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A typical Yagneopavit ceremony
IN the past, in
Bharat Varsha (India), the 'yagneopavit' (thread ceremony) was performed
by the people belonging to the three castes - Brahmins, i.e. teachers,
professors, ministers and the learned people; Kshatriyas, i.e. people of
martial class and rulers; and Vaishyas, i.e. people dealing with agriculture
and commerce - for their children.
It involved performance of a great yagna,
in which all the Degas were invited by suitable incantations to bless the
children during the course of their initiation to the most sacred mantra
- Gayatri mantra - by the Kula Guru (family priest). The Gayatri is symbolized
by the three folds of the sacred thread of a fixed length, sanctified by
proper incantation, which is worn by the boy on his initiation.
The sacred thread hits three strands knotted
together symbolizing the combination of three entities, viz. Cit., the
individual soul; Acit, the material body and Iswara, the Supreme Lord,
who is the indwelling witness. The three strands also denote the three
functions of thinking, speaking and acting only for spiritual purposes.
The common knot for the three strands is called the Bramhagranthi (Bramha
Ghand in Kashmiri), which protects the body from disease and evil vibrations.
Normally, a Bramhachari wears one set of three strands the grahasti, two
such sets, a Vanaparasthi, three such sets, and a Sanyasi, four such sets.
If a Bramhachari takes to Sanyas directly, he wears a set of four strands,
showing the fourth order of his life.
In Kashmiri Pandit biradari, six such strands
(double of the three-fold sacred thread), with a common knot, is worn at
the time of marriage, meaning, thereby, that the additional three folds
of the sacred thread are on behalf of one's own life-partner. In certain
other places, nine such folds are worn, based on one's station in life
or hierarchy in the caste. The Gayatri Mantra is mentioned with full adoration
in all the Vedas, specially the Atharva Veda.
Our discrimination of the humbug intellect
falls under two categories - gross and subtle. Gross intellect pertains
to the affairs of the terrestrial world but the subtle intellect enables
us to distinguish the Transcendental Reality from the terrestrial world.
For this purpose, when the boy has attained some understanding, it is endeavored
to have his yagneopavit ceremony, in the initiation of the boy, to the
sacred Gayatri Mantra and the wearing of the sacred thread.
By this initiation, the boy is considered
to have attained the status of a Dwijah, which means twice-born - the first
birth being when he emerged from the mother's womb and, the second, when
he received the knowledge of the Supreme Reality through this sacred initiation
by the Kula Guru.
Importance of Gayatri Mantra
According to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, 'sound
vibrations which can elevate one from mental concoction is called 'Gayatri.'
Gayatri is the sound incarnation of the Brahman, as is clear from the following
verse of Srimad Bhagavad Geeta:
Brhat-Saama talha samn am
Gayatri Chandasam aham.
Masanam marga-sirso 'ham
Ritunam Kusumakarah. {10.35}
Here Lord Krislma says: "Of the hymns in
the Sama Veda, I am the Braht-Sama, of the poetry I am the Guyatri, of
the months, I am Marga-Sirsa {November-December}, and of the seasons, I
am the flower-bearing spring." Gayatri Mantra is considered to be the sound
incarnation of the Lord i.e. the Brahman.
Gaya implies to 'reveal' and 'tri' implies
"the essence of the three Vedas". Thus, Gayatri is considered to be 'the
mother of the Vedas'. Some call it as the Brahma Gayatri. It is called
the Surya-Gayatri because it refers to Savitur - the Sun God, who is responsible
for controlling the three planetary systems viz.: Bhur, Bhavah and Svah.
Sun, being the visible manifestation of the Divine Power, has assumed the
role of the Creator, the Maintainer and the Destroyer of this Universe.
That is why the sun is also known as the Surya Narayan because Lord Narayan
too has his abode on the sun planet.
In Kashmir, and some other parts of the
country, Brahma Gayatri is also known as Gayatri Devi, the dynamic counterpart
of the Lord. The devotee, while reciting the mantra, is supposed to be
invoking the 'Devi' to come down from the sun-planet to settle down in
the devotee's heart. In other words, Gayatri is the embodiment of the Lord's
potency i.e. Shakti.
