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Eric11235
27 May 2011, 10:53 AM
Vannakam,

I'm not entirely sure if this has been posted before, but who here on this board uses the Gayatri Mantra during meditation?

I just memorized the mantra and have so far used it during two separate occasions and have found its fruits very powerful.

I most recently used it during silent meditation following my temple's Arati service and I felt god as I focused on the shrine in the temple repeating the mantra with my mala.

I won't say that it has truly influenced my daily life, but it has helped me cope with more depressing days.

Who else uses this mantra? and if so to what effect?


namaste

c.smith
27 May 2011, 02:17 PM
Hari Om Eric!

I use this mantra as part of my morning prayers and feel that it centers and energizes me for the day. I could easily see where it would help with your "more depressing days".

A site that has some (note the use of "some" for those who may be sensitive to the other contents of the site) www.awgp.org (http://www.awgp.org)

Om Namah Sivaya!

Arjuni
31 May 2011, 09:39 PM
Namasté,

The greatness and beauty of the (Sāvitrī) Gāyatrī is undeniable, and much has been (rightfully) written about its brilliance and power.

And still...I have not yet been able to meditate with it myself. Every time I try to chant it, or even listen to recordings of it, I feel uncomfortable and slightly discordant, as if something's wrong. This has happened with other mantras before - ones that just don't feel right to me. I don't know whether it's the gāyatrī metre that touches a nerve somehow, whether I'm pronouncing the mantra wrong and also listening to incorrect recordings, or whether I'm just nuts.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

issacnewton
07 June 2011, 07:57 AM
hi eric

I did practice Gayatri jap for about 2 years. I have some mild anxiety disorder and I wanted to calm my mind. But for some reasons I didn't benefit from it.
I now do pranayam and do Omkar Jap, which is helping my anxiety problem.
I had read somewhere that Gayatri is like a multi vitamin tablet . so if you want
to treat specific problem, one should use other specific mantras. Gayatri
probably takes longer time since it acts like a multi vitamin tablet.

AmIHindu
07 June 2011, 01:15 PM
In our Vedic Culture, every mantra has its energy. So when try to do Japa, it generates energy. What you people are feeling is distress of mantra. We should be able to handle the energy transferred from mantra, otherwise it would be difficult to handle energy transferred.

Let me tell you an event of Mahabharat.
During, Mahabharat Yuddha, Ashwasthama thought, that Sudarshan Chakra is very good weapon to fight against Pandavas. So he went to Shri Krishna. He asked to Shri Krishna that he wants to trade his Brahmastra for Sudarshan Chakra. Shri Krisha said okay, well take it if you can. But Ashwathama was not even able to move it then how he is going to hold it in his finger. so he was incapable of handling Sudarshan Chakra.

The other even is lifting of Bow at the time of Sita Swayamwar. No one could lift the Bow but only Shri Ram, that too with out much efforts. That is because Shri Ram had with him Satva.

So that was the one reason of distress. Other reason is black energy - negative energy and our ancestors. These energies are there around us at subtle level. So these energies will not let us people do anything which our soul likes ( good karma). Our soul likes chanting too much, chanting is sweet and sooth and gives you peace, but so far these energies are it is difficult to continue with our Sadhana.

Gayatri Mantra is very high level mantra, it has so much of energy which we can not handle. In the same way, Aum Namah Shivay is also very high level mantra. To much high level means, take example of milk, we can drink one glass of milk easily, but we can not drink one glass of Ghee. On olden days, when people had laborious life, they used to digest one glass of Ghee very easily, but in our sophisticated life it is difficult to digest even one glass of milk.



Now coming back to the point. To do japa, we need to raise our spiritual level. Think about GOD everytime, as said Hinduism is way of life. Read Scripture. Do good karmas, These along with Mantra with take us to higher level of Spirituality. Give more and more time to Japa.

I try to do Japa with Shree Gurudev Datta mantra, which best for the beginners as has been said to me. with this mantra I am trying to take myself to little higher level of Spirituality as I do read some scripture. It will be very much difficult to continue with the mantra but I still continue for at least 90 minutes. Sometimes I feel good, sometimes distress but I am getting there.

And last but least at the beginning ask help from Shri Krishna to continue Japa and at the end, offer gratitude to Shri Krishna for let you do some good karma.

Slowly but surely will get there with the Grace of Shri Krishna.

Namaskar.

