Chandogya Upanishad 3.12.1-6 Lecture 151 on 01 November 2025
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :
Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.
ॐ आप्यायन्तु ममाङ्गानि वाक्प्राणश्चक्षुः
श्रोत्रमथो बलमिन्द्रियाणि च सर्वाणि।
सर्वम् ब्रह्मोपनिषदम् माऽहं ब्रह्म
निराकुर्यां मा मा ब्रह्म
निराकरोद निराकरणमस्त्व निराकरणम् मेऽस्तु।
तदात्मनि निरते य उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते
मयि सन्तु ते मयि सन्तु।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
oṃ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaścakṣuḥ
śrotramatho balamindriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi.
sarvam brahmopaniṣadam mā’haṃ brahma
nirākuryāṃ mā mā brahma
nirākaroda nirākaraṇamastva nirākaraṇam me’stu.
tadātmani nirate ya upaniṣatsu dharmāste
mayi santu te mayi santu.
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
Translation
May my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears, as also strength and all the organs become well developed. Everything is the Brahman revealed in the Upanishads. May I not deny Brahman. May not Brahman deny me. Let there be no spurning of me by Brahman. Let there be no rejection of Brahman by me. May all the virtues that are spoken of in the Upanishads repose in me who am engaged in the pursuit of the Self. May they repose in me. Om. Peace. Peace. Peace be unto all.
Introduction to the Gāyatrī Mantra Study
We are discussing the glory and the contemplation of the Gāyatrī Mantra as enumerated in the 3rd chapter, 12th section of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. This Gāyatrī Mantra is slightly different, but we are discussing the original mantras that are there, and that is what we need to understand here. So we have already taken up the original Sanskrit mantras, but there is no harm in slightly repeating.
After that, we will discuss the secular significance of Gāyatrī Mantra—or ordinary meaning of the Gāyatrī Mantra—and from the Advaitic point of view, the Advaitic meaning of this Gāyatrī Mantra. It is no less than an Upaniṣad, and I will come to it very shortly.
First Mantra: Gāyatrī is Everything
So the first mantra goes like this: The Gāyatrī is everything. Whatever here exists is everything is Gāyatrī. Speech is really the Gāyatrī, for speech sings (gāyati) and protects everything, whatever exists here as the creation.
This first mantra can be equated to the very first mantra of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Only here it is said Gāyatrī, and there it is said Oṁ. Just let us recall: what was, what is, and what is going to be. Only we have to add not only bhūtaṁ, not only bhavat (means present), bhaviṣyat—everything.
Remember, sṛṣṭi means it came at a particular point of time. It remains for certain amount of time, and then it goes back, merges into time. The real name of the time is called Mahākāla, and it is infinite. It is one without second. So we have to understand that is Oṁkāra, that is Gāyatrī. And exactly, accepting, interchanging a few words here and there, this is the first mantra in this third chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 12th section.
Gāyatrī as Speech
So Gāyatrī is everything. How is Gāyatrī everything? That is why he says: for Gāyatrī, the speech sings forth Gāyatrī. What does it mean? Speech—whatever we speak—it is nothing but Gāyatrī. Here Gāyatrī, speech springs forth. And the speech comes out from where? From thoughts. And what is a thought? Every object. And what is every object? The entire creation.
Think of a tree, and we don't know what that tree is, but we have certain ideas. Idea means knowledge about that tree, and that idea is called thought. And if we have to open our mouth and speak about it, we say: "I know this tree, I have knowledge of this tree."
So what exists outside, we are not knowing anything about it. What our mind grasps—simple example: one human being sees another human being, "Oh, this is my fellow human being." But the same human being, when it is seen by a mosquito, "This is my first-class cool drink!" And if a tiger sees this person in a lonely spot, then "This is my lunch or dinner, whatever." So different people, different objects. But everything is subjected to experience, and that experience comes in the form of thoughts, ideas, knowledge. Everything is in the form of the mind.
