Commentary on Gāyatrī Mantra
by Śrī Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhar dev Goswāmī
Founder-ācārya of Śrī Caitanya Saraswata Maṭha
Originally published in "Guardian of Devotion"
by Guardian of Devotion Press, 1985
by Bhakti Sudhira Goswami and Bhakti Vidhan Mahāyogī
What is the meaning of Gayatri? It means in Sanskrit, ganat trayate, a particular kind of song which gives us salvation, relief and emancipation.” Gayatri is known as the mother of the Vedas and Gayatri has produced the whole Veda.
If we examine the Vedic conclusion from its most condensed aphorism to its most extensive expression we shall find that it begins with oṁkara, the Vedic syllable Om.
ॐ
Om
That truth is expressed as the gāyatrī mantra, then it appears in the form of the Vedas and then as the Vedānta. Finally it is given its fullest expression in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Since the meaning, the purpose of Vedic knowledge progresses in this line, the gāyatrī mantra must contain within it the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
In other words, a close look at the inner meaning of gayatri will give us the purport of the Bhagavata Purāna itself. The first emanation of divine sound is the transcendental syllable Om.
Then comes the Gāyatrī, the Vedas, the Vedānta-Sūtra and then finally, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam – the mature fruit of all Vedic conclusions.
What is the purport of the gāyatrī mantra then? It is the Kṛṣṇa conception of Reality the Beautiful.
The problem is this is an esoteric meaning. It is difficult to understand the inner meaning, but it can be understood through meditation.
Then comes the Gāyatrī, the Vedas, the Vedānta-Sūtra and then finally, the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam – the mature fruit of all Vedic conclusions.
What is the purport of the gāyatrī mantra then? It is the Kṛṣṇa conception of Reality the Beautiful.
The problem is this is an esoteric meaning. It is difficult to understand the inner meaning, but it can be understood through meditation.
ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ॐ ।।
oṁ bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ, tat-savitur-varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi, dheyo yo naḥ pracodayat
The meaning, the purport of the Gāyatrī, mantra is found in the full-fledged conception of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. This Kṛṣṇa conception of Godhead is the highest. Gāyatrī must give us this meaning. How to extract the Kṛṣṇa conception from Gāyatrī?
This is the present objective placed before us. How to extract the Kṛṣṇa conception, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from within the womb of gāyatrī? The gāyatrī mantra must say that there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness within her womb and that should be drawn out.
This is the present objective placed before us. How to extract the Kṛṣṇa conception, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from within the womb of gāyatrī? The gāyatrī mantra must say that there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness within her womb and that should be drawn out.
I heard that Srila Jiva Goswami had given such a meaning somewhere, but I could not find it. I heard that he had extended the meaning of gāyatrī leading to Kṛṣṇa consciousness but I could not find his commentary written anywhere.
However, the tendency was awakened within me to understand this connection. It prompted me to draw the meaning of the gāyatrī towards Kṛṣṇa consciousness and so, I made my commentary.
The general meaning of gayatri is: “That song which grants liberation."
Now "liberation" must some positive meaning. Liberation means not only "freedom from the negative side," but "continued positive attainment."
This is the definition of mukti or liberation found in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: (मुक्तिर् हित्वन्यथा रुपं स्वरुपेन व्यवस्थितिः muktirhitvanyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih S.B. 2.10.6)
Until and unless we attain our highest possible positive position, true "liberation" is not effected.
So according to the definition above, without dedication or bhakti, there is no salvation, or mukti. Real mukti then, implies bhakti, or dedication.
According to this view, a mere withdrawal from the negative plane cannot be called "liberation." As the German philosopher Hegel said, “the object of our life is self-determination.” And self-determination is only possible through dedication.
We must determine our normal function in the organic whole--not through mere emancipation from the negative side, but with our participation in the positive function in the domain of service.
This is only possible through service in the land of dedication. This is considered to be the highest attainment for the living soul.
This is only possible through service in the land of dedication. This is considered to be the highest attainment for the living soul.
This is the true meaning of the gayatri mantra.
