Gayatri Mantra to accompany holy river immersion-A scientific approach

Bathing is an integral part of daily routine in every Indian's life. Special occasions call for holy dips in sacred rivers and lakes as enumerated by the scriptures. That a bath keeps us healthy through personal hygiene is a well-known fact. But there are other aspects as well that are not well known. Polygraphic studies proved that water enhances electro-magnetic activity. In the context of this finding, the religious practices like washing hands and feet before entering temples and taking bath everyday, worshipping with wet clothes and offering prayer standing in the middle of water chest-deep in rivers and tanks etc., seem to be more scientific than a mere act of cleanliness.

Human body is centre of electric currents and impulses. A continuous process of generation and consumption of electric energy takes place in the human body. Maharshi Vaatsyaayana has described the various power centres in human body. More energy is generated in our body whenever we are excited and battle various emotions as well as indulge in intense physical activity. However, at night when we retire until the next morning this generation and consumption level of power drops drastically. This is the reason why we feel so lethargic on waking up in the morning. We are neither active physically non-mentally. Washing our face immediately clears the cobwebs of drowsiness. A bath certainly freshens up completely and puts us in our best shape. This happens due to the fact that water consumes the electricity in our body. This is known as Electro-magnetic activity. Physics describes this in detail. Therefore, taking bath has more to do with such scientific reasoning than merely cleanliness.

A bath should be neither taken with many clothes on nor completely nude. One should avoid bathing in small and unknown ponds and lakes. Taking bath in rivers is the best. One should bathe facing the sun standing against the current of the stream in the rivers, in lakes and at home. A bath cleanses and invigorates the body. Taking a dip in the sea is highly beneficial as it contains iodine.

The scriptures proclaim that the early morning bath is the best. This enhances beauty, strength, luster, hygiene, life, austerity, health and intelligence. Greed and nightmares are destroyed. The sun and the moon are instrumental in attaining the above-mentioned ten benefits. Throughout the night the benign rays of the moon and stars fortify water, whereas, the sunrays, during the day make it potent. Innumerous germs and bacteria that settle down at night begin to come to surface as the sun goes up. It is, therefore, good to take bath early morning.

A dip in rivers on days such as Amaavaasya, festivals, when pushyami or one's own birth star arises or during the Vyatipaata and Vaihdruti yoga is most beneficial. Especially, everyone should take regular morning bath during the month of Maagha.

Those who are acquainted a little with the science of thinking know that a magnetic field of the type in which a person thinks is created in his mind. This magnetism attracts thoughts of similar nature permeating the entire space and in a short time there is a vast accumulation of similar kinds of thoughts. Persons who think about gentlemanliness become more and more charged with righteous thoughts, virtues, tendencies and nature. In the same way a sinful mind becomes all the more so in a short time. All this happens according to the science of attraction of identical thoughts, according to which thoughts of all divine souls who were devotees of Gayatri right from the beginning of this creation get inter-linked. It is difficult even for a strong man to climb over a high wall but if a ladder or a staircase is provided, anybody can climb over it easily. With the help of the staircase built by the devotees of Gayatri in the past we can easily attain the fruits of Gayatri Sadhana. The power of bathing early in the morning gets reinforced with chanting Gayatri Mantra.

To know more about Gayatri Sadhana go through the feature given below, Let's explore!

Let's explore

Gayatri Mantra and its significance

Om bhur bhuvah suvah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Diyo yo nah prachodayat

Way of pronouncing each word and its meaning:

OM = Almighty God
BHOOR = Embodiment of vital or spiritual energy
BHUVAHA = Destroyer of suffering
SWAHA = Embodiment of happiness
TAT = That (indicating God)
SAVITUR = Bright, luminous, like and sun
VARENIYAM = Supreme, best
BARGO = Destroyer of sins
DEVASYA = Divine
DHEEMAHI = May receive
DHIYO = Intellect
YO = Who
NAHA = Our
PRACHODAYAT = May inspire

In detail:

OM Bhur Bhuva Svaha : God's Virat Swaroop or Lord's Cosmic Body

1) Tat: The Ultimate Wisdom (Brahma Gnan)
2) Sa: Good use of energy
3) Vi: Good use of Wealth
4) Tu: Courage during bad period / accidents
5) Va:The greatness of Womanhood
6) Re:The incoming of the wife who bestows all wealth to the family
7) Nyam: Worship of Nature
8) Bhar: Ever-steady Mind control
9) Go: Cooperation and Patience
10) De: All Senses under control
11) Va: Pure life
12) Sya: Unity of Man with God
13) Dhee: All round success or Success in all spheres
14) Ma: God's Justice and Discipline
15) Hi: Knowledge
16) Dhi: Life and death
17) Yo: Following the path of righteousness
18) Yo: Life Saving
19) Nah: Caution and Safety
20) Pra: Knowing all things to happen and donating for good
21) Cho: Reading of sacred Scriptures and association of great sages
22) Da: Self Realization and self bliss
23) Ya: Good Progeny
24) T: Disciplines of life and cooperation

"O splendid and playful sun, we offer this prayer to thee; enlighten this craving mind; be our protector; may the radiance of the divine ruler guide our destiny; wise men salute your magnificence with oblations and words of praise".

