Gayatri Mantra
Every question on the site tagged Gayatri Mantra, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The foundational Vedic mantra invoking the Sun as the source of intellect and enlightenment.
95 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
What atonement (Prayashchitta) is required after a ritual act (Shatkarma) causes an enemy's death?
Executing any of the six magical acts (Shatkarma) requires performing penance afterward — traditional practitioners immediately undertake a secondary Purashcharana of the Gayatri mantra or their Ishta mantra for self-purification, since modifying someone's written destiny through ritual burdens the practitioner.
Which mantras did Brahma and Vishnu receive upon obtaining Shiva's vision?
When Brahma and Vishnu obtained Shiva's vision, they received initiation into the Pranava (Om), the Panchakshari Mantra, Gayatri Mantra, Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, Chintamani Mantra, and Dakshinamurti Mantra.
What Mahashivratri marks: Panchanan, the Panchakshari and the Gayatri
The speaker says that on the day Shiva gave Brahma his boon, many other boons were given too: the Panchanana form of Mahadev came into being, the Panchakshari Mantra was taught and given in diksha, the Pranava Gayatri was taught, and the Tripada Gayatri appeared. All of this, he says, happened on the tithi of Phalgun Krishna Paksha Trayodashi joined with Chaturdashi, and that is what is called Mahashivratri. On that day Shiva bestows grace on everyone in a special way. So Mahashivratri marks these events, not Shiva's first appearance as the pillar of fire.
The most accessible sadhanas are the most neglected: Gayatri, Omkar, Soham
The speaker says people neglect and ignore precisely the mantra or sadhana that is most accessible — whether the Gayatri Mantra, Omkar or Soham-Hamsa. Once a sadhana becomes widely known, people assume that since it is no longer secret it will not give fruit or have effect, and begin to undervalue it. Yet Omkar sadhana on its own is such that if someone does it, there is no need to do anything else.
Who may give the upadesh for the utkilan mantras: a trikala Gayatri brahman, a tantrokta brahman or a sadhak
Or from a brahman who performs the trikala Gayatri and the rest, or who is a devotee of Bhagavati in the tantrokta marg. A Vedic brahman, a tantrokta brahman, or even a sadhak will do; it is not necessary that he be a brahman by birth — the brahman, he says, is the one who has done mantra purashcharan, anushthan and the like.
Why the Navarna mantra is called the most explosive shakti in tantra and must never be tampered with
He says he always forbids the Navarna mantra to those without knowledge: take it to be the most explosive shakti in this world — in tantra it is the Navarna. In the Vedic mantras it is the Gayatri, and in tantra the Navarna; these two mantras are the ones by which everything is possible. One should not play with it or talk nonsense with it.
From the five faces to the Panchakshara, the Tripada Gayatri, the Vedas and crores of mantras
The speaker says the separate letters that came in order from the same five faces are Bhagavan Sadashiva's Panchakshara, and from the Panchakshari Mantra the matrika varnas of five kinds appeared; the Panchakshara is held to be Shiva's own form, the one place where his full five-faced form is described. Citing the ninth and tenth adhyayas of the Vishweshwara Samhita, he says from that shiro-mantra the Tripada Gayatri Mantra appeared through four faces, from the Gayatri the whole of the Vedas, from the Vedas crores of mantras, and by those mantras different works are accomplished. So at the root stand the Pranava and the Panchakshara, and through them every work in this world can be accomplished.
Do men who wear the yajnopavita need diksha again?
Those men whose yajnopavita has taken place have already received the diksha of Gayatri, the speaker says — there is no need at all for you to take diksha a second time.
Is the one who gave the Gayatri at the yajnopavita one's guru?
Asked by Lakhan Singh ji whether the person who gave him the Gayatri at his yajnopavita is his guru or whether he must choose another guru, the speaker answers that whoever gave the yajnopavita and gave you the upadesh and diksha of the Gayatri has become your first guru.
Does the yajnopavita already make one a Shakta?
