also in temples for idols. Aratti idea was practiced in one form or another by the Romans and the French. The Romans used the statue of the god Fascinus on the triumphal car of the returning conqueror to ward off evil eyes. The French peasants were known to pull their children out of sight to avert evil when a stranger passed by. This is avoiding Drishti Dosham (sight fault = illness from evil eye, effect of the evil eye, pollution by sight.) Aratti is the preventive or counter measure for the evil eye. Aratti or Arti is performed for temple idols, children, elephants, horses and other domestic animals. This practice extended to automobiles. When you go to the Bridgewater Balaji Temple in Bridgewater New Jersey or Sri Ranganatha Temple in Pomona, NY, you will notice Indians bringing their new cars for Vahana Puja (Car Worship), to ward off evil eye, receive blessings, and insure divine protection of the car, occupants and others from accidents and loss of life and limb. The priest comes out to the car in the specially marked area of the parking lot to perform the ceremony. Another extension of Arati is to plant a pole with lime-painted pot at the top in the gardens and cultivated fields to prevent and counteract evil eye. The evil eyes fall on the painted pot and not on the crops; the crops and produce are saved.
Akshatas: (unhusked barley corns) Akshta in Sanskrit means unbroken or unhusked. By tradition and convention husked rice colored with saffron and vermilion is used. There are two kinds of Akshatas: 1) colored rice consecrated by Mantra 2) simple colored grains. Mantra-infused grains are used in Pujas and special occasions. The latter in a cup is offered as a sign of politeness and auspiciousness; the invited guest takes a few grains and apply them on the forehead.
Pavitram: Filter, strainer, an article that purifies, purification by Darbha grass. Ring of darbha grass worn on the fourth finger of the right hand on religious occasions. Darbha = Kusa/Kaus grass--sacred grass; Poa cynosuroides. The officiating priest wears the Pavitram on his finger before he starts the ceremony. Darbha Pavitram is used to establish mental, moral, and spiritual purity and proper ambience in the place of worship, religious and other ceremonial functions and for meditation. Pavitrotsavam is performed to maintain the spiritual purity of the temple.
Catholics celebrate the Festival of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorating the presentation of Jesus and the purification of woman in the Temple according to the Law of Moses. The old custom is modified to 'Churching woman' which means to perform a church service of thanksgiving for a woman six weeks after childbirth. This dual function is known as Candlemas.
a church festival, February 2, in honor of the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary: candles are blessed on this day.
The presentation of Jesus (any baby) in the temple is a Jewish custom of thanksgiving to the God who dispatched an angel of Death to destroy the Egyptian first-borns and spared the Jewish first-borns.
Ex 13:1-3 1The LORD said to Moses, 2"Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal."
The first-born son belongs to God, is offered to God and redeemed with five shekalim paid to the priest, the representative of God.
Woman is considered impure for six weeks after the birth of the baby; Mary had Jesus Christ in the winter solstice and was ready for purification on February 2nd. In Hindu families, pollution lasts for forty days after the birth of a girl and thirty days in case of a boy.
The Pagan Mother Goddess becomes the Virgin back again.
(Mother Goddess has three forms: Virgin, Mother, and Crone. The Mother Goddess (Tripurasundari)
is Bala, a girl or adolescent, Tripurasundari, a Mother, and
Tripurabhairavi, a
postmenarchal crone.)
Immersion in
Hinduism and Judaism is a purificatory ceremony. Jewish brides (not all) visit
Mikva (ritual bath) a few days before their wedding; she follows this practice
monthly until her menopause. Ritual immersion takes place on the seventh day
after the end of menstruation; sexual relations can resume after such an act.
Mikva is a requirement before Sabbath. The tank (ritualarium) is a two feet
square and six feet deep, filled with 191 gallons of natural water and is part
of Synagogue or other buildings. The modern Mikva is a salon with hairdryers and
hairdressers, cosmeticians, and manicurists on call. A woman must present
herself to Mikva site, completely scrubbed and cleaned with bare clean skin and hair
with no jewelry. All body parts including hair on the head must come into
contact with purifying water. Three dips are required. While standing in the
water after the first good dip, the woman recites the Immersion Blessing:
Thou
be praised, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His
commandments and commanded us concerning the immersion." This
is the Mantra of the Jews.
Among Christians, water baptism is equal to spirit baptism and rebirth.
Baptism is a ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church. RHD
Baptism is repentance, immersion in the name of Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
All of the above indicate that all cultures believe in physical and spiritual purity before they approach God and water is the great purifier.
