All that is visible shines as Gayathri, for Vaak is Gayathri
and all objects or Bhuthas are Vaak, indicated by Vaak and
subsumed in Vaak. Vaak is speech or sound. It is Vaak that
describes them, it is Vaak that declares them and it is Vaak that
denotes them. All objects are also of the World or Prithvi.
Nothing can go beyond it. This world is the body of Man; he cannot
leap out of his body. There is the Prana that sustains him; breath
or the Prana is inside the Hridaya or "Heart". And, the Prana
cannot move outside and beyond the Hridaya.
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 the 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 splendour-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 (Jagath, 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 Purushadharma? Not even the most
diligent search will now reveal a fraction of it! As the ancient
Rishi said:
Samdhyaa heeno suchirnithyamanathas sarva karmasu
Yad anyath kuruthe karmo no thasya phala bhaag bhaveth
That is to say, when the twice-born gives up the
Sandhya-worship, he falls into perdition; so say all the Smrithis.
Those who neglect the Sandhyaa-worship have no right for any other
type of ritual. It is because the sages of ancient times performed
the Sandhya-worship for many years that they acquired long life,
fame, glory, wisdom and the splendour of Divinity; this is
mentioned by Manu also. Therefore, from whatever point of view we
consider, no Brahmin can deserve that status if he does not
meditate on the Gayathri.
Of course what is meant by Brahmin in this context is the man
who has realised 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 realising 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 toil.
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 Noon-time 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 realised 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 Samdhya, 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 Samdhya 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: 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 armour 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 the 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 splendour? Can sorrow prevail, when we have infused
ourselves with that effulgence? How can we be devoid of strength,
the strength derived from the very fountain-head 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
Gayas, or Pranas or the Indriyas, beginning with Vaak. Besides, it
is said "Gaayaantham 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 realise
it, unaided.
Dharma imbued with such deep mysteries, is today rationalised
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!