Pran Prashista Gayatri Mantra
Pran Prashista Gayatri Mantra
Pran Prashista Gayatri Mantra
Prachodayat
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A literal translation of the Gayatri verse proper can be given as:
"May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the god:
So may he stimulate our prayers."
The Hymns of the Rigveda (1896), Ralph T. H. Griffith
To further clarify this tantric form of mantra practice let us return to the Gay
atri Mantra, one of the most famous mantras in the Vedas. This mantra has a mate
rnal quality. It guides us in the right direction and warns us at a subtle level
when we are about to make a mistake. And if mistakes have already been made, th
e gayatri mantra lovingly corrects them. The mantra is: Om bhur bhuvah svah tat
savitur vareniyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.
In the ordinary course of meditation on gayatri all you have to do is sit with y
our head, neck, and trunk in a straight line, relax your body, breathe gently an
d smoothly, and bring your attention to the center suggested by your teacher (su
ch as the navel, heart, or eyebrow center) and remember the mantra.The tantric m
ethod is much more elaborate.The most comprehensive method consists of completin
g auxiliary practices known as sandhyopasana, the twilight meditation,before doi
ng japa (repetition) of the gayatri mantra.A shorter version consists of invokin
g the guru lineage, purifying the atmosphere and your seat with special mantras,
and drawin an imaginary wall of fire around you to protect yourself from extern
al influences.
Prana Pratistha :
Prana pratistha means "invoking the deity and imbuing one's heart with that ener
gy." While placing the palms over the heart, the aspirant meditates on the perso
nified form of the deity at the heart center while reciting the following mantra
:
Om am hrim krom yam ram lam vam sham sham sam ham
hamsah so ham mama hridaye bhagavati gayatri ihaivagatya
sukham chiram tishthatu svaha. Om om om pratistha.
Kara Nyasa and Anga Nyasa :
This is followed by the simple version of nyasa. Before you begin, it is importa
nt to know that "Om bhur bhuvah svah" is not part of the original gayatri mantra
. This particular segment is called vyahriti (the covering) and always accompani
es the mantra. Excluding this covering, the gayatri mantra consists of twenty-fo
ur syllables. To synchronize the mantra with the body, it is split into six part
s, each containing four syllables:
1. tatsavituh
2. vareniyam
3. bhargo deva
4. syadhimahi
5. dhiyo yo nah
6. prachodayat
.
These six parts of the mantra are synchronized with the thumbs, index fingers, m
iddle fingers, ring fingers, little fingers,and the palms. During the practice y
ou repeat one segment of the mantra enveloped by Om bhur bhuvah svah while conce
ntrating on the corresponding limb or organ. Here is how it is done:
1. Om bhur bhuvah svah tatsavituh
Om bhur bhuvah svah angusthabhyam namah (thumbs)
2. Om bhur bhuvah svah vareniyam
Om bhur bhuvah svah tarjanibhyam svaha (index fingers)
3. Om bhur bhuvah svah bhargo deva
Om bhur bhuvah svah madhyamabhyam vashat
(middle fingers)
he complementary practices. Suppose that you have to get up in the middle of the
practice for some reason. When you resume you must do the complementary practic
es again, because unless you synchronize the forces of mantra with the energies
of your body and mind the japa will remain dry and mechanical. It is through the
oneness between you and the mantra shakti, a oneness established through the co
mplementary practices, that you find joy in doing japa.Without this experience y
our practice will be a chore. This attitude invites boredom, which in turn under
mines your determination, making it unlikely that you will complete the purascha
rana.
After the course of japa is completed the teacher may prescribe a fire offering
of certain grains, herbs, and clarified butter. It is usually made one-tenth as
many times as the mantra has been repeated. In other words if you have done 125,
000 repetitions of the gayatri mantra you make 12,500 offerings into the fire, a
nd with each offering you repeat the mantra, adding "svaha" at the end just as y
ou are about to offer the oblation into the fire. In many traditions, however, t
he fire offering is substituted by meditation on the navel center, in which you
visualize fire at that center and repeat the gayatri mantra followed by "svaha."