The Gayathri
has four feet and six categories. The categories are: Vaak,
Bhutha, Prithvi, Sariram, Prana and
Hridaya - Speech, Objects, World, Body, Breath, and Heart. The
Purusha that is extolled by this Gayathri is indeed
exalted, sacred, glorious. All this objective multiplicity, as has
been said, is but a fraction of his body. The number and nature,
the measure and meaning of the objects or bhuthas are
beyond understanding; yet all this is but a quarter of His
Magnificence. The other three quarters are His Effulgent immortal
Form.
It is impossible to
grasp the mystery of that splendor filled Form. This Purusha
indicated by the Gayathri is indeed referred to as
Brahmam. He is the Aakaasa, beyond the comprehension of
man; He is spoken of as, "Bahir dhapurushaakaasah." This is
the mark of the waking stage; that Purusha is the
Aakaasa, inside the personality of man. He is "Antah
Purushaakaasah". That is the mark of the "dream stage". He is
the Aakaasa inside the Hridaya of man. He fills it
and fulfils it; that is the "deep sleep stage". Whoever knows this
Truth attains Fullness and Brahmam. That is to say, he who
knows the Three Avasthas of wakefulness, dream and deep
sleep (Jagrath, Swapna and Sushupthi) is
himself Brahmam. How ridiculous is it that man, known as
Purusha, bearing the name of this Atmaswarupa should
become the repository of egoism and consequent impurity, busy in
the unholy pursuit of injustice! How calamitous! At least for
being known even today as a "Purusha", man should try to
practice the path that will endow him with an atom of that Glory.
Then, what to speak
of Purushadharma? How can Purushas who have not
cared to earn even the infinitesimal glory of the Primal
Purusha be expected to practice Purusha Dharma? Not
even the most diligent search will now reveal a fraction of it! As
the ancient Rishi said:
Of course what is
meant by Brahmin in this context is the man who has
realized the Brahmathathva and who has purified himself by
the practice of the Brahmopasana, the ceaseless
contemplation of the Brahmam. This has nothing to do with
caste and even religion. But, those who have inherited the name
Brahmin have a special responsibility in adhering to the
Sandhya worship and the Gayathri.
What exactly is
Sandhya? Sam means well and dhya is derived from
dhyan and so Sandhya refers to the proper dhyana
or intense meditation on the Lord. It means concentration on the
Godhead. To fix the mind on God, the activities have to be
controlled. For, success in that process of control one should
overcome the handicaps of the Gunas, the Sathwa, the
Rajas and the Thamas. When these faces of natural
impulse predominate and try to direct along their channels, one
must pray to God to negate their pull. That is the first duty of
the man who strives towards God. It is the rule of nature, that
the morning is the period of Sathwic quality, the "noon" of
Rajasic nature and the "evening" hour of dusk of
Thamasic nature. At dawn, the mind is awakened from the
comfort of sleep liberated from agitations and depressions and so,
the mind is calm and clear. At that time, in that mental
condition, the dhyana of the Lord is very fruitful, as
everyone knows. This is the reason why the Praathah-Sandhya
is prescribed. But ignorant of the significance, men continue
doing the ritual in a blind mechanical way, simply because the
ancients have laid down the rule. The second duty of man is to
perform the Sandhya-worship, after realizing the inner and
deeper meaning of the same.
As day progresses,
man is infused with the Rajoguna, the active effortful
nature, and he enters the field of daily work and toll. Before he
takes his noonday food, he is directed to meditate on the Lord
again and to dedicate the work as well as the fruit derived
through it, to the Lord Himself. He can start eating only after
this act of devotion and grateful remembrance. This is the meaning
of the Maadhyahnikam, the Noontime worship. By observing
this ritual, Rajoguna is kept in check and it is
overpowered by Sathwa nature. This is the third duty of all
men.
Then, man is
possessed by a third nature; the Thamas; when evening
descends, he hurries home and eats his fill and sleep overpowers
him. But, there is one duty still awaiting him. To eat and sleep
is the fate of idlers and drones. When the worst of the gunas,
the Thamas, threatens to rule, man must make a special
effort to escape its coils by resorting to prayer, in the company
of those who extol the Lord, reading about the glory of God, the
cultivation of good virtues, and purposeful nursing of good rules
of conduct. This is the evening Sandhya-vandanam, which is
prescribed.