The World as Thought
The entire creation—this is India, this is America, this is Mars, this is Saturn, everything, this is Vaikuṇṭha, this is Kailāsa, this is paradise, this is heaven—everything is nothing but our thoughts, our knowledge. Therefore, whatever is our understanding, that remains in our mind in the form of thoughts. And when this thought is expressed, that is called vāk. And whatever we are convinced, this is right knowledge, and we express that as if that is the reality.
When we say, "I see a tree in front of me," we never say, "I see an unreal tree." No, it is a real tree. And if I see a tree on a cinema screen, that is not a real tree. But in a way it is a real tree, because the photograph of this tree which we see on the screen really depends upon an actual tree of whose reflection or photograph is this that we are experiencing on the screen.
Cinema and Culture
So it is a very interesting philosophy. I don't want to go too deep into it, but every cinema is nothing but what we experience in life, especially at the present time of the life, that is reflected. That is why some great psychologists had said: you want to know the culture of the people, watch some of the popular movies. Because popular means that which is watched by lots of people, large number of people, and that is how it becomes popular. And the directors become rich, whatever it is. The point is that it reflects: if there is people, violent movies are appreciated, there is tremendous amount of violence in the world. If romantic movies are appreciated, people are imagining life in terms of romance. If tragedy is appreciated—especially dramas, tragic tragedy and comedy—so there will be mourning, weeping, singing in the same tunes.
And Indians like it very much. They call it semi-classical: "Oh darling, honey, I don't want to live without you." Problem is, once you come near, "I don't want to live with you!" That will be only a little bit of the tune will change, but that is the reality.
So if we are seeing so much of violence and wondering why is there so much of violence in the world, just watch the movies. Ever-increasing violence is portrayed there, and that indicates what actually is happening in the physical world. Whether it is a drama, poetry, literature, everything reflects what is happening. At least every particular society reflects only the experiences of these so-called talented people, but expressed in the form of either love or cinemas or literature, novels, poetry, paintings, etc.
If you study, say, some of these modern, what is called paintings, etc., you will see what we call very ugly type of portraying. Why are they so ugly? Why? Because that is what we are seeing in this universe, experiencing it. We cannot directly many times express it, but indirectly we go on expressing.
The Mind Contains the World
Anyway, I don't want to pursue this subject further, but what is wanted is: here, whatever we experience will be in the form of thoughts, and our thoughts when they are expressed, that becomes speech, that becomes poetry, that becomes dramas and cinemas, that becomes music, that becomes literature. And that is what is happening. And the strange thing is, these cinemas influence our minds, and they can never influence us unless we are receptive to it. So if we want to understand the thought processes of any given society, at any given period of time, we will have to study the existing literature that accurately—the greater the person, the greater will be the, what is called, it corresponds to the reality which existed at that time in societies.
So the whole world is in our mind, and this our mind keeps the world creation in the form of thoughts, ideas, understandings, imaginations. And imaginations also—they only work in the form of a framework of existing society plus our own saṁskāras.
Gāyatrī as the Śakti of Brahmā
So that is what here the Ṛṣi wants to express: gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtam—whatever we see is nothing but Gāyatrī. And another way of understanding this is: who created this world? Brahmā. And who is the Śakti of Brahmā? Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, Sarasvatī—these are the three names of Gāyatrī only.
That is why when an upper-caste person, Hindu, performs this Sandhyāvandana or Gāyatrī, so at dawn he does in one way, at noon, high noon, he does it with another name, and in the dusk, at dusk, he does it in another way. There are a very few people who do it a fourth time at midnight—dawn and dusk, midday and midnight—different names. And the essence is Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, Sarasvatī. This is the power, the potentiality of Brahmā Deva.
So he is the creator according to our Purāṇas—Brahmā—and that is accepted in Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, practically every Upaniṣad. And he taught about the secret of the creation to his children or disciples, and that is what comes in the form of first Upaniṣads, then Purāṇas, then Tantras, then through the mouths of various saints—Mīrābāī to Thyāgarāja, he to anybody else.
