Gayatri Mantram - an Unknown Fact

Many of our friends with upanayanam may give wonderful statements like - “ We are into meditation you see.... and when we get instant result in that, then what is the use of Sandhyavandanam and sprinkling some water?

"This is the Kali yuga" and thats my only answer for this statement.. Iam not ready to tell anything more...

For those who do Sandhyavandanam regularly - please read this... this may be useful....

Iam not detailing the sandhyavandhanam part here and coming directly to Gayatri.

The Gayatri chanting part is the central part of the Sandhyavandanam.

na gAyatryAH parO mantraH na mAtu daivatam param

There is no mantra superior to gAyatri, neither is there a form of God superior to one's mother

Gayatri is a most sacred japam that can activate twenty four spots of the human body in the subtle plane. Thats why it is said that a person need not do any sadhna if he does gayatri.

Gayatri Mantra is extolled by one and all . It is a simple and small mantra but with  huge  benefits

Gayatri is a Maha mantra. But please note....

'mananaat trAyatE iti mantraH' (it protects through meditation).

In other word Gayatri should be contemplated silently thinking inwards. It loses its potency if chanted loud or sung with any raga....  Only time Gayatri is chanted loud is during the Ahuti in the yagna

And it is a sin to 'sing' Gayatri using any ragas! (Singers like Anuradha Paudwal please excuse me... Its Shastra... so you MUST follow it....)

Now... coming to our subject..

Each mantra is has a Rishi (who gave us the mantra), a specific Chandas and the Devata(to whom the mantra is dedicated ). This is symbolically represented by touching the head while chanting the Rishi's Name (placing his feet on our head), touching the nose when we recite the chandas (no life without breath - similarly there is no life to the mantra without Chandas); then touching the heart for Devata's name(meditate the deity in our heart)

The most famous Gayatri mantram as "discovered" or meditated upon my Sage Vishvamitra. Gayathri refers also to a Chandas - meter

The word chandas also means the meter of vedic poetry . There are different typs of Chandas for each sloka or veda mantra

Depending on the number of syllables in each of the paadas, we have different meters :-

anushtup (8 syllables)

brihati (9),

pankti (10),

trishtup (11 )

ushnik (4 paadas of 7 syllable each = 28 syllables) -like that up to even 26 syllables to a paada. (Any meter beyond 26 syllables to a paada, is called dandakam.)

Now coming to our Gayatri... there is a Chandas itself by named Gayatri -  and Our Gayatri Mantra has three paadas of 8 syllables each; the meter itself is known as gayatri since it has 24 syllables;

The chandas is vital and should be respected while reciting vedic mantras. Chandas helps us to ensure the form of the Mantra (by meter count). No alteration to this can be attempted since it would disturb the spiritual significance of the mantra itself!

However, there is a slight change in the Gayatri mantram itself... thats what Iam trying to convey here...

I was really surprised that even eminent scholars were not aware of this change and when I discussed this subject with them only 1-2% of people were aware of this fact and only a handful of them were practicing it correctly...

The well known statement is "ChathurvimsathyaksharA GaayathrI " (There should be 24 aksharams in GaayathrI). The rules of Chandas permit one aksharam less for variations (so 24 minus 1 =23). When it is 23, it is called nicruth GaayathrI.

Remember - the chandas for regular gayatri japa is 'nichrut gayatri' which is one syllable short of 'gayatri' chandas. ie 23 aksharams and Not 24...

'Saavitria Rishi: Viswamitra:, 

nichruth Gayatri chanda: 

Savita Devata, Gayatri jape viniyogah :'

So the main focus is the pronounciation of 'varENyaM' in the part  ".tat savitur varenyam" (tat-sa-vi-tur = 4 plus 3 syllables va-re-nyam). So onthe whole the regular Gayatri Japam is nicruth GaayathrI.with 23 letters

But please note while doing Argya Pradhanam its regular Gayatri Chandas and Not nicruth GaayathrI. ie 24 lettered and and Not 23 lettered.
So.... for gayatri argyam - the mantra has to be pronounced as 'varENiyaM' (4 syllables va-re-ni-yam) and not as varENyaM.

So, Gayatri ought to be chanted as 'varENyaM' only during the japa since the chandas explicitly stated during the invocation is 'nic^Rit gAyatrI'.  During the 'arghyapradaanam' one should say varENiyaM.

Thus , the GaayathrI (GaaythrI manthram used for Argyam) has "varENiyam " with an extra aksharam and the total counts up to 24 aksharams .

The other one with " VarENyam " becomes 23 in count and is permitted as Gaayathri Japam


May Gayatri, the Mother of Vedas, bestow on us right understanding, pure intellect, right conduct and right thinking !

