Monday, March 12, 2007

Aum and the Gayatri Mantra

Dowson describes Aum in the following words: “A word of solemn invocation, affirmation, benediction, and consent, so sacred that when it is uttered no one must hear it. The word is used at the commencement of prayers and religious ceremonies, and is generally placed at the beginning of books. It is a compound of the three letters, a,u,m, which are typical of the three Vedas; and it is declared in the Upanishads, where it first appears, to have a mystic power and to be worthy of the deepest meditation. In later times the monosyllable represents the Hindu triad or union of the three gods, ‘a’ being Vishnu, ‘u’ Siva, and ‘m’ Brahma. This monosyllable is called Udgitha.
Omkara too is the sacred monosyllable Aum. Name of one of the twelve great lingas.”
Dictionary says that ‘Aum’ is the sacred syllable uttered as a holy exclamation at ‘The beginning and end of the reading of the Vedas, or previous to commencement of a prayer or sacred work.’ It further says that ‘as a particle it implies (a) solemn affirmation and respectful assent (so be it, amen!); (b) assent or acceptance (yes, all right)’; and also stands for ‘Brahman’.
That it stands for Brahman is understood. But what is meant when it is said that it implies ‘solemn affirmation’ and ‘respectful assent’. What affirmation is so important that it becomes sacred and auspicious and need to be given prior to reading the Vedas or upon finishing it, and also on the commencement of other sacred duties? No doubt, it is confirmation of the belief in the fourteen devatas and their complete control over our life and actions that is meant by this.
Dictionary also says that Oam is ‘the sacred syllable of the Sudras (for Aum is forbidden to be uttered by them).’ How sad that even in times when we do not know the true meaning of the word ‘Aum’ and are groping in dark, our holy priests were knowledgeable enough to interpret the syllable so much so that they prohibited it to be pronounced by Sudras, whom they considered as the lower castes.
Devatas pervade all beings, animate and inanimate, including all humans. Who are we to classify the humans in groups when the devatas found no discrimination among them. Who are the priests to decide about matters of individual religious beliefs and utterances? How sad that there was a time when priests had begun to decide who is to take the name of Brahman - the one who has created all. Particularly so, when as per Rishi Dayanand Saraswati’s translation, the second Chapter of Yajur Veda prays in the following words:
Aum be seated in the heart.
There is no mention anywhere that this prayer is meant for any particular group. Isn’t it clear that all these absurdities are a legacy of those whom we respect the most – our priests of yore? How can we blindly accept that these priests of the past were honest in passing the religion in the same state that they inherited it from their ancestors?
We are giving the true interpretation here. Perhaps, for the first time in centuries, man would know the true meaning of syllable Aum and Gayatri Mantra. Consider this as a final attempt from God to make known the truth. God’s wrath is near for the disobedient and unbelievers. And He has decided that there is too much of evil and irreligiosity for Him to remain a passive witness. Ground is being prepared for the arrival of the Kalki avatar or Mahdi and this work is just a small fraction of various ways in which God is going to show his power in the near future. Manifest Self has already said in Quran: “Fear Me”. This is time to start fearing His wrath.
Aum is part of our souls
Taittiriya Upanishad of the Yajur Veda says:
Aum is Brahman. Aum is this all. Aum, this, verily, is compliance. On uttering ‘recite’ they recite. With Aum, they sing the saman chants.
What is it that is recited along with ‘Aum’ and what are the saman chants which are sung after uttering ‘Aum’? We are going to prove here that the names of the 14 devatas are to be recited. It is they who are referred to by the saman chants. ‘Aum’ signifies one’s firm resolve to remain compliant to these devatas.
Upanishads maintain that Aum is also part of our souls. How could they ever have barred the Sudras to forsake this link of theirs with Aum?
Mundaka Upanishad II.2.3 says that the Brahman should be targeted through the contemplation of the devatas who comprise the Prana (Life). See:
Taking as the bow the great weapon of the Upanishads, one should place in it the arrow sharpened by meditation. Drawing it with a mind engaged in the contemplation of that (Pranas or Life), O beloved, know that Imperishable Brahman as the target.
II.2.4. The syllable Aum is the bow: one’s self indeed is the arrow. Brahman is spoken as the target of that. It is to be hit without making a mistake. Thus one becomes united with it as the arrow (becomes one with the target).
It is clear that syllable ‘Aum’ comprise the essence of the Upanishadic knowledge about the Manifest Self comprising the fourteen devatas. See this:
II.2.5. He in whom the sky, the earth and the interspace are woven as also the mind along with the vital breaths, know him alone as the one self. Dismiss other utterances. This is the bridge to immortality.