AmIHindu ?

sunyata07
07 June 2011, 04:25 PM
Namaste,

The Gayatri is indeed a very powerful mantra, one that is as invigorating as it is beautiful to listen to. Recitation is probably tricky unless you are confident with the exact pronunciation, something that is probably necessary in order for the full effects of the mantra to emerge. Like AmIHindu I've also heard from many sources that it's a highly specialised mantra, and there's been some debates about whether or not just anyone can use it. For example, I know it's a common belief among some Hindus that it's not appropriate for women to recite the Gayatri on a daily basis. Personally, I think there's truth to the idea that some mantras do not vibrate well with certain people, be that for whatever reason (past karma, current sadhana, level of consciousness, etc.), but I think the good that comes from the Gayatri is for all so I wouldn't be afraid to try it out sometime. I have briefly meditated on it before, but I have never practised long enough with it to tell you if it did any good to me or not.

Om namah Shivaya

NayaSurya
07 June 2011, 05:40 PM
I think this would be a good place to ask...as recently I read something that was curious.

Would one of the very wise Beings here help me understand how to say the word Nah?

Amala
29 July 2011, 04:52 PM
Namaste,

I don't use it during meditation, but I sing it before or (usually) after meditation and often throughout the day. I find it's "stuck" in my head some days. It's wonderful for me. I sing it oftentimes simply while doing other things, too. As I sing it, a sense of momentum builds and I find the mantra seems to gain a life of its own, like a cyclist coasting down a steep slope. There are so many changes going on for me that I can't attribute any of them specifically to this, but I have a sense that its effect is certainly part of the wonderful growth currently happening for me.

With love,
Amala

Amala
29 July 2011, 05:04 PM
It's something like nuh huh. Imagine saying uh-huh (as in yes) without the nasalization. There's a quick little exhalation at the end (visarga) that echoes the sound of the preceding vowel. You can be lenient with the amount of energy on it so that it fits into the meter of the mantra. The rendition I use (http://youtu.be/nDnamSM3Z3s) gives it only a fraction of a beat's attention before pracodayaat. I hope that helps.


I think this would be a good place to ask...as recently I read something that was curious.

Would one of the very wise Beings here help me understand how to say the word Nah?

yajvan
29 July 2011, 08:45 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté



I do not use it so much as I give-in to it. You ask,
and if so to what effect?
So it uses me. We see this in the name gāyatrī. If we look at its components 'gā + ya + trī

gā - is to pursue; be born
ya - light
trī - is the feminine verson of tra - meaning protected.With gāyatrī one is protected ; born or pursues the light.

Let's look at it this way : gāya + trī

gāya - is a song
trī = tra = protectionHence gāyatrī is a song/hymn of protecting.

More here if there is interest : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6680&highlight=g%26%23257%3Byatr%26%23299%3B (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6680&highlight=g%26%23257%3Byatr%26%23299%3B)

praṇām

Jainarayan
29 July 2011, 09:57 PM
I use this mantra as part of my morning prayers and feel that it centers and energizes me for the day. I could easily see where it would help with your "more depressing days".


Namaste,

I don't use it during meditation, but I sing it before or (usually) after meditation and often throughout the day. I find it's "stuck" in my head some days.

I do the same. I use it in my morning prayers, and evening also. I understand that the Sun in the mantra is not the literal fireball in the sky, but the spiritual illumination.

I have a bhajan from YT that has a very catchy tune and rhythm, so I find it stuck in my head also. It also helped me get the pronunciation right.

saidevo
29 July 2011, 11:10 PM
namaste everyone.

For those who would like to chant the gAyatrI mantra as a bhajan song, I humbly suggest that artiste Anuradha Paudwal's singing it is flawed for reasons I have given here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44357&postcount=48

Here is the correct text of this vedic mantra with accents:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=563&d=1273934174

with an explanation of the accents here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44305&postcount=43

Sahasranama has given a good link to the right way to sing this mantra using its Vedic accents:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7IrmkV3mPM
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=54097&postcount=5

Best results in chanting and meditation ensue with the right chanting as given in the above link, IMHO.

TatTvamAsi
30 July 2011, 02:07 AM
namaste everyone.

For those who would like to chant the gAyatrI mantra as a bhajan song, I humbly suggest that artiste Anuradha Paudwal's singing it is flawed for reasons I have given here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44357&postcount=48

Here is the correct text of this vedic mantra with accents:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=563&d=1273934174

with an explanation of the accents here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44305&postcount=43

Sahasranama has given a good link to the right way to sing this mantra using its Vedic accents:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7IrmkV3mPM
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=54097&postcount=5

Best results in chanting and meditation ensue with the right chanting as given in the above link, IMHO.