The Shakta diksha, the speaker says, you have received just like that — the yajnopavita has been obtained, meaning you have already become a Shakta. Now, if you have to do some particular tantrokta sadhana, then you need a separate diksha; for the sadhana and upasana of the Gayatri you no longer need any special diksha.
Is it wrong to sing the Panchakshari or Gayatri as a bhajan?
These bhajans people sing — "Har Har Bhole Namah Shivay", the whole song — the speaker says that for anyone who is taking the Panchakshari diksha, or whose yajnopavita has been done, singing this song too is wrong. It should not come out of the mouth. The Panchakshari does not have a bhajan; the Gayatri does not have a bhajan.
Should swar be applied while doing Gayatri japa?
Asked whether swar must be applied in Gayatri japa — with swar one mala takes fifteen to twenty minutes — the speaker says to do exactly as your own guru instructed at the time of upadesh: with swar or without, how much pranava is to be applied, whether there is samput before and after or none.
What happens if you insult the sadhak who did your bandhan?
He gives the example of having a digbandhan done by a very great Gayatri sadhak who has done a purashcharan of twenty-four lakh, with samput by ashta Gayatri and ashta matrika, so the bandhan was done very well. If later your paps rise, an exchange of words occurs and you say something wrong to him and it feels bad in his heart, then the pran urja he awakened there by his own tapobal will break somewhere. Its effect will grow slight — not that it will end, but it will slowly diminish.
It was given to a high-order Gayatri sadhak with crores of japa behind him
He says there is in their sadhak family a Gayatri sadhak of very high order who also holds a very senior post in a government department, with whom conversation goes on; enemies were carrying out abhicharik activity against him. He himself told that man to do Vipreet Pratyangira, because he knows his capacity — his japa runs in crores and has been done. But of a stranger he does not even know whether they have ever held a mala in life, so if they do Pratyangira directly, Pratyangira will first trouble them.
What happens when an unqualified person forces a mantra?
He says that nowadays people, though unqualified, do not accept it when you go to explain that this mantra should not be recited. He mentions a video of Rajendra Das Maharaj ji that went viral that day, which someone sent him, in which it was told how a girl went mad from Gayatri japa; many comments on it, he says, said that this is the matter of being anadhikari. If you force it, the mantra will give its effect and afterwards there will be difficulty — the first difficulty being skin-related problems.
Which mantras should not be uttered freely?
He says Vedic mantras are told not to be uttered; Pranav has been forbidden and one should have the adhikara for Pranav; Gayatri should have adhikara and has its rules, and he states that women should not do Gayatri — over which, he says, people go to war, as they do over women wearing the yajnopavita, and people are even having it done. He adds that the Mahamrityunjay mantra should not always be uttered, yet people play it day and night in the house to drive away negativity, and all of this becomes a cause of dosha.
Which mantras then do require a guru?
The specific mantras — Gayatri and the like, the vaidik mantras and the like — in which very particular attention must be kept on the uccharan and the vidhi vidhan must be followed: for those it is necessary for you. Otherwise, for pauranik and tantrokta mantras and the rest, leaving out something in the pranav and so on, do them if you wish. Do them according to your capacity.
Who are the witnesses when a sankalpa is taken?
Whenever we take a sankalpa, or make a witness of anything, the speaker says there are two who matter in the act of witnessing — first Surya Narayan and second Agni Dev. The witness of Surya Narayan becomes necessary.
What sankalpa is given at the yajnopavita sanskar?
Whenever a person's yajnopavita sanskar takes place, the speaker says, the mantra upadesh of Gayatri is given, and at that time the person is certainly told, and made to take a sankalpa, that lifelong he will give arghya to Surya.
What is prescribed for those who do have the right to Gayatri?
Those who have the adhikar for Gayatri should certainly do at least one mala of Gayatri japa daily while looking at Bhagavan Surya Narayan, the speaker says. From this a special grace is obtained, an extremely special grace: the work that was to take a year for you will be completed within a month, whether it be a material work or spiritual grace.