Yagnopavitam or Sacred thread ceremony and Gayatri
Coming back to Hinduism, all ceremonies need initial purification; the sacred Thread (yagnopavitam or âßø--Punnul in Tamil) ceremony (Yajnopavita Samskara, Pavitra Aropahanam--Upanayanam of the Brahmin boys is one example. The cord has three strands, which stand for Cit, Acit, and Isvara; three knots represent the trilateral relationship of these three Tattvas; each strand has nine filaments, which represent Prithvi (earth), aap (water), tejas (light), vayu (air), ether, prana (breath), atman (individual soul), antaratman (Inner Soul), Paramatman (Supreme Atman, God). The cord is made of cotton hand picked by a Brahmin of the same sect and spun into the sacred thread. Once the Brahmin boy is married, six to nine strands take the place of three strands. The three strands with mandatory knots indicate that he has gained control over his body, mind and speech. The ceremony is Upanayanam, a purificatory rite by which the young Brahmin boy (some other castes too) is purified, attains a second birth, and is allowed to study Vedas. It takes place 8 years after conception for a Brahmin, 11 years for a Ksatriya (warrior class) and 12 years for a Vaisya (trade and agriculture). The day following the ceremony witnesses the investiture of the cord.
During the ceremony, the boy's mother wraps a loincloth around his waist and gives him the following advice.
My son, you should regard all woman up to the age of 24 as your mother; you should maintain celibacy, study sacred scriptures, and meditate on Gayatri Mantra which will be given to you today. May the Universal Mother Gayatri give you protection.
The Guru invests him with the sacred thread and chants the Mantra.
This holy thread is of Supreme sacredness. Prajapatis (primary progenitors) have blessed this thread. Wearing it over your body and shoulder confers longevity. The Yajnopavitam (sacred thread) will endow you with strength and radiance.
This ceremony of initiation and investiture gives him the privilege of second birth and thus makes him the twice-born (Dvija) at the age of eight, which in essence tells him that a transformation has come upon him rendering him eligible to study Vedas, the revelations. The three threads and or knots stand for many triunes or triads: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva; Sarasvati, Lakshmi, and Kali; the three attributes of nature and people, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas; three letters of Om, A, U, M; past, present and future; three states of the body, gross, subtle and causal; three states of consciousness, wakefulness, dream sleep and deep sleep; three worlds, heaven, earth and netherworld; three Nadis, Ida, Pingala and Susumna and three feet of Gayatri. The three important Nadis in the body are Susumna, the most important and the other two, Pingala (right) and Ida (left) Nadis. Kundalini Devi along with Prana rises through Susumna Nadi to reach Sahasrara Chakra for union with Siva. Kundalini Power. Since ego is sacrificed, the thread derives its name from Yajna (Sacrifice) and is called Yajnopavita.
The Brahmana boy wears white cotton thread; the Ksatriya, red hemp; Vaisya, yellow wool. White Cotton may satisfy all.
(Brahmachari [student bachelor] wears one set of three strands; Grahastha, (householder) two sets of 3 strands; Vanaprastha (forest recluse), three sets of three strands; and Sannyasi (the renouncer), one or four sets.) The thread is worn on the left shoulder and goes diagonally to the right side of the chest under the right arm: this pattern of wear is Upavita, which (the lower loop) should not descend below the navel line or ascend above the nipple line. The thread should be hung over the right ear while answering calls of nature, so that it is kept pure. Praciniviti: The sacred thread hangs over the right shoulder and under the left arm, when the Brahmana performs libations (Tarpanam) to forefathers (pitrs). Niviti: The sacred thread is worn on the neck like a chain or garland when he performs Tarpanas for human beings.
Tarpana = libations of water to gods, rishis and manes; satiation of gods and deceased persons.
The priest dons him with the thread and gives him the Gayatri Mantra. The affair is more elaborate than what I mentioned here. The young initiate goes to beg for food, while the fire of Yajna continues. He approaches woman and says, "Om bhavati bhikshaam dehi." (O good woman, please give me alms (food.) To the male donor he says, Om bhavaan bhiksaam dehi." Once the alms are given, the recipient says, "Om Svasti." Svasti = may it be well with thee.
