Presiding deity of the Gayatri Mantra. (Glossary for the Vahinis)
Extract taken from (Gayatri, the Vedasara: Gayatri Mantra, the universal prayer; Sandhya Vandanam and Upanayanam)
The Gayatri (Vedic prayer to illuminate the intellect) is the Universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas (Divine Knowledge), the most ancient scriptures of man. It is addressed to the Immanent and Transcendent Divine which has been given the name Savita, meaning that from which all this is born. The Gayatri may be considered as having three parts --- (i) Praise (ii) Meditation (iii) Prayer. First the Divine is praised, then it is meditated upon in reverence and finally an appeal is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect, the discriminating faculty of man.
The Gayatri is considered as Vedasara---’the essence of the Vedas.’ Veda means knowledge, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty. As a matter of fact the four Mahavakyas or core-declarations enshrined in the four Vedas are implied in this Gayatri Mantra.
Gayatri is a treasure you must guard throughout your lives. If you have not caught the sounds of the Mantra correctly now, learn it from your parents or from your family priest. Perhaps the others may not know the Gayatri themselves or they might have forgotten it through culpable neglect. Then I would ask them to learn it from you. Never give up the Gayatri; you may give up or ignore any other Mantra but you should recite the Gayatri at least a few times a day. It will protect you from harm wherever you are---travelling, working or at home. Westerners have investigated the vibrations produced by this Mantra and have found that when it is recited with the correct accent as laid down in the Vedas, the atmosphere around becomes visibly illumined. So Brahmaprakasha, the effulgence of divine will descend on you and illumine your intellect and light your path when this Mantra is chanted. Gayatri is Annapurna, the Mother, and the sustaining Force that animates all life. So do not neglect it. Elders and priests, Mantra, have given it the custodians of this the go-by. But you, as Inheritors and guardians of the great culture of this country, have a great responsibility in preserving it and demonstrating its efficacy and worth.(SSS Vol.13)
‘Gaayantham thraayathe ithi Gayatri’ – Because it protects the one who recites it, it is called Gayatri. When Gayatri acts as protector of the life forces, she is known as Savitri. Savitri is known in the puranic story as the devoted wife who brought back to life her husband, Satyavan. Savitri is the presiding deity of the five pranas. She protects those who lead a life of Truth. This is the inner meaning.
When one’s intelligence and intuition are developed by the recitation of the Mantra, the activating deity is Gayatri. When one’s speech is protected, the deity is called Saraswati. Because of the protective roles of Savitri, Saraswati and Gayatri, in relation to life, speech and the intellect, Gayatri is described as ‘Sarva devata swarupini’- the embodiment of all goddesses. (SSS Vol.16)
Through meditating on the Gayatri, one can become aware of the inner motivating principle of the five elements, the five vital airs in the human body and the five sheaths which encase Atma. Just as there are three basic energies that govern man …..Physical, the metaphysical and the psychical, the Adhi-bhautika, Adi–daivika and the Adi-atmic, Gayatri has three facts: Gayatri, Savitri, and Saraswati. Gayatri fosters the Metaphysical, Savitri, the physical and Saraswati, the psychical. These three Karanas or instruments have to be cleansed and sublimated so that man can realize the goal of life. Through the recital of Gayatri Mantra and meditation thereon, this great task can be achieved. (SSS Vol. 15)
Gayatri, the five-faced Goddess, is said to have domain over the five senses or pranas, and protects these five life-forces of those who chant the Gayatri Mantra. In her role as the protector, Gayatri is referred to as Savitri.
