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Om Suryam sundarlokanathamamritam vedantasaram sivam,
Jnanam brahmamayam suresamamalam lokaikochittam svayam; Indradityanaradhipam suragurum trailokyachudamanim, Brahmavishnusivasvarupahridayam vande sada bhaskaram.
I always adore Surya, the sun, the beautiful Lord of the world, the immortal, the quintessence of the Vedanta, the auspicious, the absolute knowledge, of the form of Brahman, the Lord of the gods, ever-pure, the one true consciousness of the world himself, the Lord of Indra, the gods and men, the preceptor of the gods, the crest-jewel of the three worlds, the very heart of the forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, the giver of light.
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O Adorable Lord of Mercy and Love!
Salutations and prostrations unto Thee.
Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient;
Thou art Satchidananda.
Thou art the Indweller of all beings.
Grant us an understanding heart,
Equal vision, balanced mind,
Faith, devotion and wisdom.
Grant us inner spiritual strength
To resist temptations and to control the mind.
Free us from egoism, lust, greed, hatred, anger and jealousy.
Fill our hearts with divine virtues.
Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms.
Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms.
Let us ever remember Thee.
Let us ever sing Thy Glories.
Let Thy Name be ever on our lips.
Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
The Gayatri is the divine power that transforms the human into the Divine and blesses man with the brilliant light of the highest spiritual illumination. Whoever may be one’s favourite Deity, the regular repetition of a few malas (rosary of a hundred and eight beads) of Gayatri Japa every day will shower upon one incalculable benefits and blessings. It is universally applicable, being purely an earnest prayer for light addressed to the Almighty Supreme Spirit. The Para Brahma Gayatri Mantra is the most important of all Mantras. For every Brahmin of any creed or order of life, this has been prescribed as being the sole transcendental guiding light. The Brahmachari or celibate, the Grihastha or householder, and the Vanaprastha or one who is retired, must repeat this Mantra every day; the Sannyasin or renunciate is asked to repeat Om instead of this Mantra.
The nature of the Gayatri Mantra is such that you can repeat it while meditating on any form you like. It is generally conceived of as a female Deity by the majority of devotees. One who worships God as Mother adheres to this belief. But, in its true light, the Gayatri never speaks of a female at all.
You cannot find a single word in the entire Gayatri Mantra, which speaks of a female. The feminine form of the word “Gayatri” cannot make its Deity a female. It is only the name of its metre and not the Deity.
Some people think that the Gayatri Mantra is presided over by the sun. In fact, even this idea is to be modified a little. The sun that it speaks of is not that which shines over this earth before our physical eyes, but tat savituh or “that Sun”, the great Sun which this sun or moon does not illumine, and which is the impersonal, absolute Brahman.
Therefore, this is the greatest of all Mantras as its presiding Deity is none other than Para Brahman Himself. Hence, why hanker after other Mantras?
The Gayatri itself is the crest-jewel or the king of all Mantras. It is the most powerful of all Mantras. Na gayatryah paro mantrah – ”There is no Mantra greater than the Gayatri”.
Each word, each letter of the Gayatri bears on its head the highest Vedantic concept of the absolute, supreme Truth. Do Japa of the Gayatri—it will give you the most excellent fruit, the fruit of immortality! The Mantra is as follows:
Om bhur bhuvah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat.
Om: symbol of Para Brahman.
Bhuh: Bhu Loka or the physical plane.
Bhuvah: the astral plane.
Svah: the celestial plane.
Tat: That; the transcendental Paramatma; God.
Savituh: the Creator.
Varenyam: fit to be worshipped.
Bhargah: remover of sins and ignorance; glory, effulgence.
Devasya: resplendent, shining.
Dheemahi: we meditate.
Dhiyah: the intellect, understanding.
Yo: who.
Nah: our.
Prachodayaat: enlighten, guide, impel.
Meaning:
“We meditate on the glory of the Creator who has created the universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the embodiment of knowledge and light, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May He enlighten our intellect!”
Herein there are five parts: Om is the first part; Bhur bhuvah svah is the second; Tat savitur varenyam is the third; Bhargo devasya dheemahi is the fourth; and Dhiyo yo nah prachodayaat is the last.
While chanting the Mantra you should pause after every part.
Gayatri Japa Day – Swami Sivananda
O Adorable Lord of Compassion! Salutations unto Thee! Thou art Infinite Beauty, Joy, Bliss and Peace! Thou art Perfect, Independent and ever Free! Give me the spirit of sacrifice, strength and indomitable will to serve humanity! Vouch safe to me Thy grace and mercy!
