A Proposal to All HDF members

[smaranam]

Namaste Amitji,

I for one, am not opposing or questioning what you are saying, in fact , saying that that was my understanding too. If someone else tells otherwise , that's fine too.

My post above is not well written , the thing about Anuradha Paudwal was just musing : her Guru must have asked her to sing it. That's all.

In any case, BAl GopAl wants me to meditate quietly on SulyanAlAyan

[amith vikram]

Namaste Amitji,

I for one, am not opposing or questioning what you are saying, in fact , saying that that was my understanding too. If someone else tells otherwise , that's fine too.

My post above is not well written , the thing about Anuradha Paudwal was just musing : her Guru must have asked her to sing it. That's all.

In any case, BAl GopAl wants me to meditate quietly on SulyanAlAyan

ya u have mentioned that in ur previous post,i noticed.
and about women singing or chanting,my mother have a few friends who do chant it,but my mother also tells the same thing,that it should not be chanted by women.

[NayaSurya]

Well then we have some things we do agree about, and some we do not. I respect your upbringing, but it will not change this Mother's attitude.

I agree with you very much that mantra is not a tool in a tool kit. I would never pray for the world in such a way. There is no need for a tool, the world is as it is for a reason.

This world is full of disgusting filthy things, and happy wonderful things.

In all my life I could never hope to fix our prooving ground. It would be like taking the bumps from a BMX course...or the sand traps from a golf course. Of course it would be easier, but then we would all be having handicapp like Tiger Woods (Pre sex scandal).

I do not pray for money, my own health. There's a reason for this but too long for this forum:P

I am not saying your parents are wrong. For you they are right. It's good to see a child who remembers and follows their parents.

Parents teach what they know, you accept the teaching and you are good child to do so.

But I will tell you that my parents told me that only by the blood of jesus christ could I be going to heaven...and here I am 38 years later...not ever going to believe this.

It's okay to learn that other ways are out there. Thank goodness I was given other angles of this world so that I could find the way home.

This Mother...teaches her daughter to sing it. Not for the world, not for herself...but simply to worship God.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of the Arya Samaj was where I first read the Gayatri Mantra. His teachings say that no soul should be denied the truth of it.

[ScottMalaysia]

Namaste,
Everyone should not chant gayatri mantra.One needs to have upadesham from the guru to do that.for those who chant mantra,they should do so without any intentions. "karmanyevaadhikaraste maa phaleshu kadachana...."-krishna.

This is typical ISKCON propaganda. They believe that you can't chant the Gayatri Mantra unless you've been 'given' it by a guru during the second (Brahmanical) initiation. Even if you know it and chant it, they say, it will not bring any effect.

However, from what I've seen people post on here, I would say that is NOT the case for non-Gaudiya Hindus.

[Hiwaunis]

Vannakam: I too will join in an informal way. I'll chant it on the way to temple, or while at temple when I'm working. Usually I do the 'gananaam tva ganapatigum hava mahe.. chant, but a switch up will be good.

The other day I was rototilling the temple garden and belting out a bhajan of "Aum Namasivaya" , one of several variations. I though that no one would hear me over the engine of the rototiller, but then when a devotee came into the parking lot, he came over because he said he thought he heard a radio playing. So I guess I have to tone it down. Maybe the neighbours will think odd things about 'that guy'.. as if they don't already.

About how long in time would 108 be?

Aum Namasivaya

Pranam EM and All,
I chant the Gayatri Mantra along with Anuradha Paudwal. The CD is 55 minutes long. I can chant over 216 within that time. When I chant by myself it takes about 30 minutes to complete 108.

If you chant it along with the cd there are several musical pauses, you can get an extra 2 in between or you can use that time to do a little pranayama.

You will start to see a positive change in your life. However, remember the Gayatri is also a prayer to God for all of our enlightenment.

It has been suggested to chant during sunrise, noon and sunset. This is what I do. Please feel free to join me.
Namaste,

[Hiwaunis]

ya u have mentioned that in ur previous post,i noticed.
and about women singing or chanting,my mother have a few friends who do chant it,but my mother also tells the same thing,that it should not be chanted by women.

Pranam,
I've done a little research on this topic of women not chanting the Gayatri. Like NayaSurya said there is a possibility that we may loose some of our womanhood, ie the vibrations created by chanting may have an effect on our hormones. Well I just chanted over 1200 today! I have been chanting the Gayatri consistantly for over 2 years at least 2 hours a day.

