Friday 19 August 2016

19 AUG 2016 MAA GAYATRI JAPAM

Gayatri Japam is a very glorious and holy day for Hindus. It is observed just after Shravana Purnima (full moon day in the Hindu month of Shravana) as per the traditional Hindu calendar. This date corresponds to the months of July-August in the Gregorian calendar. On the auspicious day of Gayatri Japam, also known as ‘Gayatri Japa Sankalpam’, the Sama Vedi, Rig and Yajur Brahmins chant the Gayatri mantra with utmost devotion and dedication. In the Southern states of India, this ritual forms a part of the Avani Avittam and Upakarma rituals. During this ritual Brahmins who wear the ‘janeyu’ or the sacred thread, chant the Gayatri mantra 108 times. The Gayatri Japam day is celebrated with full fervour all across India and is popularly called as ‘Gayatri Padyami’ or ‘Gayatri Pratipada’ in the Telangana and Andhra regions.

Gayathri Japam 2016 was on August 18 Thursday

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Gayathri Japam
Gayathri Japam

Rituals during Gayatri Japam:

  • Brahmins get up before sunrise and take an early bath on the day of Gayatri Japam. They first offer prayers to their deities to get enlightened with knowledge and wisdom.
  • After finishing the initial puja rites, Brahmins chant the Gayatri Mantra for 108 or 1008 times continuously. The mode and sequence of performing this ritual majorly depends on the mutt affiliation. The Gayatri Japam ritual is performed during the morning and within the speculated time.
  • Not only Brahmins but any individual can perform the Gayatri Japam ritual. A Brahmachari (on who follows celibacy), a Grihastha (householder) or even one in ‘Vanaprastha’ (old age) can selflessly chant this mantra with a pure conscience.
  • Gayatri mantra is dedicated to Sun God. It is believed to be highly meritorious to chant Gayatri Mantra three times during the day, in the morning when the sun rises, at noon when Sun reaches its apex and in the evening when the Sun sets. Gayatri Mantra is one that unites the individual with the Supreme Power, the Almighty.

Important Timings On Gayathri Japam

Sunrise18-Aug-2016 06:08 AM
Sunset18-Aug-2016 18:53 PM
Purnima Tithi Begins17-Aug-2016 16:27 PM
Purnima Tithi Ends18-Aug-2016 14:56 PM
Place : Ujjain [ India ] Time Zone : IST (+05:30)
 PANCHANG FOR GAYATHRI JAPAM

Significance of Gayatri Japam:

The supremacy of Gayatri Mantra is mentioned in several Hindu religious scriptures and puranas. The greatness of this mantra has been known since the Vedic times. This mantra is more powerful than any other mantras and forms the foundation for all other mantra in Hinduism. As per the legends, Gayatri is known to be the Supreme Goddess and is also referred as Mother Goddess. It is believed that a person who performs Gayatri Japam sincerely will be bestowed with all spiritual and worldly happiness. The power of Gayatri mantra is such that it frees the individual from all his/her sins, besides offering self purification.
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Gayatri Mantra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hinduism
Om symbol.svg
Gayatri Mantra
The Gāyatrī Mantra, also known as the Sāvitrī mantra, is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10). Gāyatrī is the name of the Vedic meter in which the verse is composed.[1] Its recitation is traditionally preceded by oṃ and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, known as the mahāvyāhṛti, or "great (mystical) utterance".
The Gayatri mantra is repeated and cited very widely in Vedic literature[2] and praised in several classical Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita ,[3][4] Harivamsa,[5] and Manusmṛti. [6] In the Pali Canon, the Buddha praises the Gayatri mantra as the foremost meter.[7] The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism, and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its use is now very widespread.[8][9]

The Mantra[edit]

Text[edit]

The main mantra appears in the hymn RV 3.62.10. During its recitation, the hymn is preceded by oṃ (ॐ) and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ (भूर् भुवः स्वः). This prefixing of the mantra proper is described in the Taittiriya Aranyaka(2.11.1-8), which states that it should be chanted with the syllable oṃ, followed by the three Vyahrtis and the Gayatri verse.[10]
The Gayatri mantra is:[10]

In Devanagari[edit]

ॐ भू: भुवः स्वः ।
तत्स॑वि॒तुर्वरेण्यं॒
भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि ।
धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचो॒दया॑त् ॥

In IAST[edit]

om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
tát savitúr váreṇ(i)yaṃ
bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
dhíyo yó naḥ prachodayāt
– Rigveda 3.62.10[11]
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Whereas in principle the gāyatrī metre specifies three pādas of eight syllables each, the text of the verse as preserved in the Samhita is one short, seven instead of eight. Metrical restoration would emend the attested tri-syllabicvareṇyaṃ with a tetra-syllabic vareṇiyaṃ.[12]