Gayatri is the very source of all Vedas. Gayatri is Stri - embodiment of women. Veda is the mother. When we see all these things, we feel that woman has got a very high place, her birth is something very great and virtuous. The woman has been praised by the Vedas throughout the past and the present. The woman has an exalted place in the various rituals of the ancient times like Vaidika Puja, Vaidika Upasana and Vaidika Aradhana. (DTB Vol.4, p. 2)
The spreading of Vishnu tattvam (nature of Vishnu) is known as Trivikrama tattvam (nature of Vishnu expanding to the three worlds). The aspect of Trivikrama tattvam is represented by the Gayatri Mantra: Bhur Bhuvaha. The Bhuloka Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka constitute the Trivikrama tattvam. It is wrong to conceive of these three lokas (worlds) as existing one on top of the other and thus capable of being reached by climbing a ladder, as it were. In fact the three lokas are intertwined with each other and one exists within the other. The real meaning of this kind of geometrical configuration of the three lokas is that the pancha Indriya, pancha bhutas and pancha koshas (five senses, elements and sheaths) aspects of man s deha (body), is Bhuloka; the aspect of prana Shakti or manas tattvam is Bhuvarloka; and the microscopic state of Anandam (bliss) represents Suvarloka. So it can be said that the three worlds, Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka, are nothing but the deha tattva, manas tattva and Ananda tattva (essential nature of body, mind and bliss) respectively and the totality of these three represents the Trivikrama tattva. Again, these three aspects of Trivikrama tattva can be understood in terms of the three states of an individual, viz., the one you think you are, the one others think you are and the one you really are. Hence only by proper sadhana can one transcend from Bhuloka through Bhuvarloka to Suvarloka. The attainment of Suvarloka is known as moksha (liberation), and it represents the stage of complete mergence with the Lord. Since it is a state where the aspect of moha (attachment) is made to disintegrate, it is known as moksha (moha+kshyaam, mokshyam). (SSS Vol.14, pp. 189-190)
Four Forms of Worship of Gayatri:
This Bharat is the land of sanctity and chastity, which has given birth to such great women of exceptional character, who lent glory to Bharat as a nation of heroic women.
From ancient times, the presiding deity of Gayatri Mantra, Gayatri Devi, has been worshipped as the Mother of the Vedas, which are held as the most ancient and authoritative scriptures of wisdom. The Gayatri Mantra has in it the validity of the Vedas. It contains the essence of Vedic teachings. Each of the four Vedas has a core axiom (Vakya) enclosed in it: Tat tvam asi (That thou art), Prajnanam Brahma (consciousness is Brahma), (Ayam Atma Brahma (This Self is Brahma) and Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahmam) When all these are synthesized, the Gayatri emerges. (SSS Vol. 15)
Gayatri Mantra originated in this holy land. The glory of this Mantra has spread all over the world. The people of Bharat have worshipped Gayatri in several ways and have redeemed their lives. Gayatri has been worshipped in four forms: (1) Satyavati, (2) Angavati (3) Anyavati, and (4) Nidanavati. All the four are equally sacred, and elicit limitless grace of the Divine.
The first one, Satyavati, signifies the existence of Atma in every being, just as butter is present in every drop of milk. It proclaims, ‘Ekatma sarvabhutantarAtma (One Atma is present in all beings).’ There is one Satya (truth), which is spoken of in many ways by the wise.
The second one is Angavati, which signifies the five elements present in all beings and also the five senses of hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell. There is nothing in this world that is not composed of the five elements. This Angavati is pancha bhuta Swarupa (the embodiment of the five basic elements).
The third one, Anyavati, refers to the attributes of the different forms of the Divine. For example, Lord Shiva is associated with trident, three eyes, etc. Vishnu is always described as having conch, discus, mace, and so on. We call him Sankhachakragadapani.
Ganapati is identified by his elephant face and big belly. He is first to be worshipped in all rituals. Saraswati is described as one with veena in hand, through which she is teaching the Divine sound principle as Nadabrahma. Thus Anyavati signifies the different constituents of the forms of the Divine.
Nidanavati, the fourth, teaches the nine types of worship, namely, shravanam (hearing), kirtanam (singing the glory of God), smaranam (thinking of the names of God), Pada Sevanam (service), vandanam (prostration), archanam (worship), dasyam (servitude), sakhyam (friendship), and Atma nivedanam (surrender).
The world is symbolised by these four forms of Gayatri. That is why it is described as Nature (Prakriti), a female form (Stri). We refer to our native country as motherland. The importance attached to women in Bharat. Bharat (India) has always accorded a high place to women as the upholders of all social virtues. The very fact that in mentioning the names of the divine couples like Vishnu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvathi, the name of the consort is given the first place, as in Lakshmi Narayana, Uma Maheshvara, shows what importance Bharatiyas (people of Bharat) attached to women. (SSS Vol.31, pp. 104-105)