Vyahriti /వ్యాహృతి / व्याहृति

వ్యాహృతి

ఓం భూర్భువస్సువ:

తత్‌ సవితుర్వేణ్యం భర్గో దేవస్య ధీమహి

ధియో యోన: ప్రచోదయాత్‌ ||ఓం||

'ఓం' అనగా 'అ' కార ్శ'ఉ' కార ్శ'మ'్శకార అర్థమాత్రల సంయోగరూపమైన ప్రణవం. ఇది మొదటి భాగం. రెండవది వ్యాహృతుల సమ్మేళనం. 'భూ': ్స భూలోకము; 'భువ:' ్స పితృలోకము; ''సువ:'' ్స దేవలోకమును సూచించే మూడు లోకములను సూచిస్తూ సూక్ష్మస్థితిలో శరీరం- మనో ప్రాణములు-ఆత్మలను ఆయాస్థితులను అనుభవింప జేయునది.

ఋగ్వేద, యజుర్వేద, సామవేదాల నుండి భూః భువః స్వః అనే వ్యాహృతి త్రయం ఉత్పన్నమైంది.

ఈ వ్యాహృతి త్రయం అక్షర బ్రహ్మప్రాప్తి ఫలకాలు. అంతేకాదు త్రిలోకాలు, త్రిమూర్తులు, త్రిశక్తులు, త్రిగుణాలు, త్రితత్వాలు, త్రికాలాలు, ఇలా ఎన్నో త్రికములతో, గాయత్రీ మహామంత్రంలోని వ్యాహృతి త్రయానికి గూఢమైన సంబంధం ఉంది.

తత్‌ సవితు...నుంచి చివర వరకూ గల మంత్రం సావిత్రీ మంత్రంగా పేర్కొనబడును.

ప్రణవం, వ్యాహృతి, సావిత్రి ఈ మూడింటి కలయికే గాయత్రి

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Vyahriti - The Great Utterance

The word "Gayatri" itself explains the reason for the existence of this mantra. It has its origin in the Sanskrit phrase Gayantam Triyate iti, and refers to that mantra which rescues the chanter from all adverse situations that may lead to mortality.

Goddess Gayatri is also called "Veda-Mata" or the Mother of the Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Saam and Atharva - because it is the very basis of the Vedas. It is the basis, the reality behind the experienced and the cognized universe.

The Gayatri mantra is composed of a metre consisting of 24 syllables - generally arranged in a triplet of eight syllables each. Therefore, this particular meter (tripadhi) is also known as the Gayatri Meter or "Gayatri Chhanda."

The Mantra

Aum
Bhuh Bhuvah Svah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yo nah Prachodayat

~ The Rig Veda (10:16:3)

The Meaning

"O thou existence Absolute, Creator of the three dimensions, we contemplate upon thy divine light. May He stimulate our intellect and bestow upon us true knowledge."

Or simply,

"O Divine mother, our hearts are filled with darkness. Please make this darkness distant from us and promote illumination within us."

Let us take each word of the Gayatri Mantra and try to understand its inherent meaning.

The First Word Om (Aum)

It is also called Pranav because its sound emanates from the Prana (vital vibration), which feels the Universe. The scripture says "Aum Iti Ek Akshara Brahman" (Aum that one syllable is Brahman).

When you pronounce AUM:
A - emerges from the throat, originating in the region of the navel
U - rolls over the tongue
M - ends on the lips
A - waking, U - dreaming, M - sleeping
It is the sum and substance of all the words that can emanate from the human throat. It is the primordial fundamental sound symbolic of the Universal Absolute.

 

The "Vyahrities": Bhuh, Bhuvah & Svah

The above three words of the Gayatri, which literally means "past," "present," and "future," are called Vyahrities. Vyahriti is that which gives knowledge of entire cosmos or "ahriti". The scripture says: "Visheshenh Aahritih sarva viraat, praahlaanam prakashokaranh vyahritih". Thus, by uttering these three words, the chanter contemplates the Glory of God that illumines the three worlds or the regions of experience.

(Vyahriti), Skt.; the utterance of certain brief formulas, especially the three sacred sacrificial utterances of Prajapati. bhur, bhuvar, svar, also known as the “three clear ones. These three mantric syllables were taken by the Vedic creator-god from the three Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda) ascribed to him. From bhur he created the earth, from bhuvar space, and from svar heaven. They are the opening woras of the - Gayatri.

The Remaining Words

·         Tat simply means "that" because it defies description through speech or language, the "Ultimate Reality."

·         Savitur means "Divine Sun" (the ultimate light of wisdom) not to be confused with the ordinary sun.

·         Varenium means "adore"

·         Bhargo means "illumination"

·         Devasya means "Divine Grace"

·         Dheemahi means "we contemplate"

·         Dhi means intellect

·         Yo means "who"

·         Nah means "ours"

·         Prachodayat means "requesting / urging / praying"

The last five words constitute the prayer for final liberation through the awakening of our true intelligence.

Finally, it needs to be mentioned that there are a number of meanings of the three main words of this mantra given in the scriptures:

 

Various meanings of the words used in the Gayatri Mantra

Bhuh	Bhuvah	Svah
Earth	Atmosphere	Beyond Atmosphere
Past	Present	Future
Morning	Noon	Evening
Tamas	Rajas	Sattwa
Gross	Subtle	Causal