Meaning[edit]

A meaning of the Gayatri mantra, published in 1882 by Monier Monier-Williams, is as follows:
Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine vivifying Sun,
May he enlighten our understandings.
— Translated by Monier Monier-Williams[13][14]

Paraphrases[edit]

The following is a list of English paraphrases or free translations.
AuthorYearTranslation
Sir William Jones1807"Let us adore the supremacy of that divine sun, the god-head who illuminates all, who recreates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, whom we invoke to direct our understandings aright in our progress toward his holy seat."[15]
William Quan Judge1893"Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light, that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."[16]
Sivanath Sastri(Brahmo Samaj)1911"We meditate on the worshipable power and glory of Him who has created the earth, the nether world and the heavens (i.e. the universe), and who directs our understanding."[17]
Swami Vivekananda"We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds."[18]
S. Radhakrishnan1947, 1953
  1. " We meditate on the effulgent glory of the divine Light; may he inspire our understanding."[19]
  2. "We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may he inspire our intelligence."[20]

Role in Vedic and Vedantic literature[edit]

The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Vedic texts.
  • The Rigvedic stanza 3.62.10 is found a number of times in the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy,[21] where it is used without any special distinction, typically as one among several stanzas dedicated to Savitar at appropriate points in the various rituals. Accordingly, the stanza is cited several times in the Brahmanas and the Srauta-sutras.[22]
  • In this corpus, there is only one instance of the stanza being prefixed with the three mahavyahrtis.[23] This is in a late supplementary chapter of the Shukla Yajurveda samhita, listing the mantras used in the preliminaries to the pravargya ceremony. However, none of the parallel texts of the pravargya rite in other samhitas have the stanza at all. A form of the mantra with all seven vyahrtis prefixed is found in the last book of the Taittiriya Aranyaka, better known as the Mahanarayana Upanishad.[24] It is as follows:
    ओम् भूः ओम् भुवः ओम् सुवः ओम् महः ओम् जनः ओम् तपः ओम् स॒त्यम्।
      ओम् तत्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे॑ण्य॒म् भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि।
      धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचो॒दया॑त्।
      ओमापो॒ ज्योती॒ रसो॒ऽमृतं॒ ब्रह्म॒ भूर्भुव॒स्सुव॒रोम्।

Usage[edit]

Main usage[edit]

Imparting the Gayatri mantra to young Hindu men is an important part of the traditional upanayana ceremony, which marks the beginning of study of the Vedas. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan described this as the essence of the ceremony,[19] which is sometimes called"Gayatri diksha", i.e. initiation into the Gayatri mantra.[34] However, traditionally, the stanza RV.3.62.10 is imparted only to Brahmin boys. Other Gayatri verses are used in the upanayana ceremony for non-Brahmins: RV.1.35.2, in the tristubh meter, for a kshatriya and either RV.1.35.9 or RV.4.40.5 in the jagati meter for a Vaishya.[35]

Other usages[edit]

In addition to the Sandhyavandanam-use, Gayatri japa is used as a method of prāyaścitta, instrument of Tantric practice, etc.
It is believed by practitioners that reciting the mantra bestows wisdom and enlightenment, through the vehicle of the Sun (Savitr), who represents the source and inspiration of the universe.[19]

Praise by the Buddha[edit]

In Samyutta Nikaya 111, Majjhima Nikaya 92 and Vinaya i 246 of the Pali Canon, the Buddha praises the Agnihotra as the foremost sacrifice and the Gayatri mantra as the foremost meter:
aggihuttamukhā yaññā sāvittī chandaso mukham.
Sacrifices have the agnihotra as foremost; of meter the foremost is the Sāvitrī.[36]

Modern reception outside of the Brahmin caste[edit]

Brahmoism[edit]

In 1827 Ram Mohan Roy published a dissertation on the Gayatri mantra[37] that analysed it in the context of various Upanishads. Roy prescribed a Brahmin to always pronounce om at the beginning and end of the Gayatri mantra.[38] From 1830, the Gayatri mantra was used for private devotion of Brahmos. In 1843, the First Covenant of Brahmo Samaj required Gayatri mantra for Divine Worship. From 1848-1850 with the rejection of Vedas, the Adi Dharm Brahmins use the Gayatri mantra in their private devotions.[39]

Hindu revivalism[edit]

In the later 19th century, Hindu reform movements extended the chanting of the Gayatri mantra beyond caste and gender limitations. In 1898, Swami Vivekananda began initiating non-Brahmins with upanayana and the Gayatri mantra. He based this on the interpretations of the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita that Brahmin status is earned and not hereditary.[40] The Arya Samaj notably spread the teaching that recitation of the mantra was not limited to males, but that women could rightfully be taught both the Vedas and the Gayatri mantra.[41][42] In his writings, S. Radhakrishnan encouraged the teaching of Gayatri mantra to men and women of all castes.[43] Various Gayatri yajñas organised by All World Gayatri Pariwar at small and large scales in late twentieth century also helped spread Gayatri mantra to the mass.[44]

Popular culture[edit]

A version of the Gayatri mantra is featured in the opening theme song of the TV series Battlestar Galactica (2004).[45] A variation on the William Quan Judge translation is also used as the introduction to Kate Bush's song "Lily" on her 1993 album, The Red Shoes.