That is what he said: Gāyatrī is everything, because Gāyatrī means knowledge. Knowledge is everything. That knowledge is residing in our minds in the form of thoughts. So whatever here exists is Gāyatrī, and this knowledge of the whatever exists is often expressed both in the waking as well as in the dream states in the form of speech. That is why the Ṛṣi says: speech is verily the Gāyatrī, for speech swings forth Gāyatrī. That means through us, and protects everything, whatever here exists.
So everything that comes out of our mouth has some effect both upon ourselves and also upon the society. So that is why I quoted Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad. The rest of the eleven mantras are only what we call explanations, vyākhyānam, upavyākhyānam of the first mantra. By the way, incidentally, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad has only twelve mantras. It is one of the smallest, and Īśāvāsya has eighteen.
Second Mantra: Gāyatrī as Earth
Now we will move on to the second mantra:
Yā vai sā gāyatrī iyaṁ vāva sā yā iyaṁ pṛthivyāsyām hi idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pratiṣṭhitam etām eva na atiśīyate.
That Gāyatrī is manifesting in the form of the earth. For everything that exists here rests on this earth and does not go beyond.
Marvelous truth which we have seen first of all in the sixth chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. So sad eva saumya idam agra āsīt. Sat means existence. Gāyatrī is existence. Creation is nothing but existence. So whatever has been expressed in the first mantra, slightly it is elaborated in this second mantra.
Yā vai, sa iyaṁ gāyatrī—whatever exists. Sa iyaṁ gāyatrī—so everything that we experience is nothing but Gāyatrī. Sa yā iyaṁ—this is the elaboration of the first sentence, first line. Sa iyaṁ—whatever we experience. Where do we experience? Pṛthivī, pṛthivyāsyām—that is on this earth, as the earth.
Right from our earth throughout the 14 worlds, whether it be Mars, Saturn, or whatever number of stars are there, planets are there, everything falls under Pṛthivī. It is a manifestation of earth. It is a product of earth. And earth, as we have seen, is a Devatā. Devatā means we have to clearly understand: without whom we can never survive, that is called Devatā.
Earth as Devatā
So without food we cannot survive. This Pṛthivī, being the grossest, lowest manifestation of Brahman or Ātman, it manifests all the five elements. There is water. There is fire. And there is oxygen in the form of the air. And there is what is called ākāśa or space. Otherwise aeroplanes cannot move. Rockets cannot move. Nothing can move. No object can move. That ability to move proves space.
Yā vai, sā gāyatrī iyaṁ vāva sā iyaṁ pṛthivyāsyām hidam sarvaṁ—you cannot go beyond this earth. Everything is the manifestation of earth. And because it is the Devatā, it is not only the material cause but also the efficient cause. And by implication it means whatever is going to be produced out of this, that is also going to be the manifestation of the earth only.
So sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pṛthivī śritaṁ etām eva nāti śīyati—that means no object in this world can think, "I am beyond Pṛthivī."
Progressive Contemplation
But when we contemplate this earth, as we have seen earlier elaborately, then we understand the whole earth is both the intelligent as well as material causes of everything that we experience in this world. But when we contemplate everything as the cosmic whole, Pṛthivī Devatā, then we find this is not the cause, this is also an effect. Then what is the cause? Waters, jalam is the cause.
Then we move one step higher or one step deeper, more pervasive, more subtle, more powerful. Then that is called jalam, āpāḥ. And then when we succeed in identifying ourselves with that, then we understand that that is only an effect, it is not the cause. And until we identify ourselves with the entire water, we still consider waters only as our cause, and we are all effects. But once we achieve that unity, identity, oneness, then we see—just like pañcakośas, with the help of pañcakośas we can understand this—then we understand this is only the outer śarīra, but this is the effect. Effect and outer śarīra go by the same name; both are same.