Aum is the bow, without which it is not possible to send arrow signifying self towards Brahman. These devatas eventually are meant by Aum, as we have shown here, and they alone form the bridge to immortality; this we have already seen in various other Upanishads earlier in Part-I. All the other ways to reach salvation or become one with the Manifest Self should be dismissed altogether. This alone is the teaching of Mundaka Upanishad.
Now see the next verse as well:
II.2.6. Where the arteries of the body are brought together like the spokes in the centre of a wheel, within it becoming manifold. Meditate on Aum as the self. May you be successful in crossing over to the farther shore of darkness.
See how the self becomes manifold into vital breaths, talked about in the previous verse, as arteries of the body brought together like the spokes in the centre of a wheel. This manifold Self is synonymous with Aum, and should be meditated as one’s own self, if we wish to cross over the shores of darkness and reach enlightenment. The state of enlightenment is achieved when the self becomes one with the Brahman or the God, who is the highest goal to achieve and whose light it is that is reflected as the light of the devatas. The same is said in verse II.2.10:
In the highest golden sheath is Brahman without stain, without parts; Pure is it, the light of the lights. That is what the knowers of self know.
And in Dua-e-Noor how the Masooms have been referred to as ‘light of the lights’. They have been called ‘Pure’ in Quran.
Verse II.2.11 further talks about the relationship of these devatas with Brahman.
The sun shines not there, nor the moon and stars, these lightnings shine not, where then could this fire be? Everything shines only after that shining light (or noor of God). His shining illumines all this world.
Svetasvatara Upanishad says that there is nothing to be known but the relationship of our individual self with the Brahman through the path of the Divine Self (or devatma sakti) that divided into 14 powerful selfs, before all living being were created, including us. This relationship can be understood only through meditating on Aum, which we will see signifies the Absolute God reached through these devatas alone and nothing else.
See verse I.12 and 13.
I.12. That Eternal which rests in the self should be known Truly. There is nothing beyond this to be known by knowing the enjoyer, the object of enjoyment and the mover; everything has been said. This is the Threefold Brahman.
I.13. As the form of fire when latent in its source is not seen and yet its seed is not destroyed, but may be seized again and again in its source by means of the drill, so it is in both cases. The self has to be seized in the body by means of the syllable Aum.
I.14. As oil in sesamum seeds, as butter in cream, as water in riverbeds, as fire in friction sticks, so is the Self seized in one’s own soul if one looks for Him with truthfulness and austerity.
If we look for the Self through the help of Aum, signifying compliance of the fourteen devatas in order to reach God, we will know that the devatas are present in our soul itself. But truthfulness and austerity are pre-requisite, without which it is not possible to realize one’s self and attain unity with the God.
In the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purana, Siva addresses Durga and says:
The syllable Aum, the mysterious name, or Brahma, is the leader of all prayers: let it therefore, O lovely faced be employed in the beginning of all prayers.
None else but Siva confirms that Aum is the name of Brahma. You have already seen how Brahma – the one light – got divided to create 14 lights or devatas. You have also seen how after creation of the 14 lights, Brahma remained no more. Thus Brahma means the 14 lights or devatas and nothing else.
The Chapter I of the first book of The Vishnu Purana starts with Aum and then prayers for the glory to Vasudeva and for victory of Pundarikahsha (having eyes like a lotus or heart-pervading or imperishable supreme glory), Viswabhavana (the creator of the universe or the cause of the existence of all things), Hrishikesa (lord of the senses), Mahapurusha (great or supreme spirit) and Purvaja (produced or appearing before creation). No doubt, five bodies or the ‘Panjetan’, created as first five of the fourteen are being talked about.
The same is said in the Chhandogya Upanishad (IV, 15,6) as per which Devopatha or Brahmapath is the path that leads to the condition which renders it unnecessary and impossible to return to the mundane whirlpool (the cycle of birth and death).
Narayana-Upanishad of Krishna-Yajur-Veda says:
One should utter “Aum” first, then “namah” and then “Narayana”. “Aum” (is) a single syllable; “Namah” contains two syllables: “Narayana“ contains five syllables. This is the sentence known as the Ashtakshara of Narayana. Whoever studies this Ashtakshara of Narayana and recites it constantly, attains full life and supremacy over men, enjoys the pleasures of royalty and becomes the master of all souls. He attains moksha; yea, he attains moksha. The Sama Veda teaches this.