What does it mean to hear the Kali Gayatri mantra in a dream?
A listener says he hears the Kali Gayatri mantra half-heard in dreams, echoing in the ears in a very loud voice, and asks why. Your sadhanas are bearing fruit, the speaker answers; Bhagavati's grace is coming. If Bhagavati's Gayatri mantra is being heard by you, and that of Bhagavati Kali, then it is good — it is a very auspicious sign.
What if I am told to give arghya with the Gayatri but am not entitled to it?
The first thing, he says, is that this is a Dhanu lagna kundali and Brihaspati is your chief graha — but it is not the case that arghya is given according to the lagna kundali. He says only one condition always: if you wear manikya on the body, then arghya is not to be given, or at the time of giving arghya you must take it off and then give it, that is all. For the rest, every person can do the puja of Suryanarayan, and everyone should certainly give him arghya. Surya and Tulsi ji should be given arghya daily by all — only, on Ekadashi and Sunday, these two days, Tulsi ji is not to be given water.
Which mantra should be used for arghya instead of the Gayatri?
Then, without speaking the Gayatri mantra of Bhagavan Surya, you can also give water with his naam mantra, he says — it is not necessary that water be given only with his Gayatri. Read the Aditya Atharvashirsha; read even the Hindi translation and your subject will become clear. There is a mantra in it of Bhagavan Suryanarayan — the one with ghrini, Ghrini Suryay Namah — with that mantra you can give it. Or, in his view, you should use the tantric mantra of Suryanarayan; if you are not entitled, then give arghya with that. It is not as though Suryanarayan will not take the arghya.
What is wrong with the prediction astrologers?
All the prediction and kundali people, whatever is running — he says he says it straight and squarely: they are doing wrong. Those who again and again give the Gayatri, and all the mantras with Om, to an unentitled person and have them done, are ruining them. It is a separate matter that the mantra has its own capacity and keeps our honour, makes and mars our things — but somewhere or other they also cause harm. He says he speaks this from the direct experience of his own life.
Which ahutis come first in a nitya havan, and what about ants in the house?
In a nitya havan, the very first is the ahuti of the Agni devata, and the ahuti of the navgrahas — these are necessary. And the panchdev, principally, their ahuti should be given. And if you do it with the Gayatri, then the ahuti of the Gayatri will happen right at the beginning, remaining silent. To Arvind Kumar Yadav ji, on what to do for the bavali, he says it is to be done on the day of Govatsa Dwadashi and that he told the whole vidhi vidhan at the beginning of this same live — listen to it from the start.
Which form is meditated with the Shiva Gayatri?
The speaker says this Pitambara form is the Tatpurusha swaroop. Those who do japa of Bhagwan Shiva's Gayatri mantra तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे and the rest should at that time hold the dhyana of Tatpurusha Shiva: Shiva ji of pita hue, pita garments, pita mala — a yellow garment, a yellow mala, a form yellow and like gold — and do japa while meditating that form.
Tatpurusha Shiva manifested divine kumars and granted the power of creation in the Pitavasa kalpa
Bhagwan Brahma ji did japa of this Shiva Gayatri mantra many times over. Pleased with him, Bhagwan Shiva manifested many divine kumars here as well, and Tatpurusha Shiva of that kalpa bestowed the capability for the rachana of the srishti.
How does the panchakshari compare with the Gayatri?
The speaker says this is no ordinary mantra and no ordinary subject. Its fruit is equal to that of the Gayatri; those who do not have the adhikara for doing Gayatri do japa of this very mantra.
First-day offerings to Hanuman in the Badavanal anushthan
The speaker says on the first day one has a chola offered to Hanuman through the pandit with sankalp; then writes Ram nama with ashtagandha and the ring finger on 11 or 21 paan leaves — either रा with the anusvara, whose dot stands for Mata Janaki, or श्री राम, where Shri stands for Janaki, so that either way it becomes Sitaram — strings them into a garland and puts it on Hanuman, with a red-flower garland and the Ram-nama cloth; has a moonj janeu offered by the pandit, or oneself while reciting the Gayatri mentally if one wears a janeu; and offers rot-churma with laddu and tulsi leaf — the same quantity every day.
