om bhūrbhuvaĥ svaĥ tat saviturvareņyam bhargo devasya dhīimahi,
dhiyo yo naĥ prachodayāt.
Translation:
Om, we become aware of the three
planes in us.
On the excellent splendour
Of the adorable deva savitr, we
meditate;
May He activate our thoughts towards
wisdom.
Explanation:
The first line in the mantra has the three words bhūĥ, bhuvaĥ
and svaĥ standing respectively for the three worlds or
planes of consciousness in each one of us. The three planes are
the plane of physical matter bhūĥ, the plane of
life-energies or prāņa called bhuvaĥ and the plane
of mental energies and the higher spiritual intelligence called
svar or svaĥ. We should become conscious or aware of
the three planes in us at first.
The next three lines beginning with
tat savitur is addressed to the deva savitŗ, the
spiritual sun.
The Sun, Savitr, is not the physical
sun we see in the skies, but the supreme Effulgence in the highest
firmament above, beyond the lower triple creation. The physical
sun is indeed taken as the image of the Truth-Sun, the Centre of
all Knowledge and radiating Power. It is the radiance issuing from
the Supreme Source in which is massed all the creative movement of
the Uncreate that is the ultimate root of all movements in the
creation. Let that Light motivate and energise our
thought-movements, says the Rishi.
In the Vedic times, the worship of
murthies or idols seem to be absent. In the later times. Savitr
was represented as a Goddess, sometimes with one face, sometimes
with six faces sitting on a lotus or standing on the waters, the
standard symbol of Divine energies. One pair of her hands have
conch shankha and the wheel chakra symbolising the creation
by the Word. The second pair carries the mace and the axe
representing her forces to battle the demons. In another pair, she
carries the bowl of madhu, the wine of Delight, ananda, the
secret of creation. Another pair display her benediction to
all her devotees.
The importance of the mantra is
discussed in some detail in the Brihadaaranyka Upanishad (5.14)
and (6.3.6).
Variants of the Main Mantra:
Some persons belonging to the
Krişhņa Yajur Veda replace the word svaĥ by suvaĥ.
Hence the first line reads: om
bhūrbhuvassuvaĥ.
In some booklets, the word
vareņyam is replaced by vareņīyam, with the reason that
by making this modification, the mantra tat savitur will
have exactly 24 symbols. But the Rig Veda Samhita states that the
metre is nichrit gāyatri, i.e. the number of syllables is
less than 24. But all the elaborate error correcting methods of
chanting of Rig Veda (3.62.10), called aşhţa vikratis
declare that the correct word is vareņyam.
Source:
The original text of the three lines beginning with tat savitur
is from the Rig Veda Samhita RV (3.62.10), third maņala, 62nd
Sūkta and tenth verse. It is also in Sama Veda 1462, Shukla Yajur
Veda Samhitā (3.35), (22.9), (30.2), and (36.3), Krşhņa Yajur Veda
Samhitā or Taittirīya Samhitā (1.5.6.4), (4.1.11.1).All the 4
lines beginning with bhurbhuvah is in Shukla YV 36.3 and
Krişhņa YV (4.1.11.1).
The main mantra (extended gāyatrī)
om bhūĥ. om bhuvaĥ. om suvaĥ.
om mahaĥ. om janaĥ, om tapaĥ, om
satyam.
om tatsavitur vareņyam bhargo
devasya dhīmahi,
dhiyo yo naĥ prachodayāt,
om āpo jyotī raso amŗtam brahma
bhūrbhuvaĥ suvarom.
Translation
Om Earth, Om mid-world, Om Heaven
Om the realm of wisdom, Om happiness
world,
Om the world of askesis, Om abode of
Truth.
Om may we meditate on the Adorable
Light of that Divine
Generator who energies our
consciousness.
Om He is water, light, flavour,
ambrosia and also the three worlds.
He who is denoted by praņava
is all these. |
