Om Bhur Bhuvas, Gayatri Mantra
Om Bhur Bhuvas, the Gayatri Mantra has been quite popular through Kirtans and pop songs around the world. (See also the video with the interview with Swamini Saralananda)
It is a dedication to God as the sun. Loosely translated, we can say, we meditate upon the sacred light of God as the sun. May he illumine our minds.
The Sanskrit translation is, “Om is the Lord who is all the three worlds. Bhu is Earth. Bhuvaha, everything above the earth. Suvaha, whatever is beyond our perception. That is to be worshipped. We invoke as the whole cosmos deity like the sun, free from all darkness and ignorance. The one who burns all ignorance. The all knowing. May he brighten all our minds.”
A word of caution about the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri Mantra has been coveted and been secret for a long time. So that only those who are very serious in wanting to be totally free in their minds, having Moksha, were given this Mantra.
We in the West say, ignorance is bliss. The word of caution is, that if you really, really want to see yourself with all your darkness, all the blind spots you have, you might actually see the self-hatred that you still have within yourself. And to not have to face that is bliss. Having to face that takes a lot of courage. And for that, the Gayatri Mantra has been created, has been transmitted from teacher to student.
And so if you are ready to lift the veil of ignorance about yourself, about life, then go ahead and invoke the Gayatri Mantra. Chant the Gayatri Mantra. If there are places where you are quite happy with things as they are, and you don’t want to change it, stay away from the Gayatri Mantra.
But for those who are really, really, really willing and have the courage and also have the support to look at themselves, look at life, this is a great mantra to illumine, to free ourselves from the darkness within and outside of us and the ignorance within and outside of us.
Click here to learn more about the self-study program of these chants