Closing the Badavanal anushthan: the final-day havan, laddu distribution and brahmachari bhojan
The speaker says that when the 21-day path is complete, on the last day a Havan of Hanuman is done in the temple itself, oneself or, better for a woman, by a pandit. The material is ghee and Guggul: ahutis first with Hanuman's sahasranama, then 108 each with the Gayatri of Ram, of Sita and of Hanuman, then Purnahuti. The daily rot-churma bhog is eaten and shared at home; on the last day one may arrange a sawa-mani of 40 kilos of Laddu or simply a sawa kilo, feed it to small children, provide for nearby monkeys and do gau seva. If five Brahmins who truly keep brahmacharya can be found, feed them food cooked by one's own hand; otherwise give dan-Dakshina to a pandit and do gau seva. Done so, he says, this is one vidhi by which the Badavanal vidya is attained.
Why do anger and sleep increase during a sadhana?
Because when japa produces a throbbing at the Muladhara, the chakras become unstable somewhere, from which anger and desire both increase greatly. One thing you can do: recite a tenth part of the consort's mantra — the female power's if you worship a male deity, and the reverse — and perform Tarpan and Marjan with it.
How do you tell a dev-category Brahm from a pishaach or rakshas?
The speaker says a Brahm in the dev category will always be strengthened by Gayatri and by the janeu, will conduct itself with sattvikta, will be very firm in its word, will never encourage a wrong act, and will force you towards the puja of the devi-devatas — telling you repeatedly to worship Shiva ji and Durga ji, stopping you when you go on a wrong path, telling you to keep the shikha and the rule of the janeu, and always standing with you.
Can a Gayatri anushthan be done after using Panchamakara?
When you are initiated in the Kaul parampara, the speaker tells the questioner, at present you are doing Gayatri; there, according to the Kaul parampara, the Gayatri relating to that in which you are initiated is given to you.
Is it right to do japa and path in a ruined and unworshipped temple?
In a ruined and unworshipped temple the effect of ugra kinds of shakti is greatest, the speaker says, and whatever the reason for which that temple has remained ruined and unworshipped, a curse attaches to it and those people remain cursed; therefore the shakti of that place is very greatly ugra. If you are going to that temple to do seva-puja or any anushthan, then first of all certainly perform a shanti pujan and the like for the sake of the shaktis of that place. If you are a Brahmin, or a sadhak as well, you should perform a Gayatri anushthan and the like there and make everyone tripta and content, and only then perform any anushthan there.
What happened on the night of Mahashivratri?
On the night of Mahashivratri, he says, Shiva appeared before Brahma and Vishnu in an embodied form, in the Panchanan swaroop. The Pranav, the Gayatri and the Panchakshari mantra — all three — arose that day from the mouth of Shiva, and the guru diksha of these three was received by Brahma and Vishnu.
Can the Pranav be used in every mantra while wearing a kusha pavitri?
Asked whether, wearing a kusha pavitri, one may use the Pranav in all mantras, and if so whether in Gayatri and Mahamrityunjay too, he answers: no. If some such subject has been discussed personally, that is a separate matter with its own reason, or it has been discussed at some particular place for a particular reason. In this manner it cannot be done. It should be done only after the pavitri and the rest.
Do women have adhikar for the Gayatri mantra?
People get stuck on the Gayatri adhikar, he says: there is an itch that there is no adhikar for Gayatri. Why is there no adhikar for Gayatri? Because a negative effect will fall upon the body. Become qualified and do it. It is forbidden to women in every way; it is forbidden to a Brahmin's wife too. Woman does not mean that a woman of the shudra varna is forbidden while for a Brahmin it is permitted.
What should a woman do in place of the Gayatri mantra?