The word, “gayatri” comes from two Sanskrit words – ganat and trayate. Trayate means “Positive attainment to the final stage (svarupena vyavasthitih)”.
We are to take this meaning. Gānat means “Not mere sound, but musical sound.” That musical sound which grants us the highest positive deliverance indicates the sankīrtana of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the flute-song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The gayatrī mantra carries the touch of the flute of Krsna.
The word, “gayatri” comes from two Sanskrit words – ganat and trayate. Trayate means “Positive attainment to the final stage (svarupena vyavasthitih)”.
We are to take this meaning. Gānat means “Not mere sound, but musical sound.” That musical sound which grants us the highest positive deliverance indicates the sankīrtana of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the flute-song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The gayatrī mantra carries the touch of the flute of Krsna.
We find Divine Sound and music there. Now we shall analyze what is the brahma gayatri Mantra.
ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।
om bhur bhuvah svah, tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi, dheyo yo nah pracodayat
The purport of the brahma-gayatrī mantra is as follows: the first word is Oṁ.
ॐ
Oṁ
भूर्भुव: स्व:
bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ
Bhur is where we are – the world of our experience, the world of our sense perception. Bhuvah is at the back of that – our mental acquisition. The effect of our mental acquisition takes us to our present position of experience. It is not by accidental existence that we are here in this world of our experience. We have acquired such a position by our previous karma. And the area of our previous karma is called bhuvah-loka.
भूर्भुव: स्व:
bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ
Bhuvah-loka is the mental sphere.
This physical sphere is only an outcome of that mental sphere.
The present world of experience is the product of our previous mental impulses. Svaḥ means Buddhi-loka, the plane of decision-making. What to do? What not to do? What I like; what I dislike. This is called sankalpah/vikalpah. I like this; I don’t like that – this is the soil of the mental world of acceptance and rejection.
You may like to do something, but you may not do that – otherwise you will be a loser. This faculty or reason is svar-loka.
You may like to do something, but you may not do that – otherwise you will be a loser. This faculty or reason is svar-loka.
In this way, in this mundane world, there are different planes of existence – Bhur-, Bhuvah-, Svah-, Mahar-, Jana-, Tapah- and Satya-loka. The negative side has got these seven planes of life from Bhur-loka up to Satya-loka where the creator, Lord Brahma, lives. The master of the whole world of experience of the negative side lives in Satya-loka. The four Kumaras - devotees who hold high positions as saints – also reside in Satya-loka.
भूर्भुव: स्व:
bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ
These seven layers of the material world, from the gross to the subtle, are dealt with in detail in Śrīla Sanātana Goswāmī’s Bṛhad-Bhāgavatamṛtam.
The negative side, consisting of the combination of the three modes of material nature that produces this world, finishes in Satya-loka.
Then begins Viraja, the verge of the equilibrium of the negative side – the last limit of material consciousness.
And the verge of equilibrium of the positive side is Brahmāloka, the beginning of the “Land of Service” – the equipoised verge of the positive world.
The negative side, consisting of the combination of the three modes of material nature that produces this world, finishes in Satya-loka.
Then begins Viraja, the verge of the equilibrium of the negative side – the last limit of material consciousness.
And the verge of equilibrium of the positive side is Brahmāloka, the beginning of the “Land of Service” – the equipoised verge of the positive world.
Then, the world of Reality, the world of dedication and service, the soul’s world proper, begins there in Śiva-loka and continues further in the plane of Vaikuṇṭha.
The devotee Śiva, then Sri Narayana in the Vaikunthas. In this way, they develop into Kṛṣṇ-loka, Vṛndāvana.
The seven planes that are represented in the Gayatri mantra by Bhur, Bhuvah and Svah, are summarized in one word – tat.
The devotee Śiva, then Sri Narayana in the Vaikunthas. In this way, they develop into Kṛṣṇ-loka, Vṛndāvana.
तत्
tatThe seven planes that are represented in the Gayatri mantra by Bhur, Bhuvah and Svah, are summarized in one word – tat.
तत्
tat
The next word is savitur.
