Origin of the Sound and Mantra

   A 'Seer', a 'Rishi', is a mantra drushtara' who receives and, thus, knows where the mantra originates! shabda (Sound) is the tanmatra of Akasha. Sound moves in space. May be, wind carries sound like it carries fragrance. But, where does the sound originate? Normally, sound is generated by vibration, flow or movement. Any vibration due to compression, expansion, and / or friction creates sound. Air, fire, water,  earth and all the moving objects on the earth cause sounds of various frequencies ranging from very feeble, almost inaudible, to extremely strong like thunder or blasts in mines! Apart from these external sources, the origin of the sound is traced to the internal function of ourselves. The air we breathe, the food we eat and all other internal and external activities create sounds of all sorts! Thus, it is fair enough to state that the primordial sound has emanated from the flow of Light, radiation of electromagnetic waves! Om is said to be the first sound emanated from the sound and is still found in the sky (space).  This sound is said to be sacred and called the pranava mantra.

  Almost all sounds that are emanated from the natural elements are capable of inducing emotions of different kinds in us. These are also the basic expressions of all living creatures that may disturb us, or make us glad, angry, amused, get frightened, etc. Thus, human emotions of different types are stirred by sounds of different types. But, the basic factor that create sound within us is theair we breathe in and breath out! These are life-force, pranic waves described as five major- prana, vyana, apana, udana, and samana and five minor ones- naga, kurma, kukrura, dhanajaya, and devadutta. All these sounds are caused by circulation of air within our body. 

  The sounds that are deciphered as alphabets under the category of vowels and consonants originate within our body. The vowels (svara) starting from a, A, i, I, u, oo (U), ru, Roo, lRu, lRoo, ye, ai, ou, aou, am aH, All these are powerful sounds that possess power of creation (srushti), sustenance (sthiti) and dissolution (laya) and merger (vilya)! All the consonants (vyanjana) starting from 'ka' varga (class) to 'pa' varga (class) have the powers to create the universe starting from space, air, fire, water and earth as well as food, and organs of living beings of all sorts!
ka-varga: Create five elements (pancha bhuta) such as space, air, fire, water and earth;
ca-varga: Create the tanmatra of panchabuta such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell;
Ta-varga: Create the five sense organs (jnyanendriya) to experience the tanmatras as above;
ta-varga: Create the five karmendria to work out the five indriya, such digest, excrete, etc;
pa-varga: stand for the powers of creation, sustenance,dissolution, appear and disappear at will
                (tirodhana) and grace of the Lord;
ya, ra, la, va stand for the powers of the five elements such as earth, water, fire, air, etc.
                These are also chakras (turning wheel with blades like that of a Fan) within us from
                 muladhara to sahasrara producing energy;
Sha, sha, sa, ha, stand for the powers behind our existence such as the activity of breathing, sound of our uchvas (in-breath) or srushti, and nihshvas (out-breath) dissolution;
ksha stands for the gradual decline (kshara)
   Thus every syllable from 'a' to 'ksha' that contain the power of Creation 'ra' is called akshara
  These alphabets, varnakshara possessing power of creation, sustenance, dissolution and merger, and protection is called a mantra (tarayate iti) ! Any sound shabda of an alphabet (akshara) that is capable of protection, ward off obstacles, save us, or help us in anyways is called a mantra. And, the surprising thing is that these originate no where else but within us only!    

    

   

Gayatri Mantra (contd.)

Gayatri mantra (contd.)

   'Geeyate', 'gaayanti' , 'gee' , etc denote singing. The mantra is that which protects, 'trayate iti'. The mantra is actually the divine sound that protects us. The sound emanates in the sky, akasha. The 'tanmatra' of akasha is shabda. It is the first emanate as the guna, quality, essence of the sky. The space provides a media for transmission of sound, light, waves, vibrations and create wonders! Light, for instance contains seven colors, three basic ones such as black (tamas), White (sattva), and red (rajas); other colors are just the shades and mixtures of these! Now the vibration of sounds in different intensity, wavelengths, and frequencies create wonders of creation! So also, the sounds of different decibles create emotions in mind and many are so intense that they create lot of problems. Besides these, there are many other complex waves such as alpha, beta, teta, gamma, etc and the alphabets of different sounds emanating within our own body such as stomach, heart, neck, tongue and lips! There is no end to these.

   The Gayatri mantra is the beginning of these sounds of different frequencies and vibrations that create the very paraphernalia of the physical, material, objective world! Each and every quality is represented by a goddess and her mantra (body) with a core (Atman) as the Bija (akshara) The following are the bijakshara and mantra of the twenty-four devatas of Gayatri mantra envisioned by the Rishi, drushtara Vishva Mitra in the Metre of Gayatri of 4 feet (pada) of 24 letters by the grace of paramatma Narayana.