To a listener he says it is a very good thing that she is not doing the Gayatri mantra: you are a woman, so in place of the Gayatri mantra you should do the Panchakshari mantra, as has been said again and again. The Panchakshari, the Gayatri and the Pranav — all three appeared on one and the same day and at one and the same time, from Shiva, on Mahashivratri, as they discussed today. First the Pranav, then the Panchanan swaroop, and then from the four-faced swaroop the Tripada Gayatri appeared.
Who may do Gayatri and who must do the Panchakshari?
Those who have the adhikar for Gayatri and who live by the Vedic vidhi should do Gayatri, he says; the remaining people should do the Panchakshari. Women, and those who do not wear the yogopavit, should place the namah — the fourth vibhakti namah — afterwards and do the jap in that manner. That itself is Gayatri. It arose from his five faces: from those five faces the Panchmukhi vidya, the Panchakshari vidya appeared, each face represented by one letter.
Which five faces give the five letters, and what is the Panchakshari called?
Sadyojat, Vamdev, Aghor, Tatpurush, Ishan: from these five mouths the five letters came out and the Panchakshari was made. It is described in the Shiv Mahapuran, he says — we are not speaking from our own mind. And that Panchakshari has been called Gayatri directly, in the form of the laghu Gayatri. Those who have no adhikar for Gayatri will do this. And it was told that if you cannot do ten malas of the Gayatri mantra, which is long, then do ten malas of the Panchakshari. No other mantra has been given that value.
What is the daily minimum he gives for each kind of person?
If you are initiated into some panth, he says, what the guru gives you there is a separate subject and you should do jap of that mantra. But those who ordinarily wear the yogopavit ought certainly to do ten malas daily of either the Gayatri or the Panchakshari. A woman should do ten malas daily of shivaya namah, placing the fourth vibhakti afterwards. This, he says, is the root.
Is there a daily japa that everyone must keep?
Yes — ten mala of some one mantra every day, man or woman, and with no Sankalpa attached to it for any particular work to be completed. Those entitled to the Vedic Sandhya are told ten mala of the Gayatri; those who cannot, the Panchakshari. The speaker says this is compulsory for all.
What happens when a Deeksha is refused and only Gayatri is prescribed instead?
The speaker's own case: he asked a practitioner at Vindhyachal for Pitambara Deeksha long ago and was deflected — you will become deranged, this will happen, that will happen — and told to do Gayatri instead. He did, Bhagavati's grace came, and the increase of Tapo-bal followed.
How should the mala be handled while offering Ahuti in a Havan?
If you are alone at the Havan you may do the japa with the reverse hand — but many practitioners, the speaker among them, never use a japa mala for it. He uses the 108-bead Kanthi mala he wears, covered with the upper garment, and offers the Ahuti while doing japa with the reverse hand.
Why was the shat Gayatri mantra removed from the stotra collection?
He says the shat Gayatri mantra a listener mentions has been removed, because that mantra is a tantric mantra joined with beejas and not everyone can do its japa; for that reason he did not put it into the stotra collection. It is one of the most necessary mantras and a separate subject: it should not be done at all without upadesh and adesh. It is used, with a duly performed purashcharan, when someone's lifespan is waning.
Nothing is felt in daily Gayatri japa — where should one start?
Ankit ji says he does japa of Gayatri daily but never feels he is doing any sadhana, and asks where to begin for Bhagavati's sadhana. If you are doing the sadhana of Bhagavati Gayatri, the speaker answers, then do it according to Gayatri's own niyams — then it will happen. Learn the full display of mudras: from the first day satisfaction will begin. If you do Gayatri without mudra, no ananda is going to come, nor is your Gayatri going to be nourished. Learn the whole process of shaap vimochan, how shaap vimochan is to be done. And whether you do it at two times, or three times, or one time, whenever you do it — how your sandhya pujan is to be at that time, how the kavach is to be done, and which of the three times' dhyanas of Gayatri applies.
Vedic sandhya is not discussed publicly because people would take it up without authority; it is learnt from one's own ritvik.