Then we understand there is a subtler, deeper, more pervasive, more powerful cause, and that is called Agni. So we move from waters to Agni, from Agni to Vāyu, Vāyu to Ākāśa, Ākāśa to Ātmā. So this is what is being expressed here.
So in the second mantra, everything is nothing but the effect of earth, Pṛthivī Devatā. When we use the English word "earth," it falls flat on our ears because nobody thinks earth is a Devatā. But as soon as you say Pṛthivī Devatā, a lot of difference it makes.
So in the second mantra, it says nobody can go beyond the earth because it is earth only with name and form. Only if some intelligent person contemplates and becomes one—"I am the Pṛthivī Devatā"—then he understands, "I am the effect." But there is a cause that causes—waters, āpāḥ, jala—then he moves. This is how slowly we move: deeper, subtler, more pervasive, etc.
Third Mantra: Gāyatrī in Man
Now we move on to the third mantra. In man, why is man mentioned? Because no animal is going to attend this Chāndogya Upaniṣad class, Taittirīya Upaniṣad class, Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad class, and not even other human beings who are also called. So that is why it is said, so eating, drinking, sleeping, procreating—this is same thing. There is no difference between human beings in these respects. When we eat and an ant eats, a tiger eats, there is absolutely no difference at all.
So, but when a person starts turning his attention inward, analyzing things, discriminating or discerning what is real, what is focused outside, reflected outside, then he moves forward. Forward means inward; inward means more subtle, etc.
Man as Potentially Divine
So in this third mantra, the Ṛṣi wants to tell us: you are not an ordinary person. Who are you? Each soul is potentially divine. This is a third-person expression. But let us convert it into first person. I am potential divinity. That is called converting the third person into the first person. I am the—so what comes first? I am, I am this body. That is what this mantra reflects. I am the human being.
Here Puruṣa means not male, not Ātman, but this human being through so many janmas, he had acquired some amount of discernment. And he says, "I was thinking I am the body, but I must be something beyond this body. So I have a body."
Levels of Identity
So from there are several steps. The outermost step is: I am my possessions. That is why so many people they commit suicide when they lose things. It may be husband. It may be wife. It may be children. It may be land. It may be wars. For example, what is war? This is my country. Some other country is coming and it declared war against my country. So my country, even though I am in that country, has nothing to do with me really speaking.
In the beginning there were no countries. Then somebody made a convention: "This is my place. It belongs to me. I possess it." And then slowly the family expands, and that becomes a village. Then it will become a town, city. It becomes one whole country.
The Evolution of Countries
India was a huge country. So it got divided into—first of all, this is Śrī Laṅkā. Previously what was there? It is part of India. Then this is Pakistan. Then is what we call East Bengal, was also part of the Pakistan only. Then they became rebellious. They declared independence. "We are Bangladesh." So Bangladesh is separate. Pakistan was separate.
What about Afghanistan? That was part of India only, called Gāndhāra Deśa. And because this Afghanistan lady, she was the root cause, so to say, of this entire Kurukṣetra war, and she blinded her husband, and then she ruled over, and she also produced this Duryodhana, etc. These are all from Gāndhāra. And that, what is called trickster, the cheater, he was the brother of his Gāndhārī only, what is called Śakuni.
So you see, the whole war, Kurukṣetra, is because of this. What I am trying to tell: previously nobody knew what was India. Everybody knew this is Rājasthān, this is Madras, this is Bengal, like that. Then some powerful force came, united all these states together and called it one political country called India. So later on that India again splintered by those very fellows as India, Pakistan, Śrī Laṅkā, etc.
And then this is how the countries come into existence, countries go out of existence. Continents, there were no five continents at all. It was all one unbroken, one united piece of earth. Then the tectonics started separating, and this is Africa, this is North America, this is South America, this is Asia, this is Europe, etc. And intellectually, they are supposed to have become one global village now, and with each passing day, the divisions are growing more, what is called acrimonious, more quarreling and more violent, etc.