Savitur means Surya, the sun. Sun means figuratively, ‘that which illuminates all objects.” This – the three gross and subtle strata of the world – is shown to us by a particular light.
What is that? That is jīvātma जीवात्म– the soul.
The sun does not show us the world, but the soul’s influence does. It is not the sun, but it is really the soul that shows us this world. In Bhāgavad-gīta (13.34) we find this:
सवितुर
savitur
savitur
Savitur means Surya, the sun. Sun means figuratively, ‘that which illuminates all objects.” This – the three gross and subtle strata of the world – is shown to us by a particular light.
What is that? That is jīvātma जीवात्म– the soul.
The sun does not show us the world, but the soul’s influence does. It is not the sun, but it is really the soul that shows us this world. In Bhāgavad-gīta (13.34) we find this:
एकः कृत्स्नम् लोकम् इमम् रविः ekaḥ kṛtsnam lokam imam raviḥ:
“This world is really being expressed to us by the ātma, the soul which is just like the sun."
सवितुर
The sun can show us the colour-world, the ear can reveal the sound-world, the sense of touch can reveal the touch-world, etc. However, in the centre is the soul who gives us an understanding of the environment, the world of perception. This perception is possible only because of the soul. The soul is like the sun as it is showing everything.
सवितुर
savitur
tat savitur
तत् सवितुर्
To summarize, all these seven strata of our experience are reduced to one word, tat – that. Who is showing us “that”? The illuminator – the sun is showing us. “Sun” here means soul. The soul means not the “universal soul”, but the “individual soul”. The individual soul is the cause of the world.
“It is not that the mind is in the world, but that the world is in the mind,” said Berkeley.
The world is in the mind. Everything is also in the sun. Whatever we see – that is in the sun. The sun can show us everything. If there is no sun, then everything is dark and we cannot see anything. The soul is light, the subject, and the objects are these seven planes of experience.
If the ātma, the soul – withdraws, then everything is gone. This kind of consciousness gives birth to the path leading to Goloka.
“It is not that the mind is in the world, but that the world is in the mind,” said Berkeley.
The world is in the mind. Everything is also in the sun. Whatever we see – that is in the sun. The sun can show us everything. If there is no sun, then everything is dark and we cannot see anything. The soul is light, the subject, and the objects are these seven planes of experience.
If the ātma, the soul – withdraws, then everything is gone. This kind of consciousness gives birth to the path leading to Goloka.
वरेन्यम्
varenyam
Varenyam means pūja: worshipable, venerable and reverential. Our soul is venerable. The soul is the subject and this world is its object. However, there is another domain that is venerated and worshiped by the soul.
This is the Supersoul area.
This is the Supersoul area.
भर्गो
bhargo
Bhargo means the Super-subjective area where the Supersoul, the Super-subject resides.
Bhargo means:
धाम्ना स्वेन सदा निरस्त-कुहकम्́ सत्यम्́ परम्́ धीमहि
भर्गो
bhargo
Bhargo means:
धाम्ना स्वेन सदा निरस्त-कुहकम्́ सत्यम्́ परम्́ धीमहि
In the first verse of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it is mentioned that here we are going to deal with another world, by whose rays all misconceptions are brushed aside. In its own pristine glory, it shows the very abode of the Lord. I am talking about that world.
So, the subject is the soul, and the object is the world of mundane experience.
So, the subject is the soul, and the object is the world of mundane experience.
And the subject’s venerable area that is superior to the subject – the soul – is that Super-subjective area.
Bhargo means, “More subtle than the soul, and holding more important position than the jiva-soul.” That is the Supersoul area. Bhargo means in general, ordinary light. But, really it is the Supersoul Who can see and can show everything in more detail. Just as an x-ray can show us what the ordinary eye cannot see, so bhargo, the svarupa-śakti, the higher more powerful light, can also reveal the soul.
Then bhargo belongs to whom? It belongs to deva, pertaining to deva.