Scientific Approach:

The Gayatri mantra consists of 24 syllables. Each syllable bestows special power to the reciter. Each syllable is associated with a power.

Effect of Gayatri Mantra on the Body

No.   Letter Gland Involved Energy 1 Tat Tapini Success 2 Sa Saphalta Bravery 3 Vi Vishwa Maintenance 4 Tur Tushti Well-being 5 Va Varda Yoga 6 Re Revati Love 7 Ni Sookshma Money 8 Yam Gyana Brilliance 9 Bhar Bharga Defense 10 Go Gomati Intellect 11 De Devika Suppression 12 Va Varahi Devotion 13 Sya Sinhani Power of Retention 14 Dhee Dhyan Life-Breath 15 Ma Maryada Self-restraint 16 Hi Sfuta Penance 17 Dhi Medha Farsightedness 18 Yo Yogmaya Awakening 19 Yo Yogini Production 20 Naha Dharini Sweetness 21 Pra Prabhava Ideal 22 Cho Ooshma Courage 23 Da Drashya Wisdom 24 Yat Niranjan Service

The above picture shows the relation of the sounds of the Gayatri Mantra to the specific centers of the body. As shown above, particular letters of the Mantra are related to different parts of the body. The details are in the table below.

Gayatri activates the above-mentioned twenty-four divine qualities in the devotee. With their growth, varied accomplishments and prosperity start manifesting in the life of the devotee. Gayatri Sadhana is the well-organized scientific process of spiritual growth and it has a solid scientific basis.

It is a scientific truth that no sound or idea ever perishes. Whatever is uttered or thought today will spread in the space along with its waves and will remain there till infinity in some state or the other. Waves, which are most powerful, remain specifically alive. Scientists are trying to catch waves set in motion during the Mahabharat battle and those of the music of Tansen. If they succeed, we will be able to listen to sounds of important conversations, which took place in ancient times. It will then be possible to listen Geeta directly emanating from the mouth of Lord Krishna. Although, it may not be possible to transform sounds and thoughts into material forms in near future, it is certain that they do not vanish into nothingness. The faith and devotion towards Gayatri, which have been nourished by countless persons, still exist with all their potentialities in the subtle realm. According to the principle of convergence of all homogeneous elements at one point, the faith, devotion, sentiments and devout austerity of all the devotees have combined to contribute to the accumulation of a huge store of conscious spiritual energy.

Gayatri has been called spiritual Triveni. The confluence of Ganga and Yamuna creates an invisible, subtle, divine river which is known as Saraswati and the confluence of these three is known as Triveni. On account of this Triveni, Prayag is called king of all the Teerths. In the same way Gayatri is Triveni of the spiritual world. Its first letter 'ga'  is suggestive of Ganga, second letter 'ya' of Yamuna and third letter 'tri' of Triveni. Several trios viz.
(1) Sat, Chit, Anand,
(2) Satyam (truth), Shivam, Sundaram (beauty)
(3) Sat, Raj, Tam,
(4) Ishwar (God) Jeev (soul) Prakriti (quality),
(5) Rik, Yaju, Sam
(6) Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya
 (7) Gun (virtue), Karma (action), Swabhav (nature),
 (8) Shaishav (childhood), Yauvan (youth), Budhapa (old age),
 (9) Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh,
(10) Utpatti (creation), Vridhi (growth), Nash (destruction)
 (11) Sardi (winter), Garmi (summer) Varsha (rainy season)
(12) Dharma (righteousness), Arth (wealth), Kam (sensual enjoyment),
(13) Akash (space), Patal (nether-most world), Prithvi (earth),
(14) Dev (God), Manushya (man), Asur (demon) etc.

are interwoven and lie embedded in Gayatri chant. One who observes deeply by meditation and contemplation, these trinities gets the same spiritual merit as one gets in the material world by taking a dip in Triveni. These various trios represent various kinds of problems, which the Sadhak is required to face, and by solving which he attains the ultimate goal of self-realisation.
     The three currents of Triveni appear to be vast, deep and daunting. In the same way, Gayatri Sadhana appears to be very difficult. But just as fear disappears and tranquilizing cheerfulness is attained by taking a dip in Triveni, so also by thinking, contemplating and probing deep into various aspects of  Gayatri Sadhana a person attains such spiritual insight which inspires him to follow righteous path and ultimately leads him to eternal peace and bliss. Gayatri, undoubtedly, is spiritual Triveni, it is teerathraj because the philosophy underlying it is easy, simple, and intelligible and it leads to perennial happiness.