Dhyanabindu-Upanishad of Sama-Veda further relates Aum with the self and devatas like Prithvi (Earth), Agni (Fire) and Brahma (has been used for Mohammad in Vedas) and says:
The one akshara (letter Aum) should be contemplated upon as Brahman by all who aspire for emancipation. Prithvi, agni, Rig-Veda, bhuh and Brahma – all these (are absorbed) [see the name of five tattvas are changed thereby meaning that five tattvas are actually names of five devatas] when Akara (A), the first amsa (part) of pranava (Aum) becomes absorbed. Antariksha, Yajur veda, vayu, bhuvah and Vishnu, the Janardana – all these (are absorbed) when Ukara (U), the second amsa of pranava becomes absorbed. Dyur, sun, Sama Veda, suvah and Maheshwara – all these (are absorbed) when Makara (M), the third amsa of pranava becomes absorbed. Akara is of (pita) yellow colour and is said to be of rajoguna; Ukara is of white colour and of sattvaguna; Makara is of dark colour and of tamoguna. He who does not know Omkara as having eight angas (parts), four padas (feet), three sthanas (seats) and five devatas (presiding deities) is not a Brahmana. Pranava is the bow. Atma is the arrow and Brahman is said to be the aim. One should aim at it with great care and then he, like the arrow, becomes one with It. When that Highest is cognized, all karmas return (from him, viz., do not affect him). The Vedas have Omkara as their cause. The swaras (sounds) have Omkara as their cause. The three worlds with (all) the locomotive and the fixed (ones in them) have Omkara as their cause. The short (accent of Aum) burns all sins, the long one is decayless and the bestower of prosperity. United with ardhamatra (half-metre of Aum), the pranava becomes the bestower of salvation. That man is the knower of the Vedas who knows that the end (viz., ardhamatra) of pranava should be worshipped (or recited) as uninterrupted as the flow of oil and (resounding) as long as the sound of a bell. One should contemplate upon Omkara as Ishwara resembling an unshaken light, as of the size of a thumb and as motionless in the middle of the pericarp of the lotus of the heart. Taking in vayu through the left nostril and filling the stomach with it, one should contemplate upon Omkara as being in the middle of the body and as surrounded by circling flames. Brahma is said to be the inspiration; Vishnu is said to be cessation (of breath), and Rudra is said to be expiration. These are the devatas of pranayama. Having made Atma as the (lower) arani (sacrificial wood) and pranava as the upper arani, one should see the God in secret through the practice of churning which is dhyana. One should practice restraint of breath as much as it lies in his power along with (the uttering of) Omkara sound until it ceases completely. Those who look upon Aum as of the form of Hamsa staying in all, shining like crores of suns, being alone, staying in gamagama (ever going and coming) and being devoid of motion – at last such persons are freed from sin. That manas which is the author of the actions (viz.), creation, preservation and destruction of the three worlds, is (then) absorbed (in the supreme One). That is the highest state of Vishnu.
The aforementioned description says clearly that he who does not know Omkara as having five devatas is not a Brahman.
Read more of what Dhyanabindu-Upanishad says:
The lotus of the heart has eight petals and thirty-two filaments. The sun is in its midst: the moon is in the middle of the sun. Agni is in the middle of the moon: the prabha (spiritual light) is in the middle of agni. Pitha (seat or centre) is in the midst of prabha, being set in diverse gems. One should meditate upon the stainless Lord Vasudeva as being (seated) upon the centre of pitha, as having Srivatsa (black mark) and Kaustubha (garland of gems) [the black mark on the breast standing for mulaprakriti and the garland for the five elements] on his chest and as adorned with gems and pearls resembling pure crystal in lustre and as resembling crores of moons in brightness. He should meditate upon maha-Vishnu as above or in the following manner. (Thus is) he should meditate with inspiration (of breath) upon Maha-Vishnu as resembling the atasi flower and as saying in the seat of navel with four hands; then with restraint of breath, he should meditate in the heart upon Brahma, the Grandfather as being on the lotus with the gaura (pale-red) colour of gems and having four faces: then through expiration, he should meditate upon the three-eyed Siva between the two eyebrows shining like the pure crystal, being stainless, destroying all sins, being in that which is like the lotus facing down with its flower (or face) below and the stalk above or like the flower of a plantain tree, being of the form of all Vedas, containing one hundred petals and one hundred leaves and having the pericarp full-expanded. There he should meditate upon the sun, the moon and the agni, one above another. Passing above through the lotus which has the brightness of the sun, moon, and agni, and taking its Hrim bija (letter), one leads his Atma firmly. He is the knower of Vedas who knows the three seats, the three matras, the three Brahmas, the three aksharas (letters) and the three matras associated with the ardhamatra. He who knows that which is above bindu, nada and akala as uninterrupted as the flow of oil and (resounding) as long as the sound of a bell – that man is a knower of the Vedas.
