Monthly Mantra // February 2024 // Gayatri Mantra

oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ suvaḥ

tat savitur vareṇyaṃ

bhargo devasya dhīmahi

dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt

Earth, Space, Heavens. We meditate on the divine light of the radiant source.

May that inspire our hearts and thoughts.

The Gayatri Mantra is a Sanskrit mantra that has been chanted for thousands of years. It was written down during the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE) and is considered to be one of the oldest known and most powerful mantras. It is said to contain all the knowledge of the universe.

The mantra, considered the essence of all mantras, is personified as the resplendent Gayatri, the power behind the sun and the mother of the universe. As we chant her mantra, we tune into the frequencies of universal light and bring it down to the earth plane and ourselves. The mantra is personified by the goddess Gayatri Devi, who is the bestower of knowledge and is referred to as “the mother of the Vedas.”

As human beings we tent to identify us with our body, race, gender, job, relationships..We all think we know who we are, and therefore we feel no further need for investigation. We all naturally think that we are this body, the senses, mind, or ego.

But this is a misconception: taking something – the Self – for what it is not – body, senses, mind, or ego. This is what the scriptures call ignorance. The only way by which this ignorance will be removed is by making the effort to attain the true knowledge of the Self. The truth of the Self is all-inclusive because it is everything, and there is nothing but That. And you are That! You have always been That. This is the discovery that one can make by the method of Self-inquiry, which puts an end to all divisions, arguments, and hatred towards other beings.

Self inquiry, or Svadhyaya the 4th Niyama, will take you to the real You, the real Self, the true subject which needs to be intuited and known directly. That witness of the mind and ego in everyone is the unchanging, ever-pure Consciousness, witnessing the I-thought, mind, senses, body, and the whole universe. When all the wrong ideas and identifications that we have about ourselves have been removed through this type of Self-inquiry, then the Self, our true nature, remains in its pristine, pure state of infinite bliss: one undivided, unchanging, unborn, all-pervading, and ever-present Consciousness.

This is the Self, the pure Consciousness that is the same in everyone and that pervades everything equally, as space pervades everything existing in it. This understanding will naturally lead to compassion and love for all of life. It will be the end of divisions and conflicts. This is the aim of all Yoga and all yogīs: true Union. 

The sound of the Gayatri mantra brings us back to our own true nature, which is pure consciousness itself. It reminds us that we are already perfect beings, and that we have been given everything we need to manifest our highest potential. When we practice the Gayatri, we remember that we are divinely connected to the universe, and that we are blessed by its abundance.

By chanting this Mantra we will use this precious energy of the beginning year to come back to ourself, to shred some layers of misidentification and create a clear intention for the upcoming months.

Sources : Jivamukti official website