He says he does not put out lives or videos on all these because not everyone can perform Vedic sandhya or Gayatri sandhya of this kind, and to discuss it means that people, becoming attracted, will do it without authority, and then there is difficulty. But if you are authorised — if your yajnopavit has taken place — then learn it. Learn the whole upadesh and vidhi of Gayatri from the acharya, from your ritvik who performed your yajnopavit; after all, one would only get the yajnopavit done by those who know Gayatri. Sit with them and learn. And there is the Nitya Karma Puja Prakash, in which all of it has been given at length.
Why is it said that only a Brahman should do such sadhanatmak kriyas for others?
Why is it said that only a Brahman should do sadhanatmak kriyas of this kind, that only he should do mantra japa and puja paath for somebody, he asks. Because you wish to do it — absolutely, you do it too, nobody is forbidden at all — but you do not do trikal Gayatri. A Brahman is taught everything from the very beginning: among Brahmans, a child of eight or ten years is doing Vedic paath. Look at anybody else — nobody learns paath quickly. If they were to learn and do it in this same manner, then they too can do it.
What is the danger for one who does japa for others without doing his own?
But when you are doing puja paath and japa for somebody else, he says, then somewhere or other whatever their prarabdha is, the effect of it falls upon your life. And when you will not be a good sadhak, when you will not be doing trikal Gayatri, when you will not be doing any puja paath for yourself, when you will not be doing anushthans and the rest, then afflictions will come in your life as well.
Guru Gayatri for those without a guru; the guru mantra for those who have one
The speaker says the Guru Gayatri mantra is the best for those who have no Guru, and best for those who have one too. But those who have a guru have already received a guru mantra, so they should do Japa of that guru mantra and take a vidhan for this Grahan kaal from their own guru; the eclipse is very important for them as well. If they have no time or wish for any other sadhana, or cannot do one for any reason, they should at the very least jap their guru mantra.
The simple japa vidhi of the eclipse guru sadhana and the mala kept in Gangajal
The speaker says that if one knows Achamana, bhumi shodhan and such vidhi, well and good; if not, simply remember Bhagwan and begin the Japa of the Guru Gayatri. He is deliberately keeping the vidhi as easy as possible so that nothing is difficult and no doubt arises. The Mala is already pran-pratishthit, so it is just taken up and the japa begun at the given time. When the japa is complete, the mala is placed in the water, which must be Gangajal alone, in the brass bowl with rose water mixed in and no other water added, and the japa is mentally offered up.
All sadhana begins from the guru
The speaker says that if a person has never done anything for themselves, if to this day one has done no sadhana at all, then at the very least this Guru Gayatri should certainly be used once in one's life. Sadhana is always begun from the Guru: the guru is Sumeru, the guru is the mountain, and all sadhanas should be started from the guru. After the sadhana of this mantra, he says, he will teach many more sadhanas that can be done comfortably at home to get free of one's problems.
What should someone who has never received guru deeksha do on Guru Purnima?
For those who have not received guru deeksha to this day, the speaker repeats what he said last time: the best thing is to find an aged pujari of a Narayan temple, a Bhagavati temple or a Shiva temple — whether he has knowledge of all four Vedas or of not even one, so long as he is aged, of good conduct, or a pujari who performs trikaal Gayatri — and with a feeling of shraddha give him daan punya and dakshina to the best of your capacity on that day, and perform pranayam. Special grace of the guru will be obtained.
How much power is in the Gayatri mantra?
Asked how much power there is in the Gayatri mantra, the speaker exclaims, and says he will not speak the mantra itself, but that in the Veda Gayatri is supreme, and in all the Gitas that exist it has been said that among mantras I am Gayatri — in the Shiv Gita Shiva ji, in the Shiv Mahapuran too Shiva ji, and in the Gita Shri Krishna himself. So her mahima is limitless.
Does the Sabari Kavach require initiation?