This is how it has changed me. I now have retrospection. I have no fear of not making enough money, meaning I accept whatever my karma brings. The Gayatri Mantra creates many virtues in the chanter prosperity being one of them. I consider praying for humanity and self-realization as my real job. I am able to be detached from the world while still surviving in it. I have received more spiritual knowledge and esoteric understanding in the last 2 years than in my entire life. Most of the 24 virtues received from chanting the Gayatri I do now have.

As for my womenhood I STILL LOVE PINK! My bedroom is pink as well as my bathroom. I still fix my hair in female fashion. I don't have any facial hairs.
However, I don't wear cutsey dresses. Of course I was never fond of dresses anyway because I have ugly legs.

Now if this sonic vibrations info is really true I will definately keep everyone up to date if anything happens to me. I will say for me chanting anything longer than 2 hours lights a fire in my manipuri area and the Gayatri is no exception. I have a hard time getting to sleep at night so. Mainly, because I am full of energy and know way to burn it off. I can ony sleep for about 5 hours.

I can see why chanting the Gayatri Mantra is ok for females because now days we are just as arrogant as any man. Therefore we have already lost a large portion of our womanhood.

Reaching out to our loving Mother/Father for the sake of all souls can only bring upliftment for All souls. Remember Shivay WANTS to reach her Shiv.

Namaste

[atanu]

Namaste,
Everyone should not chant gayatri mantra.One needs to have upadesham from the guru to do that.for those who chant mantra,they should do so without any intentions. "karmanyevaadhikaraste maa phaleshu kadachana...."-krishna.

Namaste Amith

I agree. If everyone was supposed to do only Gayatri then there would not have been other mantras and other paths at all. Mantra japa is a very very personal thing -- it is one's nature actually. It is the signature tune that built up the mind-body.

Just as an order passed by atanu will not be implemented by Indian Judiciary, any random mantra taken up does not work any better than a random song soothes. An effective order can only be passed by an empowered authority.

Women get more benefit by just feeding a meal to the hungry -- that is the highest service of all. It is sad that in rajasic world this simple truth is taken as an insult. What a man does, he does due to pressure of ego. And the modern world forces women also to join this league.

But there is no injunction that a woman will be punished for chanting Gayatri. And if a Guru initiates a woman there is nothing against that. I have not seen any prohibition of this sort.

But for all of us, the goal -- through everything we do -- mantra, meditation, puja, bhakti, study etc etc., are all to impel and teach us to do work without thinking "What is there for me?". I think, most women are naturally beyond this (but for the americanised value of "I-Me-Mine").

I hope I made some sense?

Om Namah Shivaya

[Sahasranama]

This lecture is in Hindi. He makes very interesting points about women and gayatri.

http://gayatrisadhana.com/?cat=27

I learned the gayatri mantra from my mother before I did upanayana sanskaar.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

If one wished to understand gāyatrī a bit more, you can take a look at

• gāyatrī-rahasa upaniṣad - the significance of 24 ( 24 powers, 24 blessings, 24 devatā, etc)
• bṛhadaraṇyaka upaniṣad - gāyatrī brāhmaṇa - the 4 feet of gāyatrī ( one of my favorites)
• gāyatrī-upaniṣad - sun and savitri ( what is set in motion) + the 3 feet of gāyatrī

tat saviturvarenyam | 1st foot
bhargo devasya dhīmahi | 2nd foot
dhiyo yo nah pracodayāt || 3rd foot

Now, where is this 4th foot bṛhadaraṇyaka upaniṣad speaks of? Turīya ¹.

praṇām

words and references

• savitri = savīman = setting in motion , instigation , direction , guidance
• More on turīya can be found here at these HDF posts: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3312 , http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1822

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

tat saviturvarenyam | 1st foot
bhargo devasya dhīmahi | 2nd foot
dhiyo yo nah pracodayāt || 3rd foot


words
savitri = savīman = setting in motion , instigation , direction , guidance

Lets look at savitṛ , defined as a stimulator , rouser , vivifier. We can see the simularites i.e. to set in motion. What is set in motion? All life.
This savitṛ is of a divine nature and vivifying power of the sun ; sūrya some say is more the concrete conception of the sun, yet the most prominent of planets as all of our earth is just a different form of sūrya's energy.

Savitṛ is considered tvaṣṭṛ. And who is this? The creator of living beings, also known as the maker of divine implements/tools. At times tvaṣṭṛ is associated with or recognized as dhātṛ, prajāpati and pūṣan.

This tvaṣṭṛ is associated with this word taṣṭṛ defined as a carpenter , builder of chariots ; the builder of beings applies nicely.

With gāyatrī you are in fine company.

praṇām