First appearance of Gayatri Mantra

[Skull]

Amita Sugata all.

It is found in the Rig Veda 3,62, but was that the first or oldest place? Also, when were the three realms (Vyahritis) and OM added?

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rvsan/rv03062.htm

[yajvan]

hariḥ om̐
~~~~~~

namasté

Let me offer one point of view that may be of interest...

Gāyatrī is the feminine version of gāyatra - both indicating a hymn. We also know gāyatrī as a meter (chandas) - twenty-four syllables, generally as a triplet of eight syllables per line ; hence one can say a hymn is composed in the gāyatrī meter with these characteristics.

We know the mantraḥ from the ṛg veda:
tát savitúr váreṇyam |
bhárgo devásya dhīmahi |
dhíyo yó naḥ pracodáyāt ||

Note too that this occurring in the ṛg veda (3.62.10) does not appear with the mahāvyāhṛti of bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ; nor does it begin with oṃ. This has been added for a few reasons, which has been addressed before on HDF.

That said one may need to wrap their minds around the notion that gāyatrī appears in the ṛg veda but has always been around.
The seers (ṛṣi-s) cognized¹ these hymns - they did not ~create~ them. Sometimes the (ṛṣi-s) are called kaviḥ - ‘gifted with insight , intelligent , knowing’. Yet the notion now and then slips in to suggest the seer’s were the ‘creators’ of the hymns. Why would that be? Because another definition kaviḥ is poet, singer and thus some thought they ‘composed’ the hymns verses expressing what they have cognized in pure consciousness.

Let’s point out an example... a law of nature. When someone discovers ( really uncovers) a law , they write it down. That law was always there no ?
Gravity was always here ( even before any big bang). F=MA was always here ( force = mass x acceleration), yet Newton wrote down the formula
or description. So too with gāyatrī. It just so happens a very clear and pure consciousness is the requirement for these hymns to be ‘seen’ and such is the nature of the seer (ṛṣi, kaviḥ).

mahāvyāhṛti of bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
You will find this called out in the taittirīya upaniṣad (some write taittirīyopaniṣat)

तिशिवं
iti śivaṁ

1. cognized – where? In ṛtaṁ or ṛta ऋत is truth in general , righteousness , right; we also know it as enlightened , luminous and infers 'that which only knows the truth' . A person functioning from ṛtaṁ, or luminous mind, only knows/sees the truth

[Skull]

Thank you for the information yajvan.

"gāyatrī appears in the ṛg veda but has always been around" - this I can believe. Is it not true that huge time cycles repeat, so that the Vedas are re-discovered over and over?

[yajvan]

hariḥ om̐
~~~~~~
namasté

Thank you for the information yajvan.
"gāyatrī appears in the ṛg veda but has always been around" - this I can believe. Is it not true that huge time cycles repeat, so that the Vedas are re-discovered over and over?

That is my understanding. Yet this notion of 'time' is another subject that is of great interest. What does time do ? It mainly 'counts' eternity some like to call anantā and the ~symbol~ of śeṣaḥ.




तिशिवं
iti śivaṁ

[Skull]

I wonder if time is experienced in our linear way in higher states of awareness? Perhaps it is more a 'timeless Now' beyond our samsaric mind. Seems that the Gita has a verse, something about certain cycles being devas or some kind of being. That suggests higher consciousness of time is more real than our supposed objective past, present & future?