Following names are used in this passage: Sun, Moon, Agni, Prabha, Lord Vasudeva, Maha-Vishnu, Brahma, Siva – the eight petals talked about. Clearly these are names of the devatas and one of the names viz. Prabha is surely a feminine name. See how the great sages of yore have intelligently camouflaged the information they wished to pass in long narrations. Had it not been for this, the information would have long been lost or truncated.
Now we come to the most important of all Upanishads, which would clear all doubts, if they still persist, as regards to relationship between the fourteen devatas and syllable ‘Aum’.
Nadabindu-Upanishad (Nadabindu means sound-seed or the seed of the word ‘Aum’) says that Aum can be compared to Vishnu’s Garuda, the bird through whom one reaches God. We invite you to see what this bird comprise of, which serves as a vehicle that leads us to God. Read this:
The syllable A is considered to be its (the bird Aum’s) right wing, U, its left: M, its tail; and the ardhamatra (half-metre) is said to be its head.
The (rajasic and tamasic) qualities, its feet upwards (to the loins); sattva (pure), its (main) body; dharma (religion) is considered to be its right eye, and adharma (non-religion), its left.
The Bhurloka is situated in its feet; the Bhuvarloka, in its knews; the Suvarloka, in its loins; and the Maharloka, in its navel.
In its heart is situated the Janoloka; the tapoloka in its throat, and the Satyaloka in the centre of the forehead between the eyebrows.
Then the matra (or mantra) beyond the Sahasrara (thousand-rayed) is explained (viz.) should be explained.
An adept in yoga who bestrides the Hamsa (bird) thus (viz., contemplates on Aum) is not affected by karmic influences or by tens of crores of sins.
The first matra has Agni as its devata (presiding deity); the second, Vayu as its devata; the next matra is resplendent like the sphere of the Sun and the last, the Ardhamatra the wise know as belonging to Varuna (the presiding deity of water).
Each of these matras has indeed three kalas (parts). This is called Omkara. Know it by means of the dharanas, viz., concentration on each of the twelve kalas, or the variations of the matras produced by the differences of svaras or intonation). The first matra is called ghosini; the second, vidyunmali (or vikyunmatra); the third, patangini; the fourth, vayuvegini; the fifth, namdheya; the sixth, aindri; the seventh, vaishnavi; the eighth, sankari; the ninth, mahati; the tenth, dhrti (dhruva, Calcutta ed.); the eleventh, nari (mauni, Calcutta ed.); and the twelfth, brahmi.
A Commentator of this Upanishad writes: “The four matras are subdivided into twelve by their having each three svaras, Udatta, Anudatta, and Svarita. Here the author goes on to give the names of the twelve kalas and shows the method of practicing Dharana on each. Ghoshini is that which gives Prajna; Vidyunmali is that secures entrance into the loke of Vidyunmali, the king of the yakshas; Patangini is that which confers the power of movement through air like the bird Patangini; Vayuvegini is that which gives the power of moving very rapidly; Namadheya means that which confers existence in Pitrloka; Aindri in Indraloka; Vaishnavi and Sankari in Vishnu and Siva-lokas respectively; Mauni to the loke of Munis or Janoloka and Brahmi to Brahmaloka.”
Earlier this commentator says: “The meaning seems to be – the letters A and U are the two wings of the Hamsa (Aum) of the form of Vishnu which goes to svarga, the abode of Surya [remember mention of Indra’s heaven in Gita; Indra being Mohammad], the thousand-rayed God (translated for deva); that syllable, ‘Aum’ bearing in its heart all the devas (of sattvaguna). He goes up to Sahasranha seeing the worlds personally: Sahasranha being the seat of the spiritual sun [Indra].)”
See what the Upanishad says further:
If a person happens to die in the first matra (while contemplating on it), he is born again as a great emperor in Bharatavarsha (India).
If in the second matra, he becomes an illustrious yaksha; if in the third matra, a vidyadhara; if in the fourth, a gandhara (these three being the celestial hosts).
If he happens to die in the fifth, viz., ardhamatra, he lives in the world of the moon, with the rank of a deva greatly glorified there.
If in the sixth, he merges into Indra; if in the seventh, he reaches the seat of Vishnu; if in the eighth, Rudra, the Lord of all creatures.