Namaste Saidevo,

Excellent post, as usual!

I also wanted to mention that according to most purOhits and sAstrigals I've spoken to, GAyatrI japA must be done by ONLY the dvIjA (initiated). SUdrAs, women, and mlecchas are NOT supposed to recite it. It is also much better to not recite it out aloud. And, most importantly, it should NOT be "sung" or some such nonsense that is being peddled in this thread.

There are reasons why GAyatrI mantra is meant only for those who have had upanayana samskAr. I don't know all those reasons. However, I have faith in the orthodoxy of our riSis, saints, and purOhits.

Also, ShankarAchAryA (MahAperiyavAL) has stated clearly that only initiated males who have had upanayana should chant the GAyatrI.

He says:

This mantra is to be repeated only by men. Women benefit from the men performing the japa. Similarly when the three varnas practise gayatri-japa all other jatis enjoy the benefit flowing from it. We may cease to perform a rite if the fruits yielded by them are enjoyed exclusively by us. But we cannot do so if others also share in them. Those entitled to Gayatri mantra are to regard themselves as trustees who have to mutter it on behalf of others like women and the fourth varna who are not entitled to it.

In fact, if others try to do it, it can actually cause harm on a subtle level. It would be best, in that case, for those who have not been initiated into the GAyatrI, to listen to a Vedic Pandit recite it correctly through some audio device (CD/iPod etc.).

Arya Samaj, followed by Vivekananda, started this practice of allowing women, sUdrAs, and mlecchas to recite the GAyatrI.

Perhaps you can find more authentic sources that defend this position (?).

I will probably be censured for this post but it is what it is. Orthodoxy is what has helped us save our Scriptures from the invading asUrAs (christians/muslims).

Amala
06 August 2011, 11:52 AM
Namaste Saidevo,

This is very interesting. I have the mantra written a different way and it suggests her pronunciation is close enough for those who can read Devanaagarii and understand that some performers take a bit of artistic license. http://www.eaglespace.com/spirit/gayatri.php I will have to check to see if there is more than one version and if not, which one is accurate! I don't swallow online information hook, line & sinker, but instead check with real live people. Thank you for sharing that! I am really set on correct pronunciation!

A note: I just followed the link to the Youtube rendition you suggest is the correct way to pronounce it. The spelling they show is even different from both of the ones we've shared. So according to their spelling, they are either mispronouncing sva: or misspelled the word in the script! Interesting. They write in Devanaagarii bhuurbhava: but do not pronounce the long uu in bhuur and add a short u (as it is written in the rendition I have - it's long in yours) and add a syllable at the end, as in pracodayaat-e (like the French 'e'). So many discrepancies to sort out! :-D

As for the other posts about *having* to do it at a certain time or by a certain gender, etc., I do not follow those lines of thinking. God is a loving force. Any effort is worthwhile, by any and all devotees - whenever he or she chooses, regardless of the direction of the wind, the colour of the skin, caste, sex, etc. Practice and study will benefit all. I also understand and respectfully acknowledge that there are those who are more into the religious aspect and for the rule-bound it is a different matter altogether. To each his own. Iis'varasya kr.payaa the planet gives space for all of our differences!

With love,
Amala




namaste everyone.

For those who would like to chant the gAyatrI mantra as a bhajan song, I humbly suggest that artiste Anuradha Paudwal's singing it is flawed for reasons I have given here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44357&postcount=48

Here is the correct text of this vedic mantra with accents:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=563&d=1273934174

with an explanation of the accents here:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44305&postcount=43

Sahasranama has given a good link to the right way to sing this mantra using its Vedic accents:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7IrmkV3mPM
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=54097&postcount=5

Best results in chanting and meditation ensue with the right chanting as given in the above link, IMHO.

Jainarayan
06 August 2011, 12:57 PM
Namaste Amala,


Namaste Saidevo,


As for the other posts about *having* to do it at a certain time or by a certain gender, etc., I do not follow those lines of thinking. God is a loving force. Any effort is worthwhile, by any and all devotees - whenever he or she chooses, regardless of the direction of the wind, the colour of the skin, caste, sex, etc. Practice and study will benefit all.

Agreed. I find it hard to accept that God would be offended by me, a so-called "mleccha", offering sincere devotion.

People are entitled to their opinions, elitist as they may be, in the same way the Greeks called non-Greeks βάρβαρος (bάrbaros: barbarians). However, the irony is that anyone who accepts that all Truth, i.e. Sanatana Dharma, and spirituality was revealed and originated from India, then we are all Indian in soul and spirit, and there are no "mlecchas".