From Possessions to True Self
What I am trying to tell: that this first identity will be with the possessions. So people are ready to give up their life itself in the name of patriotism, etc., in the name of religion, in the name of language, in the name of many other social conditions. But then comes what is called the body. After possessions, somehow man can discriminate and say, "I am not my possessions, I have my possessions, but I am not them." That identification is drastically cut off, but it comes to rest upon what we call the body.
After many, many, many lives, and that is taken, "So I have been mistaken, I am the mind." After many, many births, "I am mistaken, I am that which I experience without any attachment or connection that we experience in the deep sleep state." And then, "I am the witness of all these three, like Brahma-cakra, wheel of Brahman." Every wheel is moving very fast, and every inch of the position it is changing very rapidly, but there is one who is witnessing the whole lot, and that should be me, and that is called Turīya-avasthā or pure Sākṣin.
The Inner Puruṣa
So here is a person: tat puruṣasya, śarīram idam vāva—there is a body. And after many, many, many lives of experiences, tad yad idam asmin antaḥ puruṣa.
So after a long time he wakes up: jāgi jāgi mohā dātā anurāga śrī hare. So what happens? Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata is Antaḥ Puruṣa. There is somebody inside who is witnessing continuously changing states—āvṛtti, jāgrat, svapna, suṣupti—waking, dream, dreamless.
And there is a heart. It is called Dahara Ākāśa. Hṛdayam asmin—in this body, within this body, within this there is a heart. Here heart is not a physical, what we call a heart in the chest. Here it means that vijñānamaya kośa, where we understand things rightly and decide rightly.
And in that hṛdaya: Kohara hṛdaya kamala madhye prājitam nirvikalpaṁ sadā sadā kilā bhedātītam ekam svarūpam prakṛti vikṛti śūnyam nityam ānandaṁ mūrtim vimala paramahamsam Rāmakṛṣṇam bhaja mahā.
So there is a heart. In that heart there is a Dahara Ākāśa, and in that Dahara Ākāśa, there is somebody is there. So there is a heart, and that heart is being sustained: ime prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ. So where is our Prāṇa? Here Prāṇa means our identity.
The Story of the Immortal Prāṇas
That's why in old Pūrva Cintāmaṇi stories you find there is a fake monk and he kidnaps various princesses. Nobody was able to kill him. You take a knife, cut him to pieces—he goes on laughing at you. He cannot die. Why? Because his Prāṇas are there. There are deep forests are there. In that forest, in the middle of the forest, there is a huge Banyan tree. In that Banyan tree there is an opening, and in that there is a bird living there, a parrot. And all these Pañca Prāṇas are safely safeguarded in that parrot. Until somebody finds out the secret and succeeds in killing that parrot, this fellow cannot be killed at all, destroyed at all.
Tell you what: there is all Prāṇas are dependent upon somebody. And who is that somebody? The pure Jyotir ā jyoti, light of the light, the pure Caitanyam, which remains witness for the three states. And nobody can go beyond that.
That is what in plain language Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa expressed: Nobody can control that Lord, Divine Lord, but he controls everybody just like a puppeteer is making everybody a puppet.
Practical Application: Divine Mother's Control
Practical example: we have to apply these truths in our day-to-day life. So USA is a new president, and he is doing so many things, and what is our judgment? That he is mad, we are all sane, he must be insane, and he is doing lot of insane things. Poor fellow, he gets the blame. Of course some people praise him to his face—that's a different issue. There is some what is called self-serving people are there; that's not the point.
Who is moving that? Who made him the president? So many people want to be the presidents. No, that it is only God who made him the president. He must have done lot of austerity in his past life, and whatever he is doing. So it is only an example that is being done by our Divine Mother. This at least should be the attitude of a spiritual aspirant.
Two Important Spiritual Principles
Two things, very, very important, if we want to progress in spiritual life.
What is the first thing? Nobody, no government is doing anything oppressing, suppressing, killing or protecting. No. It is the Divine Mother who is looking after, who is making them do. Why is she doing? To exhaust the result of karma-phala of each one of us from our brought forth from many, many past lives. We have to understand. That is the first point. No one is responsible. We should not blame anybody.