If in the ninth, in Maharloka; if in the tenth, in Janoloka (Dhruvaloka, Calcutta ed.); if in the eleventh, Tapoloka, and if in the twelfth, he attains the eternal state of Brahma.
That which is beyond these, (viz.,) Parabrahman which is beyond (the above matras), the pure, the all-pervading, beyond kalas, the ever resplendent and the source of all jyotis (lights or noors) should be known.
The very fact that Indra, Rudra and others are talked about confirms that Aum represents the path of the devatas on which one has to traverse to attain the eternal state of Brahma.
Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri (as per Dowson) is “a most sacred verse of the Rig-veda, which is the duty of every Brahman to repeat mentally in his morning and evening devotions. It is addressed to the sun as Savitri, the generator, and so it is called Savitri. Personified as a goddess, Savitri is the wife of Brahma, mother of the four Vedas, and also of the twice-born or three superior castes. Colebrook’s translation of the Gayatri is “Earth, sky, heaven. Let us meditate on (these, and on) the most excellent light and power of that generous, sportive, and resplendent sun, (praying that) it may guide our intellects.” Wilson’s version is, in his translation of the Rig-veda, says: “We meditate on that desirable light of the divine Savitri who influences our pious rites.” In the Vishnu Purana he had before given a somewhat different version, “We meditate on that excellent light of the divine sun: may he illuminate our minds.” A later translation by Benfey is, “May we receive the glorious brightness of this, the generator, of the god (deva) who shall prosper our works.”
Wilson observes of it: “The commentators admit some variety of interpretation; but it probably meant, in its original use, a simple invocation of the sun to shed a benignant influence upon the customary offices of worship; and it is still employed by the unphilosophical Hindus with merely that signification. Later notions, and especially those of the Vedanta, have operated to attach to the text an import it did not at first possess, and have converted it into a mystical propitiation of the spiritual origin and essence of existence, or Brahma.” It is considered so holy that copyists often refrain from transcribing it.
As late as June 19, 2004, a final and generally accepted translation of Gayatri Mantra has not been done. In other words, it has not been actually understood. In his column ‘With Malice Towards One and All’ in The Hindustan Times, Khushwant Singh says: “Gayatri Mantra is regarded as the most important mantra, to be repeated 108 times (why 108?) each day, and what exactly it meant. I asked every Hindu I met to explain it to me word by word. The closest I came to understand it was from Kanan Jhingan, retired professor of Hindu Daulat Ram College. We had two long sessions during which she gave me her translation in Hindi. I have tried to put the same in English.
Aum, the celestial sound that resounds in our bodies,
over the earth and the cosmos up to the gates of heaven.
The effulgence of the rising sun that sets all living things
To their allotted tasks to strive to achieve their aims in life
May the dazzling light which is the gift of the gods (devas)
Illuminate our beings
Let us contemplate on it
So that our minds get enlightenment.
The Gayatri Mantra that is to be recited 108 times a day too is not complete without the mention of devatas, who are the cause of the entire cosmos. In fact, this important mantra was meant to make us remember the importance of devatas in illuminating our lives and seeking prayer so that our minds get enlightened.
It clearly states that all living things have a task assigned to it. Are we to believe then that man is given birth to spend life aimlessly? Does religion that is expected of us merely means playing dandia over the entire night during the Dussehra festivities, bursting crackers and giving/receiving gifts on Diwali and chanting a few mantras whose meaning is unknown to us? What man’s aim ought to be is explained by all the Messengers time and again, be it Krishna, Buddha, Ram, Isa (Jesus), Musa (Moses), Ibrahim (Abraham) or Mohammad, as the last of them?
Such extensive importance was given to Gayatri Mantra by the early sages so that the men of latter period don’t forget the cause of creation as well as their own, and also remember the true purpose of life. It was expected that the people of the later period would try to figure out the meaning of ‘Aum’ and the importance of devas, while chanting it day after day, several times over. Unfortunately, this was not to happen till now.
As regards to the identity of Savitri, we tried to search the various places where the name has been mentioned. Wilson says it is “The name given to Sata-rupa (q.v.), Brahma’s female half, daughter, and consort, as “the declarer of sacred knowledge.” It is also applied to the consort of Siva in the Hari-vansa.”
Since we have said earlier that Brahma has been used for Mohammad, and also proved that Siva is used for Ali, the daughter of Brahma and the consort of Siva would be one and the same person, viz. the devi who later took birth as Fatima. She is the female half, created from Brahma. As regards to her being called ‘consort’ of Brahma, that seems to have been wrongly understood as she was the only female among five, and hence is sometimes associated with Vishnu, sometimes with Brahma or Siva.

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