The primary knot is Brahmagranthi, the knot of Brahma. There are three Granthis (Junctional points, Knots, Junctions, hurdles): Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra Granthis. Granthis are equated to the levels of consciousness. Brahma Granthi of Muladhara (and Svadhistana and Manipura) Chakra is physical consciousness; Vishnu Granthi of Anahata Chakra is the Sphere of the Sun and therefore of Light, the beginning of Spiritual Consciousness; The Rudra Granthi of Ajna Chakra is the sphere of the Moon, the center of Spiritual Consciousness. The Brahmana boy with his initiation, study and practice of kundalini Yoga goes from human consciousness, strives towards spiritual consciousness and blossoms out in spiritual consciousness.
The thread is exchanged for a new one once every four months and in case of death or birth in the family with attendant purificatory rites. The old thread is removed after the new one is in place.
Pavitram is the centerpiece of many ceremonies: Garbhadana, pregnancy ceremony; (Nāma karma, naming ceremony 12 days after the birth; Anna prasana, weaning ceremony at 6 months of age (Judaism: A great feast was held when Isaac was weaned at two years of age; that is late weaning!); Chaula, head-shaving ceremony; Simanta, purificatory ceremony of parting the hair of woman at 6-8 weeks of pregnancy.
Vaidika Gayatri:
tatsavitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo nah
prachodayāt—
Gayatri is three feet long with eight syllables in each.
Om = AUM (Brahman, the One, Supreme God or Atman)
Bhur-bhuvah-svah = earth, atmosphere, and heaven
tat = that (referring to Savitri, God)
savitur = sun
varenyam = adore
Bhargo = radiance, splendor
devasya = divine
dhīmahi = meditate
Dhiyo = intellect
yo = who
na = ours
prachodayāt = beg, entreat, ask for
Om earth, atmosphere, and heaven, we meditate on the divine splendor of the radiant sun. We plead with Him to inspire our intelligence (author's translation).
Sandya
(junctional [transitional time zones] prayers—sunrise,
The presiding deity of deities, Gayatri is Supreme Brahman (Paramatma), Devi, Vishnu, the Sun, or Saguna Brahman. It is suitable for all asramas. The seven Rishis, Visvamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvaja, Gautama, Atri, Vasistha, and Kasyapa are the seers of the seven rhythms or vyāhrtis. Vyahrtis: mystic utterances. In relation to Gayatri, Bhur, Bhuvah and Svah (earth, atmosphere, and heaven--the cosmic space between the sun and the polar star.) are three of the seven Vyahritis or Lokas (worlds) of the cosmos. (The Vyahritis are Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah, Mahar, Janar, Tapar and Satya.) The presiding lesser deities are Agni (Fire god), Vayu (Wind god), Savitr (sun god), Brhaspati (the celestial Guru), Varuna (the god of waters), Indra (the chief of gods), and Visva deva (the Cosmic Deity). The seven lines in the following invocation depict the seven worlds and planes of existence with their respective presiding deities, all of whom are under one Supreme Diety, the Cosmic Purusa. The deities are invoked to help us attain the higher spiritual worlds in their domain and realization.
Gayatri Mantra is adapted to eulogize and invoke many other deities: Ganesa, Vishnu, Siva, Rama, Krishna, Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Sakti, Sun, and Guru.
Sandhyopaasanaa (sandhyopasana) = sandhya + upaasanaa = junctional time + worship. Junction = morning, noon and evening; worship at dawn, noon and dusk. Sandhyaavandana (sandhyavandana) = sandhya + vandana. Vandana = adoration.
Gayatri Nyasa are of two types: Karanyāsa and Anganyāsa. Karanyāsa is touching by fingers and palms in various places and meditating on planets and celestials. Anganyāsa is perceiving God or Goddess in different parts of the body. It helps in meditating on different Chakras located in different parts of the body. Each part of the body presided by a deity protects that part of the body. After Anganyasa, the whole body is suffused with divine energy which radiates and purifies wherever he goes. In Karanyasa the grace and blessings flow out of the hands and fingers of the Guru.
Karam = hand; Anga = body parts.
The palm and the fingers are a book by themselves. Different disciplines see their own cartogram in the lines, whorls, loops, and arches. The five fingers represent ether, air, fire, water, and earth (Mahabhutas or great elements). Thumb is Brahma; Index finger, Ego; middle finger, Sattva Guna; the ring finger, Rajasic Guna; the fifth finger, Tamasic Guna.
Venus occupies the base of the thumb; Jupiter, the base of index finger; Saturn, the base of the middle finger; Apollo, the base of the ring finger; and Mercury , the base of the fifth finger. The space between the base of the thumb (Thenar eminence) to the wrist is Venus Mount. The opposite hypothenar eminence is the Mount of the Moon. Between the two eminences is the cup of the palm, the region of Rahu; Ketu is between the Mount of Moon and the Mount of Venus. There are two regions of Mars: one between Mercury and Apollo and the other between Venus and Jupiter.