Second point, very important point: Whatever God does, it is good. I may not understand, you may not understand, but you must have that faith in the scriptures: they say whatever is being done by the Mother, Mother can never do what is not good. Everything that Mother does will be only for good only, for the good of all of us. That is very important.
So if we can have this attitude and do whatever you think is right, discharging our duties, etc., but this should be the attitude. No "that person is bad, that person is doing." So remember the, what is called the rule of Karma-siddhānta: Nobody can either do you good or evil. Nobody can make you happy or unhappy. It is only our karma-phala which can do that.
And don't think this is a rant. This is what especially those who follow scriptures go on telling. This is whatever scripture tells, the absolute truth: sarva maṅgalā maṅgalī.
Summary of Third Mantra
With this we go. Here is a person, and then what does he do? So this person understood that there is a heart within me, and this heart, there is somebody, and all the prāṇas, all the vital energies are being maintained, distributed by the Divine Lord, which truth has been so beautifully expressed again in the Bhagavad Gītā.
Nobody can cross Divine Lord, Divine Mother, Īśvara, or in this case Hiraṇyagarbha. So we have to accept and say that I am from Hiraṇyagarbha. I am a child of Hiraṇyagarbha in the Upaniṣadic language, Vedāntic language. I am the child of the Divine Mother. That is the language of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.
Fourth Mantra: Gāyatrī's Four Feet and Six Forms
And then what are we talking about? The whole thing is attributed to Gāyatrī. Those who repeat, do japam, contemplate as mentioned in this Gāyatrī, this is all the glory of Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī is another name for Sarasvatī. Sarasvatī is another name for the highest knowledge, and Divine Mother is the name for Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, Sarasvatī. That is why it is said: Gāyatrī āvāhayāmi, Sarasvatī āvāhayāmi etc. It is there.
So that Gāyatrī, now we are entering into the fourth mantra:
Saiṣā catuṣpadā ṣaḍvidhā gāyatrī tad etat ṛcā'bhya uktam anuktam.
That Gāyatrī has four feet and is sixfold. The same is also declared by a Ṛg verse.
So this is a mantra, and this is supported by a Ṛg Vedic mantra, which is called Ṛg, and there it is said words are śloka, sūktam. We have seen the meaning of the word sūktam. So uktam—that which is the truth. Any truth that is uttered is called śrī sūktam. So Śrī Sūktam, Sarasvatī Sūktam, Medhā Sūktam—so we have seen Puruṣa Sūktam, Nārāyaṇa Sūktam, Bhū Sūktam, Nīla Sūktam, etc. Many, many sūktams are there in the Ṛg Veda. Only a few we have dealt with.
Four Feet and Sixteen Syllables
So this Gāyatrī is being described for what purpose? For the sake of contemplation. And what is said here: Saiṣā catuṣpadā—so it says it has got four feet. Pāda means feet—that means there are four, what we call modern language, four lines, like Oṁkāra ṛtam. There are four caraṇas are there, each has got four lines. So like that, four feet are there, and four feet, each foot has got four letters, four what is called akṣaras are there. So four into four, sixteen.
So then doubt will come: here Gāyatrī has got three parts, three lines, and each one has got eight. But here is a variation of this Gāyatrī. There are many Gāyatrīs, in case you are not aware. There is not only Advaita Gāyatrī, there is a what is called Kṣatriya Gāyatrī, Vaiśya Gāyatrī, Śūdra Gāyatrī, followed by Viṣṇu Gāyatrī, Nārāyaṇa Gāyatrī, Lakṣmī Gāyatrī, Sarasvatī Gāyatrī, Gaṇeśa Gāyatrī. Every deity, including Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Gāyatrī, also is there. So anybody can create a Gāyatrī.
That means we consider that particular aspect of the manifestation of deity as the manifestation of Gāyatrī. Why do we say Gāyatrī? Because etymological meaning of Gāyatrī is: gāyantam japantam gīyantam trāyate iti gāyatrī.