For, the physical body may look different, but in Bhagavad Gita 2.22 "Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: As a human being puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

The soul is the same, the body is different.

Arjuni
06 August 2011, 07:16 PM
Namasté, all,

I would like to offer an opinion on this matter of appropriateness of chanting, if I may, because I believe that some opinions on this thread are rooted in the sanctity and the inherent nature of the Vedas, and not an attempt to harm or exclude anyone from worship.

God speaks to all, but not everyone has the purity of mind and spirit to hear properly. The Vedas, as direct divine revelation, were heard or "seen" by ṛṣis, greatly enlightened sages who moved in higher realms of thought. So profound were their visions that even today, there are hymns that remain slightly unclear, individual words whose meanings are obscure. They lived in a state of higher consciousness which most of us cannot even approach.

Likewise, the Vedic mantras are not mere words. They are miracles. Some even believe that the mantras are the actual body of the Devatā, and that to chant anything wrong is to dismember the Deva we seek to honour. Such is the power these chants possess, that they are the direct invocation of the Devatā, the bridge between divinity and ourselves. And like all instruments of great energy, they may be terribly misused, with terrible results; one instructive example is the tale of Tvaṣṭṛ, who in performing a yajña for his enemy's destruction, chanted one syllable wrong and thus empowered the very enemy he wished to vanquish.

In the realm of bhakti, enthusiasm and delight count for a great deal - there are mantras (like the Kṛṣṇa māha-mantra) that if chanted even once with perfect devotion, can bring tremendous enlightenment. But in the realm of Vedas, patience is a must. (Another good story here (http://www.shabadsuratsangam.org/?p=175) is that of Yāvakri - originally from Mahābhārata, I believe - who, in one version of the tale, does tapasya to Indra for something like twenty years so that he could have the Vedic knowledge without studying.) Vedic religion, Vedic mantras, are not the same as modern Hindu ways. It's not to say that there is no bhakti in the Vedas or among those who study them - far from it - but rather, that Vedic chanting is a high level of knowledge that depends upon proper use.

A child may pick up a stick and dance around with it, waving it everywhere, and experience delight from using the stick thus. But if that same child picks up a razor-sharp sword and attempts to do the same thing, the child's best intentions will not make a difference in the injury that will likely occur. Vedic study is prefaced by initiation into mantra, and the knowledge is achieved by years of patient work. A Vedic student practices twice-daily self-purification - with tons of mantras - to keep his subtle body pure and receptive to these energies (among other purposes). It's a path requiring great care.

We modern folk have access to so much high-level information because of the Internet, information that would not be offered to us otherwise. I don't imagine that any guru in the pre-computer days would have taught a non-Sanskrit speaking, non-initiated foreigner the great Sāvitrī Gāyatrī mantra - called "the mother of the Vedas" and the repository of truly high-level inspiration and enlightenment. And it would not have been due to inherent prejudice, dislike, or racism, but the guru's well-founded concern that it would be like handing over chariot reins to a person who's never seen a horse before.

There are so many mantras that modern Hindus have available, so many wonderful bhajans and kirtans, so many ways to show love and devotion that do not involve the Vedas. Perhaps this is one reason that Vedic study is on a sharp decline - why spend years on Vedas, when one's goal is to move closer to the Divine, and when a single five-minute mālā of simpler words could also move one towards that goal?

The choice of whether to chant the mantra is each person's to make; I write the above only as an offering of what little knowledge I have. I also suggest this document (http://grd-iyers.web.officelive.com/Documents/Vedic%20Chanting%20Rules.pdf) to anyone who does wish to pursue the chanting, as a brief introduction to the various rules of doing so. It may seem pedantic and tedious because of all of the linguistic features we don't worry about when pronouncing English words - but Vedas were given to us by the Devas, and the instructions for their mantras are not suggestions.

And I hope I have not offended anyone with what I have written, as causing harm was not my intent.

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

AmIHindu
06 August 2011, 08:51 PM
Namaste Amala,



Agreed. I find it hard to accept that God would be offended by me, a so-called "mleccha", offering sincere devotion.

However, the irony is that anyone who accepts that all Truth, i.e. Sanatana Dharma, and spirituality was revealed and originated from India, then we are all Indian in soul and spirit, and there are no "mlecchas".

For, the physical body may look different, but in Bhagavad Gita 2.22 "Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: As a human being puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones."

The soul is the same, the body is different.