Some examples of Karanyasa, invocation of deities and religious finger gestures and positions done with right and left fingers at the same time and palms.
These are based on Gayati Mantra.
tat savitur varenyam = THAT Light (sun) adore
bhargo devasya dhīmahi = Splendor divine meditate
dhiyo yo nah prachodayāt = Intelligence who our inspires
Here is the Gayatri Nyasa as done during Sandhyavandana.
Invocation of deities in fingers and palms.
Submitting to the power of Vishnu, bring the thumb over the index fingers forming circles. The thumbs overlaps the index fingers in this procedure forming two circles, as the chanter invokes Lord Vishnu in the index fingers (for protection).
varenyam. visnvātmane tarjanībhyām namah.
Tarjana = threatening finger (index finger).
Varenyam. Salutations to the Supreme Soul Vishnu, whom I adore and invoke in the two index fingers.
Overlapping the thumbs over the middle fingers forming a circle, the chanter invokes Rudra-Siva in the middle fingers.
Following the same procedure, the Sandhyavandana chanter invokes Transcendental principle in his ring fingers and Lord of wisdom in the fifth fingers.
The chanter brings the right palm over the left palm and later the back of the right palm over the back of the left palm and invokes the all-pervading God on both sides of his palms.
(By invoking the deities in the fingers and palms, the chanter surrenders himself to the deities, who are the protectors of the fingers, palms and their functions. Now you know why the pianists, violinists, surgeons, typists, flutists, computer users and others need to do this invocatory gestures to protect their fingers and palms and the whole body. If they would do this, our soldiers may have less problems with loss of limb and life.
Now we come to Anga Nyasa, invocation of deities in body parts for protection.
Anga Nyasa (taction of body parts) is application of ritual taction over the heart, forehead, crown, shoulder with the right or appropriate hand.
Touch the Anahata (heart) Center and chant,
Om. tat savitur. Brahmatmane hrdayaaya namah.
Om that Savituh. Brahmah in my heart, salutations.
(I meditate on that Light of lights and creator Brahma in my heart. Salutations.) Presto Chango! your heart is now protected.
In like manner, the chanter meditates, touches and asks for protection of the forehead from Lord Vishnu, the crown from Rudra, the shoulders from Tattvas, and the eyes from the Light of lights. He invokes God for the third eye of wisdom and touches between the two eyebrows. He places his opposed palms above the head, and expels evil vibrations by saying 'phat' and simultaneously clapping four times. phat = onomatopoeic mystical syllable; begone, crack, get lost.
Now let us explore the inner mystical meaning of Gayatri. Sandyavandanam is chanted with Om preceding each word of Gayatri with Pranayama (breath control).
Om = The universe of sound, the word of God.
Om Bhūh = God is eternal.
Om Bhuvah = God is the creator.
Om Svah = God is independent.
Om Mahah = God is worthy of worship
Om Janah = God has no beginning.
Om Tapah = God is the Light of Wisdom.
Om Satyam = God is Truth.
Om Tat = That Eternal God.
Savitur = Creative principle of Light manifesting through sun.
Varenyam = Supreme God adored by all gods.
Bhargo = That Light is splendor and effulgence.
Devasya = That Light is Divine.
Dhīmahi = We meditate (he is the object of meditation.)
Dhiyo = Intellect
Yo = who
Nah = our
Pracodayāt = inspire
Om Āpo = Om waters (He who rescues us from the karmic waters.) (Here is a scientific thought; Karmic waters is Causal Ocean from where life originated. Life on earth is not a dandy bed of roses. Rescue from life of bodily misery [from birth, old age and death; from colds to cancers--all ills of the body and not of our soul] is the goal of life on earth. Yogis know what heaven is: Life of Bliss in Spirit with pristine soul and without the putrid-prone body.)
Jyotih = He who is the Light of lights.
Raso = He who is the essence in everything.
Amrtam = He who is the nectar of immortality.
Brahma = That almighty God.
Bhūr Bhvah svar = He who is the creator of earth, atmosphere and heaven.
Om = May he inspire us with intellect and enlightenment.
Kriyas (Actions) As you chant do the accompanying actions appropriate to the Mantra.
Om = The universe of sound, the word of God. Say the mantra and touch the appropriate part of the palm and fingers. ipsilateral = same side). phalanx: finger bone separated by the crease(s). distal = the third phalanx away from the palm. proximal =