So here in this particular mantra, this particular Gāyatrī has four feet, and each foot has got four alphabets, and that means four into four, sixteen—not twenty-four, as it is three lines, eight letters, three into eight, twenty-four. That is the Bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyam bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt. This is separate.
Sixfold Nature
So this Gāyatrī is a metre with four feet, each foot having four syllables. It is sixfold. Sixfold means the same Gāyatrī is manifesting as what? As a speech, as all the creatures, as the earth, as our body, as our heart, as our Pañca Prāṇas. That this idea we have already discussed in the earlier mantras.
Gāyatrī is everything, so speech and vital airs, though mentioned in connection with something else, are also forms of the Gāyatrī, because everything is the product of Pṛthivī. Pṛthivī is another name for Gāyatrī. Therefore, for contemplation purpose, everything is manifestation of the Divine Mother.
My Divine Mother: She is ever creating, sustaining and maintaining. That is why everyday devotees are supposed to sing: Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-vināśānāṁ śakti-bhūte sanātani, guṇāśraye guṇamayī, Nārāyaṇi namo'stu te. That is being reflected here.
Sixth Mantra: The Greatness of Brahman
So in the sixth mantra:
Tāvān asya mahimā tato jāyāṁsya puruṣāḥ pādo'sya sarvā bhūtāni tripād asyā amṛtaṁ divi.
Now the glory of this Gāyatrī: such is its greatness. Greatness of what? Brahman. Why suddenly is Brahman mentioned? Because Gāyatrī is the symbol. Gāyatrī is the mantra. Ultimately, as I said, I am going to discuss the Advaitic meaning of what is the Gāyatrī: dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt. I am foretelling what we are going to discuss.
So dhiyo yo naḥ: Let our understanding be that I am Brahman. The Guru comes, trains us and advances us. Finally he whispers when we are ready: Tat tvam asi—You are That only reality. Reality is not two. There is only one reality. It is one without a second, advitīyam, and infinite, anantam—Satyaṁ jñānam anantaṁ Brahma.
Then we have to do manana and transform our character, and finally by the grace of God—that is the whole point—without grace of God we can never attain to that state. So we understand Aham Brahmāsmi.
The Purpose of Gāyatrī Japa
And for that purpose, Gāyatrī japa has to be done. Why should we do Gāyatrī japa? Because Gāyatrī is what we call the pātra, the way how we claim we expand by contemplating Gāyatrī. In what form? Whatever I see, whatever I know, whatever thoughts I cherish, this whole creation is nothing but Gāyatrī, and this Gāyatrī is nothing but Brahman. How does it come? Just see at it.
So before the traditional Gāyatrī is uttered: Oṁ Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ. So bhū means this world. Svaḥ means the highest upper world. And bhuvaḥ means that which is in between—that means the entire creation, the lower, the highest and the middle part. That is everything of this Gāyatrī. May I understand that? So everything is the origination of Oṁ.
Oṁ is one mantra for Brahman, and Gāyatrī is another mantra for the same Brahman. What is the purpose? Let us obtain the grace of God. Then that divine—we understand I do not exist, creation doesn't exist, everything is nothing but Brahman. That dawning knowledge, it should be the result of this contemplation. That is being said: that this creation doesn't exhaust the entire Brahman.
The Infinite Nature of Brahman
Such is the greatness: whatever we experience, that means creation, is Bhagavān. Puruṣa means Brahman is far, far, far superior, because everything that is experienced is finite, and what sustains the finiteness is the infinite. That is why, so only infinitesimal part of that infinity, anantam, is manifesting sarvabhūtāni as all beings, all worlds. But the rest of the infinite portion—only infinitesimal part is manifesting as this entire creation, all the pañca bhūtas—but that is part of that infinity.
Such is the greatness. This is how we have to contemplate upon the Gāyatrī.
Conclusion
Now we have got another few mantras which we will talk about in our next class.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :
Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!