In Agni Puran, it is called Gayatri, because
it sings (gayatri) or reveals the Vedic scriptures. It is called Savitri
- the daughter of the sun, because it illuminates or enlightens one's intelligence.
It is also called Saraswati, as it represents the essence of the Sun God.
The Gayatri Mantra may be stated as under:
"Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo yo nah Prachodayat"
To understand the Gayatri Mantra, it may
be worthwhile to know the meaning and interpretation of each word:
"Om" or "Aum" - This one letter word (symbol)
is called 'pranava'. It is the 'seed-word' which represents Brahman, the
Supreme Reality, i.e. God. Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta also refers to the solitary
letter "Aum" as the embodiment of the Brahman, i.e. the Supreme Lord (Geeta
8.13).
According to "Gayatri Higher Meditation":
"In every breath, man utters and repeats it unintentionally and inevitably.
Every vibration in the body, could in the universe, emerges from Om. A
child cries 'Om! Om!' The ocean roars 'Om! Om!' The bees buzz 'Om! Om!'
The musician hums 'Om! Om!'. Om! is the expression of the seer of truth. Om! is the wisdom of God.
Om! is the Nada, i.e. the Sound of God. Ultimately,
Om is the eternal, indestructible word."
The sound of Om is called Shabdh Brahman,
which is both articulate and inarticulate, i.e. it deals with the knowledge
of both the head and the heart. It produces harmony, peace and bliss to
one and all.
Secondly, Aum covers the full range of sounds:
A - estimating from the base of the throat; U - produced by the impulse
rolling forward in the mouth; M - the sound produced by closing the lips.
Thus, the letter AUM represents the entire phenomenon of sound in all its
ramifications.
Thirdly, the symbol Aum stands for the pure
consciousness which pervades the three states of waking, dream and deep
sleep. Lastly, it is the real name of the Almighty. Aum occupies a prominent
place in all languages and the words, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent
are the names of the Great God. Christians say Amen after every invocation
to God and Muslims Amin. Both these words have Aum as its origin.
Bhur Bhavah Suvaha - They are the Vyahrtis,
which have come into existence from the dawn of the creation. They represent
the entire planetary system, which constitutes 'Bhur' representing the
earth or the physical plane; 'Buvah' representing the atmosphere or the
astral plane; 'Suvah' representing the heaven or the mental plane. Apart
from these three visible Vyahrtis, the other four invisible Vyahrtis are:
Maharloka, the next higher plane; Janahloka, the still higher plane; Tapahloka,
the mansion of the blessed - a much higher plane; and, ultimately, the 'Satyaloka' - the abode of the truth, the highest plane.
These 'Saptha-Vyahrtis' also represent the
seven devotees, viz: Agni, Vayu, Aditya, Brahaspati, Varuna, Indra and
Vishva Deva. We may also consider them as representing the seven most ancient
sages, viz: Kashyapa, Atri, Bhardwaj, Vishwamitr, Gautam, Jamadagni and Vasisth, who are supposed to be ever living.
"Tat" - means "That", but implies Supreme
Reality, viz. Tat Tvam Ast.
"Savitur" - refers to Sun God who gives
us light and heat. The Sun also represents Brahman. Since Sun is the giver
of energy, Savitur also implies Goddess Shakti, the Dynamic Principle of
Nature (God), that is responsible for Creation, Preservation and Destruction.
Our earth is a part of the solar system,
comprising in addition to Sun, other heavenly bodies, like, moon, stars,
planets, asteroids, comets, etc. There are other planetary systems as well
as different galaxies, but we belong to the solar system on account of
our earth's location in the Universe. In the solar system, the sun plays
a very important part. Since the sun is the main source of heat and light
to the earth, the existence of human beings and other species on earth,
depends, in a large measure, on the Sun - the provider of heat and light
energy. In Sanskrit the sun is given 12 names. One of them is Savita or Savitur.