Garuda Puranam

Swami Saranam,

Some one asked me about above book, Iam not aware,Can we keep and

read garuda puranam at home?? what is the meaning of Garuda Purnam?? I

heard its related to soul etc., if you dont mind if you have

information regarding what happens to the soul after it leaves the

body...

Regards

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The Garuda Purana is one of the eighteen Puranas. It is actually structured like any other normal purana - explains the glory of the Lord and the creation etc etc. 

Since it is in the form of dialog between Mahavishnu and Garuda it is named as Garuda Purana.

And it is a misconception that this book should be read only during the occasion of any death in the house. We have made our own ideas regarding various texts - like reading Mahabharata. Since Mahabharat has tales of war and killings, people think that it may bring disharmony and fights to the household.  

Similar is the case with Garuda Purana. It is wrong to say that one should not keep Garuda Purana at home. The entire epic is in the form of wonderful conversation between Garuda and Lord Vishnu regarding the meaning of human life. The Lord explains the life of the soul after death. Because the epic deals with death, people blindly say that Garuda Purana should not be kept at home. It is only a myth. One can very well  keep this book at home.

And many consider it unlucky to read this text except during unfavorable occasions. If that is the case and why Vyasa has listed this book as one among the Puranas ? Please understand that all the Puranas are fit for Parayanam and certain texts specially suit certain occasion. Thats all.

Garuda Purana is a more a scientific book of facts than a book of religious preachings.  

He, who takes birth, shall have to die. He, Who dies, shall have to take birth. This is law of Nature. Death is a a natural process that nobody can avoid. A section of Garuda Purana deals with process connected with death, the ritual and detailed description of the journey of the departed soul. 

The reason behind the rituals we do and their esoteric significance are also explained. For example the donation we give - The first object that should be donated is an umbrella (chhatra).  On the way to Yama’s abode, the preta has to pass long stretches where there is no shade at all and the sun shines very brightly.  If an umbrealla is donated , it can be held over the preta’s head as it is taken Yama’s abode.  The preta suffers less.  The second object that should be donated is a pair of sandals (paduka).   There is a possiblbility that the preta may land up in asipatravana naraka.  If you  remember, there the sands are very hot and sinners have to dash over the hot sands to a cool grove that is in the centre of the hell.  If sandals are donated, the preta does not have to walk over these hot sands, but gets to ride a horse.  The third object that should be donated is a seat (asana).  If a seat is donated, the preta gets enough food to eat as it is taken to Yama.  The fourth object that should be donated is a water-pot  (kamandalu).  If a water-pot is donated, the preta does not suffer from lack of drinking water on the journey.  The fifth object that should be donated is clothing (vastra).  If clothing is donated, Yama’s messengers do not torture the preta on the journey.  The sixth object that should be donated is a ring (mudrika).  If a ring is donated, Yama’s messengers allow the preta to travel at his own pace.  They do not rush him and goad him to travel fast.  The benefits of whatever is donated percolate through to the preta himself.  Sometimes they directly reach the preta.

According to merits earned by the departed soul, his life after death is decided. The travel of the dead person to the other lokaas in a different body is explained in Garuda Purana in detail. The yathra to Yama loka is described. After reaching Yama loka one's Papa and Punya are evaluated. Yama then gives the jeeva a new body called yaathanaa sharira - that is a body for suffering. (There are twenty eight different punishments for the sins one is committing in this world.. It also explains the different kinds of Sins which lead to different Hell. Iam not listing it here... If our readers are interested let me know I shall list it)

In this Yaathana Saharira - body which is meant for suffering, one has to suffer for the sins committed.

To put it simple -  the soul of a true bhaktha reach the abode of their ishta devatha after the death. For all others who have committed punya and paapa go to swarga and narakaa to enjoy for punyaa and suffer for paapaa respectively.

After that enjoyments and suffering... they take another birth in this mundane world and again enter into the cycle of Karma and start doing paapa and punya. This cycle is never ending; 

The law of Karma is very well established here and it tells - what janma a person, gets for his sins... So no one can escape from his own actions. Each action is having equal and opposite reaction

(The list is elaborate for each karma - example : Who deceives a friend becomes a mountain-vulture; who cheats in selling becomes an owl... the list goes on and on. Again Iam not detailing it here)

This is what is explained in Garuda Purana...

Great punya is acquired from reading or hearing the Garuda Purana. So by reading Garuda Purana one gets mental clarity and gets a chance to purify himself and help to cross over the ocean of existence !

The person who reads or hears this purana, is guaranteed happiness in this world and also the next world. This gives the true knowledge. And so Garuda Purana is a text which should be revered and not ignored or feared