Sandhyavandanam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 1983 film, see Sandhya Vandanam (film).
Veda pathashala students doing sandhya vandanam at Nachiyar Kovil,Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
Sandhyavandana (Sanskrit: संध्यावन्दन, sandhyāvandana) is a mandatory religious ritual performed, traditionally, by Dvija communities of Hindus[citation needed], particularly those initiated through the sacred thread ceremony referred to as the Upanayanam and instructed in its execution by a Guru, in this case one qualified to teach Vedic ritual. The Sandhyavandanam consists of recitation from the Vedas, accompanied by ritual. These rituals are performed three times a day- at morning (prātaḥsaṃdhyā), noon (mādhyāhnika) and evening (sāyaṃsaṃdhyā).
The Sandhyavandanam is the oldest extant liturgy in world religion. As a practice, it may be descended from the much older daily Agnihotra ritual.
Sandhyavandanam literally means "salutation to Sandhya". Sandhya, in turn, has traditionally been interpreted either as "the transition moments of the day" (namely the two twilights dawn and dusk), or as "the solar noon". Thus, Sandhyavandanam may be defined as the ritual "salutation to twilight or the solar noon".
The term sandhyā, when used by itself in the sense of "daily practice", may also refer to the performance of these rituals at the opening and closing of the day.[1][2]
[3][4] The steps in the Sandhyavandan always include the following essential components:
  1. Āchamana consists of Nama Sankirthana - taking the names of the Lord
  2. Prāṇāyāma is the ritual purification of internals via breathing exercises
  3. Mārjana is a ritual self-purification
  4. Mantra Prokshanam is a prayer for atonement of sins
  5. Aghamarshana (performed by some schools, especially Rig Vedins) is a prayer for forgiveness of sins
  6. Gāyatri japa is meditation
  7. Upastānam is a prayer to the Hindu deities Mitra (performed during the morning prayer) and Varuna (performed during the evening prayer)
  8. Abhivādana is a salutory introduction offered to all deities. It usually follows a prostration to the deities in each direction (dikpālas)
In addition to the above Vedic components of the Sandhyavandanam, many include the following Tantric component:
  1. Navagraha tarpana are offerings made every day to each of the nine planets.
The steps in the Rigveda Sandhyavandan are twenty-eight in number. The emerging need to perform the Sandhyaavandanam daily is increasing .[5]

Main components of the Sandhyavandanam[edit]

Poorvaangam
  • Āchamana and Angavandanam - Sipping water three times + purifying parts of the body
  • Ganapathi Dhyanam - Requesting Lord Ganeshaa for cessation of obstacles
  • Prāṇāyāma - (Prāṇā) Breathing (āyamaha) regulation exercise controls pranamayakosha ("physiological aspect"). The Pranamaya kosha includes five systems - Prana (respiratory system), apana (excretory system), vyana (circulatory system), samana (digestive) and udana (reversing system). Influences Anamayakosha (Anatomical aspect) and Manomayakosha (Emotional aspect). There are 2 types: Kevala pranayama (Done silently - focus is on body) and Sagarbha pranayama (recommended) (With mantra - health improves but we remain detached from body). Done 3 times to 10 times.
Meaning of Mantra - Pranava - Om means eeswarah (implying that God is everything). Vyahrithihi) - Bhu, bhuvaha etc. refer to 7 upper lokas (other 7 lower lokas are implied) are all God. Gayatri - Simple meaning - I meditate upon the light of the sun which activates our intellient) Gayatri shiras (again says that God is everything - All waters (aapo), lights (jyothi), essences/nourishment(raso), God's nourishment (amrutham) is God).
  • Sankalpam - Taking the resolve - has benefit of auto-suggestion (telling yourself that this is your focus for next 15 odd minutes).
  • Prokshanam -
  • Jalaprashanam or Marjanam
  • Arghya pradanam
  • Navagraha Kesavathi Tarpana
  • Gayatri japam
  • Upasthaanam
  • Dik-Vandhanam
  • Abhivadanam
  • Samarpanam
Chanting of the Gayatri mantra, traditionally, is done 32, 64 or 108 times (it depends on the person doing sandhyavandana; he can chant any number of times. "YathaSakti Gayatri mantra japam karishye" was the sankalpam in Sandhya vandana), depending upon the prescriptions of the practitioner's Veda and Sutra, an integral part of Sandhyavandanam.[6] In addition to the mantra, the ritual of saṃdhyā includes other rites that are purifying and preparatory (Sanskrit: śuddhi mantras), serving to prevent distracting thoughts and bring focus to the mind. Some of these are propitiatory libations of water to the Gods of the planets and of the months of the Hindu calendar, atoning for Sandhyavandanams not performed and atoning for sins committed since the last hour of Sandhya. In addition, one of the most important rituals of Sandhyavandanam involves worshiping the Sun as Mitra in the morning and worshiping Varuna, in the evening.
Each Shakha of the holy Veda has its own unique way of sandhyavandanam. Shatatapa Smriti says a Dwija who doesn't do sandhyavandanam at least once will be a dog in the next birth. During Ashoucham (during death of any relative or birth of a child) sandhyavandanam is done without water and Darbham (Kusha grass). On Trayodashi, during sayam sandhya minimum gayatri japam and silence is prescribed by some vedik scholars. There are few additional mantras in Navagraha Kesavathi Tarpana for Bodhayana Sutra. They include Yama mantras, in addition to Navagraha Kesavathi mantras.