"Varenyum" - or the Supreme Lord, whose
divine effulgence is the very source of all illumination in creation.
"Bhargo" - Effulgence or radiance or
splendour.
It implies the divine essence, the supreme light of the Brahman. Also, 'bha' implies brilliance;
'ra' is the name of "rati-consort of the God
of Love (Kamdeva); Ad 'ga' implies full knowledge. So Bhargo is the Supreme
Energy of the Lord.
"Devasya" - Divine or Godly, derived from
"Devas". Anything godly is a matter of joy to human beings;
"Dheemahi" - "(We) meditate upon".
"Dhiyo" - Intellect or Buddhi;
"Yo" - who;
"Nah" - Our;
"Prachodayat" - unfolds, i.e. utilizes for
good actions.
So the Mantra metals: "I meditate upon That
Supreme Being (or His Dynamic counterpart, Shakti), "Aum", Creator of the
Three Worlds; who is effulgent as the Divine Sun; who is the Creator, Preserver
and Destroyer of the Universe, with prayers that He may unfold my intellect (Buddhi) for all good actions."
Gayatri Mantra is both a mantra and a prayer.
It is considered as the essence of the Vedas. Generally, a mantra may not
have a clear meaning but the Gayatri Mantra has also a full meaning and
is complete in every respect. Therefore, it is a mantra as well as a prayer.
It is the most potent mantra and its efficacy is proven. While this mantra
is an invocation to the Divine God, or Divine Sun or His Energy, it is
also an appeal by the seeker to the Divine God, within the body, to emerge
out of the "cloud of desires" and to shine forth its resplendent light.
This mantra is recited at dawn, noon and dusk in the direction of the sun.
Vishwamitra is associated with this Gayatri Mantra in accordance with the
details given in the Puranic Texts.
During the morning or evening bath, the
sacred thread is properly washed and while washing the 'yagneopavit', one
should recite the Gayatri Mantra. Those who are interested in performing
the Gayatri Japa can do so, with the help of a "Mala", having 108 beads,
for counting purposes. One may ask, why 108 beads and why not 100 or 50
as used by the Christians or Muslims? The figure 108 has a divine (mystic)
significance, which is given as under:
In the first place, the radius of the sun
is 108 times the radius of the earth and for all of us, both the earth
and the sun are of primary importance and they greatly count in our day
to clay lives; secondly, there are 12 prominent constellations (Rashis)
and 9 heavenly Bodies (Navagrahas) that are nearby. The have a direct effect
on human welfare, and 12 x 9 = 108; and thirdly, 1 plus zero plus 8 equal
9, which is the highest in the numerical scale. That is why our enlightened
Swamis are referred to as Swami 108 or 1008.
There are also 108 techniques of meditation or
108 paths of reaching God. So, one should not be in a hurry to judge that
other paths of reaching God are wrong. At the end of 108 counting beads
of a mala, there is a large bead, symbolic of the Ultimate Divine. That
is why, the seeker doing Japa does not cross the large bead again but reverses
the counting systematically, till one reaches the large head again, and
so on, the process is repeated, making sure that one day, the seeker will
certainly approach God, as a result of Gayatri Japa, or any other method
of god realization.
It bestows bliss and destroys sins. Reciting
it 10 times removes the sins committed from birth; 100 times, it destroys
sins of previous life; 1000 times, it destroys sins of the past three lives (Yajnivalka
Samhita).
In Kali Yoga, the people are not interested
in what is contained in our scriptures but lay stress purely on scientific
reasoning. I have, therefore, thought it necessary to fully explain in
my own humble way the interpretation of the Gayatri Mantra and the need
of a Japa Mala, with 108 chanting beads, beginning and ending with the
large bead, for the benefit of the people of the younger generation, who
wish to go through this small 'write-up' and profit.
Source: Significance of the Yagneopavit Ceremony
by Dr. Prem Nath Sathu,
Koshur Samachar
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VIDEO CLIPS OF YAGNEOPAVIT
WANWUN (Mekhal)
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Shivratri