O Almighty! Thou art my Redeemer and Saviour. Free me from the bondage of this body and round of births and deaths. Make me drink the nectar of Immortality!
O Supreme Being! Fill my heart with unflinching devotion unto Thee. Let the flame of devotion to Thee grow brighter every day!
O Infinity! O Eternity! O Immortality! Free me from all sorrows, dependence, delusion, weakness and defects! Grant me equal vision, balanced mind, divine virtues, such as courage, tolerance, forbearance, humility, mercy, purity, cosmic love, etc.
O Omnipotent Lord! Strengthen my resolve to stick to the spiritual path and to do my daily spiritual routine vigorously and regularly. Forgive my sins. Free me from the obstacles in the path and from all temptations. Give me inner strength to resist temptations!
O Indwelling Presence! Thou art my sole prop, support, refuge and solace! Thou art the Life of my life. Thou art the Soul of my soul. Thou art Transcendental Bliss, Peace and Joy. Thou art the one homogeneous essence. Let me be established in Non-violence, Truthfulness, Devotion and Purity. Teach me to be steadfast in my devotion unto Thee. Give me Light and Wisdom.
O Supreme Love! Salutations unto Thee! Thou art the Indweller of my heart. Give me the inner third eye of intuition or wisdom. May Self-realisation be my inexhaustible spiritual wealth, dispassion my crown, virtuous deeds my asset in the divine bank, and renunciation the jewel of my heart! Crores of prostrations unto Thee, O Lord, I am Thine. Save me, protect me, guide me and enlighten me. Make me pure, perfect and free! Through Thy grace may all attain health, long life, prosperity and Self-realisation!
See Prayers I
Thou art, O Lord, the creator of this universe. Thou art the protector of this world. Thou art in the grass and in the rose. Thou art in the sun and the stars. Salutations unto Thee. O Bestower of joy and bliss!
Sweet Lord! Let me be free from the clutches of death. Let me be able to look upon all beings with equal vision. Let me be free from impurity and sin. Give me strength to control the mind. Give me strength to serve Thee and the humanity untiringly. Make me Thy fit instrument for Thy work. Make me pure and strong.
I bow to Thee, O Indweller of all hearts! O Secret of secrets! Remove my weaknesses, defects and evil thoughts. Make me pure, so that I may be able to receive Thy grace and blessings. O Lord! Thou art the thread-soul that connects all beings. Thou pervadest all, permeatest and interpenetratest all things of this Universe.
Thou art the Light Divine. Thou art the Dispeller of ignorance. Thou art the All-merciful Lord. Give me a life without disease. Let me remember Thee always. Let me develop all the sublime virtues.
Thou art self-luminous. Thou art my Father, Mother, Brother, Friend, Relative and Guide. Let me realise the Truth. Let me be free from greed, lust, egoism, jealousy and hatred. Prepare me as Thy sweet messenger on this earth, so that I may radiate joy; peace and bliss to the whole world. Let me utilise my body, mind and senses in Thy service and in the service of Thy creatures. Breathe into me Thy breath of Immortality. Let me recognise the Universal Brotherhood of Man. Let me love all as my own Self. Salutations unto Thee! O Lord of Compassion!
See Prayers III
O Adorable Lord of Compassion! Salutations unto Thee. Give me inner spiritual strength to resist temptation and melt in Thee this ego which is harder than granite or diamond. Let me always be Thy chosen playmate in the wonderful game You play in all the worlds. Let me understand Thy mysterious Lila or sporting. Let me be a perennial channel of Thy sweet love to all Thy children. Utilise my body, the senses and the mind for Thy unhampered play. O hidden Love! O undecaying beauty! Let my soul rest peacefully in Thee for ever and ever.
O Light of lights! O shining One! I live for Thee. I behold Thee in the smiles of children, in the tears of the afflicted, in my thoughts, emotions, sentiments, in the morning dew of the Himalayan land-scape and in the rays of the sun. My room is filled with Thy sweet Presence. I eat Thy benign grace in my daily food. I taste Thy radiant love in my daily drink. Thou art the ocean of love and compassion. Let my love for Thee become a roaring flame. Withdraw from me whatever evil there is. Fill my heart with purity, goodness, love and sublime virtues. Make me Immortal.
O Lord! Reveal unto me Thy enchanting Form. Make me feel Thy living Presence. Fill my heart with love. Let me merge myself in Thee. Let me walk in the path of righteousness. Cleanse my mind of all evil thoughts. Help me to concentrate my mind on Thy lotus-feet. Embrace me and make me pure. Teach me to be still and enjoy Thy magnificent Vision. Illumine my mind with the light of true Knowledge. Make my stony heart melt and flow towards Thee.
See Prayers II