Therefore, the mind
that emerges from the vacancy of sleep has to be properly trained
and counseled; it must be made to feel that the bliss of Dhyana
and the joy of being unaware of the outer world are much grander
and more lasting than the comfort one gets by means of the daily
dose of physical sleep. This bliss, this joy can be felt and
realized by all; discrimination will bring this home to you. This
is the fourth duty of man.
The man who, so long
as he has life in him, observes the thrice a day Sandhya,
is indeed of the highest type: he is ever glorious; he attains all
that he desires. Above all, he is liberated, even while alive; he
is jeevanmuktha.
Care must be taken
to see that the Sandhya is not taken as a routine ritual,
one among many laid down for observance. This is to be carried
out, aware of the significance, dwelling on the inner meaning. One
should clearly grasp the sense of the Gayathri Manthra. It
is necessary to feel the identity between that Effulgent Being,
the Atmaswarupa, mentioned therein and oneself. It is only
those who are ignorant of its meaning that will neglect the
Gayathri.
Manu lays special
stress on just this: why he has declared the Gayathri is
the very life-breath of the Brahmin. It is not his declaration
only; it is the Truth. What is more efficient for spiritual uplift
than Dhyana on the Effulgence that illumines and feeds the
Intellect of Man? What is more vitally fruitful than the prayer,
which pleads for saving the mind from sin-ward tendencies?
For man, there is no
better armor than the cultivation of virtues. Manu states that the
Brahmin will not lose his status-so long as he holds on to
the Gayathri and is inspired by its meaning; he says that,
if he is too weak to pursue the study of the Vedas, he must
at least recite the Gayathri and adhere to it, till the
very end. The Smrithi too says that there is no treasure
richer than the Gayathri.
Soul-force can
.accomplish all thc tasks of the world; and since--the Gayathri:
confers inner strength to foster that force, it has to be
cultivated with care at the right moment, without neglect. For the
growth and development of the body pure Sathwic food is very
necessary, is it not? So also, the effulgence of the Sun has to be
drawn, to reinforce the inner effulgence of man in the form of
Bhaavana, or creative imagination.
When soul-force
waxes, the senses too are activated and directed along fruitful
lines. When it wanes, the senses fail and fail you. So, if the
solar energy is drawn at that very juncture, it will be as seeds
planted in season, the harvest is assured. Can darkness hide and
confuse when the sun has risen and bathed the earth in splendor?
Can sorrow prevail, when we have infused ourselves with that
effulgence? How can we be devoid of strength, the strength derived
from the very fountainhead of Brahman? The technique of
this process has been laid down by the ancients, for the benefit
of all aspirants. Learn and practice it; by your own experience,
you will be able to witness the Truth of their path.
Of what purpose is
the Upanayana sacrament? Which is the Manthra that
you are initiated into that day? Why has that Manthra alone
to be taught then? Why are other mystic formulae not given equal
prominence? Reflect on these matters and then you will find that
the Gayathri is the Monarch of Manthras. You will
also find the rituals shining with a new meaning, the rituals and
restrictions full of purpose; the deeds and activities of the
ancients will seem worth while. If you do not try to know the
significance, you will interpret them as your fancy leads and land
yourselves in tricks and stratagems, to escape the obligations of
life. You will be caught in injustice and negation, Anyaya
and Adharma.
Well, what is the
real meaning of the word Gayathri? Does any one try to know
it today? The word is taken to mean either a Goddess or a formula.
Gayathri is that which protects (Thra) the Gaya-s,
or Pranas or the Indriyas, beginning with Vaak.
Besides, it is said, "Gaayantham thraayathe yasmaad gayathri,
thena thathyathe." That is to say that which saves those who
sing it, or revere it and repeat it or meditate on it is called
Gayathri. It is this sacred Manthra that transformed a
Rajarshi like Viswamithra into Brahmarshi. The
Vedamaatha, the mother that is the Veda, will confer
all boons on all those who worship Her. That Goddess is described
in glorious terms in Brahmanas and in the Dharmasuthras:
if you understand these clearly, you can realize it, unaided.
Dharma
imbued with such deep mysteries, is today rationalized and
interpreted willfully in various paltry senses, that is the reason
why the decline of Dharma has come about. So, it is
imperative to revive Sanathana Dharma and the principles of
interpretation natural to the Atmic Truth, which is the
basis of Dharma. Otherwise, the meaning will be changed out
of all recognition and the whims of individuals will prevail.
Every act will be stamped as Dharma whatever its nature!