    There are twelve vaidiki and twelve  tantriki devata as shown below 

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     Vaidiki              bija      mantra   adhyatma shakti   Tantriki   bija   mantra   adhyatma shakti  

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   Adhya shakti-    Om         tat          prajnya              Savitri          jnye     sva   Brahmavidya jnyan      

   Brahmi               hrIm       sa           shruddha          Saraswati      Em      dhee     ulhaas

   Vaishnavi           Nam       vi           nishtha              Lakshmi       Shreem  ma     tarini

  Vedamata            Om          vam      smruti              Mahakali       klIm      hi   bharga /kalmasha nasha

  Devamata            lRu        re           divya                 Kundalini     lam       dhi     dhruti

  Vishvamata         Ni          sRIm      viraTa               Pranagni        ram       yo      svaha / pushti

  Rutambhara        tRum      yam       satya                 Bhuvaneshvari  kham  yo    gouri .kirti 

  Mandakini          um          bha        nirmala             Bhavani          hum    nah     dhruva sankalpa 

  Ajapa                  yam         rgo       shanti                Payasvini        vam     da      svadha /sneha       

  Ruddhi               gam          de        tushthi               Annapurna     am      pra      trupta  

  Siddhi                kSham       va       tanmayata          Mahamaya     ham    cho     medha /tattvadrushti     Shambhavi       sham         tu         mukta                Tripura           treem    yaat    tridha

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  Every letter of the Gayatri mantra tat saviturvarenyan bhargo devasys dheemanhi dhee yo yo nah prachodayat and its devata are given in the above with other details. It is very important to note each and every devata of the Gayatri mantra and the powers vested in them in order to attain success. Further, one can stress on any one of these or any number of them while chanting in order to ward of the ailments of the body and mind. Gayatri mantra is the most  powerful tool in meditation and it is actually a medicine- medi tat (shakti) i on (concentrate on)!

   Shruddha and bhakti and total faith are very important for success.

Shakti Worship, Gayatri, and Abiding Dharma

     India has diverse culture and religious faiths based on the level of understanding of the followers or devotees. There is a tradition (parampara) of Guru-shishya (teacher-student) that has come from times immemorial! The guru dictates certain dos and don'ts and the students follow it devotedly. There are certain cults that are prohibited in Vedic culture (veda bahira). The scriptures prescribe certain conditions, methodology, shastra, achara samhita, rules and regulations. All these have faded out in modern days and the youngsters question the validity of these! It is difficult to explain these to young minds that question rationality in everything. How else can the subtle forces that operate on our mind, thoughts, and ideas be explained to illiterate? But one thing is certain. The youngsters these days have no time for all these scriptural studies and have no patience to carefully think and understand them. it is also certain that the consequence is frightening!

   Shakti cult has spread along the coastal India from Kerala to Assam. Here Kali, Durga, Kamakhya and other Shakti devata are worshiped, some as vamachara taking recourse to sex, animal sacrifice,  alcoholic drinks and other indulgences prohibited by the Scriptures. There are practices approved by the Scriptures such as worship of Kamakshi, Meenakshi, Padmavati, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Durga during Nava Ratri and Deepavali. The daily rituals include Gayatri japa and Pranayama together, in a set order (Gayatri pranayame viniyogah). Gayatri Mantra is only a mantra set to the Metre of its name of four line of 23, 23 and a half, or 24 letters! Little do we know that the actual mantra is only tat savitru varenyam bhargo devasys dhee mahi dhee yo yonah prachodayat. This is the third line, pada. The first line is 'Om' and it stands for A U M -the first alphabet of Rk, Yajus, and Saman Veda. The second line is that of Seven Realms (sapta vyahruti) indicating the level of existence from 'Bhu' or earth to heavens, the 'Svar'! The last line, pada is a prayer requesting the devi to activate these powers that are already within us! The 23 or 24 letters of the Gayatri stand for 12 mantra devata- each with its own shakti, yantrakshara, bijakshara, and adhyatma and loukika nature and phalaprapti and phalashruti. The first twelve devata are of mantra devata- adhya, brahmi, vaishnavi, shambhavi, vedamata, devamata, vishvamata, rutambhara, mandakini, ajapa, ruddhi and siddhi. These are vaidiki devata. and each has a mandala. and a mantra to propitiate the devata. then, the twelve other tantriki devata are savitri, saraswati, lakshmi, duega, kundalini, pranagni, bhavani, bhuvaneshwari, annapurne, mahamaya, payasvini and tripura. These devata have their own bijakshara, mantra and `loukiki' and 'paramarthiki shalkti' giving bhukti and mukti. When practiced with breath control chanting the mantra in the ratio of 1:2:1  or 2:4:2 or 4:8:4 - puraka, kumbhaka and rechaka will give the desired results. These are to be chanted 108 times with total concentration and keeping the meaning and purpose in mind. The minimum is eleven and mere chant is of no use!
  Thus, these are for different types of japa and tapas. letters However, there is no proper explanation given for these in order to convince the younger generation. Actually, these worship of devi and devata is symbolic expression of our obeisance to the powers that control our thoughts and actions. It is re-affirming our faith in ourselves and nothing else! Each devi is shown with a number of hands and armaments and mudra as symbol of power. There is need for proper understanding of the evolution of mankind here. 

   The present day generation suffer due to ignorance of this basic knowledge. There are numerous problems in society today due to negligence of dharma! There is influx of large population from other non-Hindu countries that has complicated the problems further. These immigrants do not respect, rather hate the Hindu faith and belief system. This has added to the problem, further. Our young minds fall prey to the teachings detrimental to Hindu culture and civilization.

   The result of neglect of Hindu dharma  has  brought large scale promiscuity and sex offences, children and young girls are exploited and sexually abused. There are births of mentally retarded and physically ill-developed organs. There is growing poverty due to greed, avarice, and selfishness. a strict way of Hindu dharma world have solved many of these! In fact, children and women are respected almost as Gods in Hindu culture. 

   This dharmic way of life, god-fearing, abiding dharma, and righteous living are given up today, even by the Hindus, due to the influence of Western culture. The consequences are there to see. There is no solution to this problem unless the Hindu society is well organized and boycott and shun Western culture.