Daily duties of Brahmins[edit]

Doing Sandhya vandhana first creates the eligibility for a brahmin to do all rituals following it. Rituals done without doing sandhyavandhanam are regarded as fruitless by Dharmaśāstra. Thus, sandhyavandhana forms the basis or regarded as the foundation for all other vedic rituals. After doing Sandhyavandhana dhyannika Sandhya to get rid off sins occurred due preparation of lunch like boiling rice,cutting vegetables, burning firewood etc. In Vaishvadeva homa rice cakes are offered to vishvadevas (all devatas).

Miscellaneous[edit]

Other aspects of the ritual, though, speaking strictly, not to included in Sandhyavandanam, may include meditation, chanting of other mantras (Sanskrit: japa), and devotional practices specifically for divinities that are preferred by the practitioner.[7] Regarding the connection with meditation practices, Monier-Williams notes that if regarded as an act of meditation, the sandhyā may be connected with the etymology san-dhyai.[8]
Depending on the beliefs — Smartha, Sri Vaishnava, Madhva — these mantras or procedures have slight changes, while the main mantras like marjanam (sprinkling of water), prashanam (drinking water), punar marjanam and arghya pradhanam remain the same in 95% of the cases. Smarthas (Advaithins) have Aikyanu Sandanam, where they (Yajur Vedins) recite the verse from bruhadaranyaka Upanishad (Brahmir vaa Aham Asmi).Sivaprasad Bhattacharyya defines it as the "Hindu code of liturgical prayers."[9]

See also[edit]

[10] Rigved Steps
  1. Jump up^ For use of the term saṃdhyā as meaning "daily practice", see Taimni, p. 7.
  2. Jump up^ For saṃdhyā as juncture of the two divisions of the day (morning and evening) and also defined as "the religious acts performed by Brahmans and twice-born men at the above three divisions of the day" see Monier-Williams, p. 1145, middle column.
  3. Jump up^ http://www.sandhyaavandanam.com/
  4. Jump up^ ==Sandhya Vandana==
  5. Jump up^ http://www.sandhyaavandanam.com/
  6. Jump up^ For chanting of the Gayatri mantra as part of saṃdhyā practice see Taimni, p. 1.
  7. Jump up^ These are entirely at the discretion of the performer and carry no ritualistic sanction whatsoever. For meditation, japa, and chosen deity practices, see Taimni, pp. 171-204.
  8. Jump up^ For san-dhyai see Monier-Williams, p. 1145, middle column.
  9. Jump up^ For a definition see Bhattacharyya, Sivaprasad. "Indian Hymnology", in Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 474. Sri Thillasthanam Swamy Kainkarya Sabha , Bangalore have brought out a book on Sandhyavandanam modelled as a Guide with all the hymns in Devanagiri , Tamil and Kannada scripts and the meanings of each hymn and explanations in English for better appreciation . For more details please visit the sabha website http://thillasthanam-swamy-sabha.webs.com
  10. Jump up^ http://sandhyaavandanam.com/rigved.html

Bibliography[edit]

  • Ed. Dewan Bahadur T.R.Ramachandra Iyer, C. Sankara Rama Sastri (1931). Sandhyavandana: With the Bhashya of Vedanti Sitaram Sastri (online text). Sri Balamanorama Press, Madras.

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