It is not about you being mleccha, it is about making strong foundation, strong army to fight evil ( subtle) present day.

Think of a our body is full of evils but we can not see them. When one recite Gayatri Mantra, it means you are sending super power to fight evil forces. But wait, these evil forces are not like forces of Saddam Hussein, rather these evil forces are very powerful. When they comes in front of each other, they may give you distress, resulting you give up chanting. So how to fight with this evil force !!! make a small, drill in the army of these forces and from there work it out. slowly slowly you reduce, evil forces with easy mantra and you purify your body. After purification, start making strong foundation for high rise tower. In the beginning even if you feel good to recite, Gayatri mantra, then you are building a strong building just on one pillar, which may fall at any point of time. So more success in short period is no good for seeker. Success comes after long long long time, which will stay with us for ever

Let me give you example of one ritual, if every morning you offer Argya to Sun reciting 11 names of Sun then after 12 years you can see the effect. So that much time it takes to make our body, mind, soul, buddhi subtly strong. We live in Kali yug so it is 12 years. This is earliest time to get fruit of Sadhna and easiest time to get fruit of Sadhna.

Another point is that, Guru mantra, which is the best for all the beginners to purify their Mind, Body, Soul and Buddhi. Guru mantra works as a drill in the evil forces. I believe, when we do not have guru, we can pray Guru Dev Datta. I do that mantra chanting.

Mantra is the best way to advance in our Sadhna but we need to support Mantra Chanting with other rituals also, so that we train our mind to think subtle way, the Hindu way.

saidevo
06 August 2011, 09:44 PM
namaste Amala.

This is with reference to your post no.14. Here is my view of the discrepancies you have pointed out in the YouTube link (from Sahasranama) I have given in post no.12:

• This chanting is more accurate than most other versions in the sense it follows the Vedic accents closely (which might well be the reason that Sahasranama chose it).

• Let us note that in the text with Vedic accents I have given,

‣ the syllables having an underscore are 'run over' (not slurred) with no pause (although it might involve long vowels);

‣ the syllables with a single accent are stressed for one measure of time (say a second); and

‣ those with a double accent are stressed for two measures of time.

• Thus, if you check the chanting in the above YouTube version, although the word bhU(r) has a long vowel, which is normally pronounced in full, but here, because of the underscore svara mark, the long vowel is run over, but it is still audible as such.

• As for the final 'e' (it is actually 'u'-short) in the last word prachodayAt, which makes it prachodayAtu, the 'u' is let the breath out rather than hold it, when the chanting is finished; and this is an accepted custom, although the word can be pronounced as it is, stopping at the consonant 't', instead of prolonging it as 'tu'.

• However, as you have pointed out, there are serious spelling errors in both the DevanAgari and the English transliteration of the mantra. The correct text is only as given with the Vedic accents above.

In the YouTube version given by Sahasranama above, the chanting is supported by resonant music evoking the mystery of the mantra and making is contemplative, rather than just musical or melodious as in a song.

As to who can chant the mantra who cannot, I have nothing to say, except that women are generally advised against chanting Veda mantras with svara since the breath involved has to rise up from the nAbhi--the cavity of the navel, which might not be conducive to their womenly health. The bar is only for CHANTING, not singing or meditating on.

To have an idea of what is involved in the chanting of gAyatrI mantras, check this link:
101 Gayatri (2007)
http://www.raaga.com/channels/sanskrit/moviedetail.asp?mid=S0000318

Jainarayan
06 August 2011, 10:13 PM
It is not about you being mleccha, it is about making strong foundation, strong army to fight evil ( subtle) present day.

...

Mantra is the best way to advance in our Sadhna but we need to support Mantra Chanting with other rituals also, so that we train our mind to think subtle way, the Hindu way.

I don't disagree in principle. It's a matter of learning to walk before running. I certainly don't believe it's possible or proper for someone to learn to parrot a pujari conducting a puja, and then thinking he can also conduct a puja with the same effect as the pujari.

I've read that it's also not advisable for a layperson to conduct their own Durga Puja at home. I understood from the article that to do so invokes more energy and power from Maa Durga than the person or family may be able to handle. In the same way the mantra OM Sri Maha Kalikayai namaha is given to very few persons because it is so powerful. So, I do understand all that, and have no problem with learning step by step.

I don't mind the why and why-not of doing something, I take umbrage with the who and who-can't.

Btw, this is the first version I heard and the one I learned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDnamSM3Z3s&list=PLB3BE02027997A81B&index=20