This year Gayatri Jayanti is falling on 21st June 2022. Gayatri Jayanti is always observed on Shukla Paksha Ekadashi during Jyeshtha lunar month. Although it is not such a well-known festival as Dussehra, Diwali, or Holi, it is a very significant festival. It is the birth anniversary of Goddess Gayatri who is considered the mother of the Vedas. Most Indians are aware of the famous Gayatri mantra although many may not know the interpretation of the mantra. Here is the mantra with the meaning expounded.
Om bhur bhuvah svaha– meaning earth, sky, and heaven or cosmos.
Tat savitur varenyam – That light which is divine. Here, this refers to the supreme force which is the source of all light. Some attribute it to the sun
Bhargo devasya dhimahi – That which illuminates the earth and our mind.
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat – Accept our prayer for you.
This mantra is considered the most important mantra of the Rigveda. It is believed sage Viswamitra was the one who discovered the mantra. Sanskrit is a tough language since each word can have multiple meanings depending on the context. Whereas some may derive this mantra as dedicated to the sun god since the sun is the source of light, others might argue, that source of light in the mantra refers to the supreme God, who is the creator of this universe. So one may wonder why it is called the Gayatri mantra? The general consensus is the verse follows the standard of the Gayatri meter which is three 8 syllable lines. It turns out the first line was not a part of the original stanza and was a later addition. This also establishes another interesting fact that the personification of this mantra with a female Goddess is also a later addition to the mythology.
There are many fascinating facts about Goddess Gayatri. She has 5 heads, representing the panchabhutas, the substances of which every matter in the universe is made up ( earth, air, water, fire, and ether). She has 10 hands carrying all the instruments of three primary Gods – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and she is considered the embodiment of three supreme Goddesses – Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati. How and when this personification of Gods and Goddess began, is difficult to pinpoint. Whereas Swami Dayananda Saraswati opposed idol worship, Adi Sankaracharya promoted it. As per my understanding, the Vedas only prescribed doing yagna as a form of worship. Idol worship in India started around the same time when it was also prevalent in other civilizations, notably Greek and Roman. It is possible India was influenced by other civilizations when trade was prospering and cultural exchanges began to happen.
Goddess Gayatri is believed to be the consort of Lord Brahma. Since Vedas are thought to be recited by the Lord himself, as his wife, she is given the title of Veda Mata. She is also prayed to as the Goddess of knowledge and is regarded as another form of Goddess Saraswati. But she is no docile Goddess. In Hinduism, Goddesses are not only kind and compassionate but also powerful and well versed in combat skills. Here goes the story.
There was once a mighty demon by the name of Vitra. He prayed to Lord Brahma for a son who would kill Indra, the lord of heaven, and was granted the boon. Thus was born Vetrasura. Due to Lord Brahma’s boon, he became very powerful and attacked heaven. Indra and other Gods feared for their lives and approached Lord Brahma for a solution. At that time, Lord Brahma was meditating and chanting the Gayatri mantra. So Goddess Gayatri took up the responsibility of fighting Vetrasura. She fought the demon for thousand years and killed him.
The story seems like a fairy tale. But if we try to understand it, this story has a much deeper meaning. When power is misused, the same power becomes your destroyer. Lord Brahma here was the source of power, and when misused, Goddess Gayatri who is also the embodiment of Lord Brahma, being the better half, becomes the destroyer.
The Gayatri mantra has 24 letters and each letter represents the name of a sage –
Agastya, Angira, Atri, Bharadwaj, Brigu, Durvasa, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kana, Kapila, Kashyap, Lomasa, Mudgala, Manduka, Narada, Parasara, Pulastya, Shandilya, Udyalak, Upamanyu, Vasishtha, Vishvamitra, Vyasa, Yagnavalkya.
There are numerous articles stating the benefit of this mantra such as it brings wealth and prosperity, increases your memory, increases your wisdom, brings happiness, etc. I would not challenge these notions, however, in my opinion, most Vedic mantras bring these same benefits by virtue of their sound which creates a perfect harmony with nature. The vibrations generated by these mantras create ripples of positive energy waves in our body and environment. A sound body and mind lead to wealth, happiness, and prosperity. Then what is so different about this mantra? It’s the meaning of the mantra which states there is only one supreme being, the creator of the life force, but at the same time also celebrates the power of knowledge. There is a phrase in Kena Upanishad – “He who thinks he knows it not, knows it. He who thinks knows it, knows it not”. This mantra sums it up. A person who understands the infinite power of the supreme being, and bows before him but also accepts the limitation of his knowledge, requesting the supreme being to illuminate his mind and free it from ignorance, is the real knower of the Vedas!.