Bhargo means, “More subtle than the soul, and holding more important position than the jiva-soul.” That is the Supersoul area. Bhargo means in general, ordinary light. But, really it is the Supersoul Who can see and can show everything in more detail. Just as an x-ray can show us what the ordinary eye cannot see, so bhargo, the svarupa-śakti, the higher more powerful light, can also reveal the soul.
देवस्य
devasya
Then bhargo belongs to whom? It belongs to deva, pertaining to deva.
देवस्य
devasya
Devasya means belonging to deva. What is the meaning of deva? Deva means, “Who is very beautiful and playful.” That is Śrī Kṛṣṇa – Reality the Beautiful.
He is non-differentiated substance, but is full of līla – divine pastimes. Deva means beauty and pastimes combined. His domain is bhargo which is venerated by the jīva-soul. What is that? It is the svarupa-śakti, the vaibhava, the extension of Śrīmati Rādhārāni.
She holds the full service responsibility and energy to serve Sri Krsna. So bhargo is no less than the vaibhava, the extended body of Srimati Radharani containing everything for the service of Sri Krsna. This is the rasarāja-rahābhava conception. Bhargo represents mahābhava, the predominated moiety, and deva (Krsna) represents rasarāja, the predominating moiety.
He is non-differentiated substance, but is full of līla – divine pastimes. Deva means beauty and pastimes combined. His domain is bhargo which is venerated by the jīva-soul. What is that? It is the svarupa-śakti, the vaibhava, the extension of Śrīmati Rādhārāni.
देवस्य
devasya
She holds the full service responsibility and energy to serve Sri Krsna. So bhargo is no less than the vaibhava, the extended body of Srimati Radharani containing everything for the service of Sri Krsna. This is the rasarāja-rahābhava conception. Bhargo represents mahābhava, the predominated moiety, and deva (Krsna) represents rasarāja, the predominating moiety.
धिमहि
dhimahi
Dhimahi in the gayatri mantram means, bhargo devasya dhimahi, we are invited: "come and meditate.”
What sort of meditation is possible there in that Super-subjective area? That meditation is in the sense of culture – cultivation of service to the Higher by the practice of veneration and worship. This sort of experience is possible there.
What sort of meditation is possible there in that Super-subjective area? That meditation is in the sense of culture – cultivation of service to the Higher by the practice of veneration and worship. This sort of experience is possible there.
धिमहि
dhimahi
Dhimahi is not abstract meditation but means kṛṣṇānuṣilanam – to participate in the spontaneous flow of the current of devotion in that Super-subjective area, Vṛṇdāvana.
Dhiyo yo’ nah pracodayat – And what will be the result? The capacity of your cultivation will be increased. Kavirāja Goswāmī says:
দাস করে ৱেতন মোরে দেহ প্রেম-ধান
dasa kare vetan, more deha prema-dhana
(Caitanya Caritamṛta Antya-līla 20.37)
We serve and what remuneration will we get? We will receive a greater capacity with more willingness to serve.
What is the remuneration of service? The serving principle, the serving spirit is increased and enhanced – just as interest is added to capital in the bank. I am getting the interest: I do not draw the money but the interest comesand is added to the capital – in this way.
What is the remuneration of service? The serving principle, the serving spirit is increased and enhanced – just as interest is added to capital in the bank. I am getting the interest: I do not draw the money but the interest comesand is added to the capital – in this way.
দাস করে ৱেতন মোরে দেহ প্রেম-ধান
dasa kare vetan, more deha prema-dhana
We shall try to cultivate with all our attention towards that plane. We shall try to serve, to dedicate ourselves, and the dedicating principle will be increased again and again.
He will give us prema as remuneration. Prema means "the special capacity to render loving service."
This is the inner meaning of the gāyatri mantra. The gayatri mantra is the song of salvation. In this way, I have drawn out the meaning of the gāyatrī mantra and have tried to represent it in Sanskrit verse.
He will give us prema as remuneration. Prema means "the special capacity to render loving service."
This is the inner meaning of the gāyatri mantra. The gayatri mantra is the song of salvation. In this way, I have drawn out the meaning of the gāyatrī mantra and have tried to represent it in Sanskrit verse.
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