No initiation of any kind is needed, not even Navnath Deeksha. Only one thing to note: where the Gayatri occurs once within it, do not pronounce it aloud — recite that part mentally.
What initiation does the Upanayana Sanskar itself confer?
At Upanayana you receive the Deeksha of the Gayatri and become qualified. But specific initiation — any Tantrokta mantra, or the knowledge of a lineage tradition — is obtained only after receiving Guru Deeksha; the guru is the one who tells you.
How can Maa Gayatri have been cursed?
Answering Shivam Singh ji, who is anxious about the curse and about the fruit therefore not being obtained, he says there is no need to be anxious: the Shraap Vimochan has been given — do the Gayatri Shraap Vimochan and then do it. And if you are initiated, that is if your yajnopavit has been done, then the acharya you chose, who gave you and put upon you the yajnopavit, must have given you the upadesh of Gayatri, and must have told you how Gayatri is done — so why are you becoming anxious? If you do not wear the yajnopavit, then first wear it, do your whole janeu-yajnopavit sanskar by vidhi, then take diksha and do the whole Gayatri; otherwise this whole question of yours is in vain.
Gayatri is Vedokta, and people doing it by Shri Ram Sharma ji's sayings have been thoroughly ruined
Asked how far the things said about Gayatri by Shri Ram Sharma ji are according to the shastra, he says he has spoken about it before too: doing Gayatri following his sayings, people have been thoroughly ruined and will go on being ruined; he does not agree with him at all. However much they may speak according to modernity, he says he will never speak in favour of those who cannot walk according to the shastra vidhan. Because this is Gayatri: had it been tantra, then in tantra there are a great many such things where, on account of parampara, things become different, since there are capable and siddha persons. But here the subject they present negates the shastra altogether, and Vedokta things at that. Gayatri has come as the form of the Veda, she is regarded as the origin of the Vedas, regarded as Veda Mata — and they manifest her entirely in an unVedic form.
What should be done if the yajnopavit is cut by mistake?
Nothing, he tells Harish: put on a new yajnopavit, and in the form of prayashchit, according to your capacity, do japa of one mala or five malas of Gayatri and dedicate it. And, according to the present time, there is not the least need for you to worry.
Jayphal is offered as bali to Maa Jagadamba or Bhairav ji, and a book and PDF on Gayatri and the yajnopavit will be uploaded
Asked which authentic book to read for shastra-approved knowledge of Gayatri and the yajnopavit, he says they will upload a book, they will upload a PDF. Asked how a bali of jayphal is done — jayphal is offered to Maa Jagadamba or Bhairav ji — and for the vidhan to be published, he says it will have to be done and shown, otherwise it will not be understood from where and what is to be done. Asked whether in the Nath panth the singi sutra is just like the yajnopavit, he answers it is absolutely right: in the Nath panth the nadi itself is held to be the janeu, in which the form of Bhagavati, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh is all held to be. He notes a request for the simple puja vidhi of Maa Bhuvaneshwari, whose jayanti falls on the 7th of September — all right, he says, we shall see.
Gayatri and Panchakshari each stand in their own place, and Panchakshari is best done without pranava
Whether or not one has Gayatri diksha, the speaker says, Gayatri is in its own place and Panchakshari is in its own place. Panchakshari done without pranava is most excellent; beyond that, as your own viveka says.
Can Panchakshari be done without a guru?
Absolutely, the speaker says — it is written that Panchakshari japa can be done without a guru. The channel has a detailed video on how each of the four varnas does it, how those without the yajnopavit do it, how mothers and sisters do it, complete with viniyoga and nyasa; watch it well, then do it. Panchakshari is for everyone. Gayatri is for those who wear the yajnopavit; for those who do not, the laghu Gayatri is Panchakshari itself. So do either 10 malas of Gayatri, or 10 malas of Panchakshari, or 10 malas of whatever you received diksha in within your sampradaya, panth or family.
May a woman recite the Shri Suktam daily?
A listener says she does three paths of the Shri Suktam daily. His answer: if you are a woman, then the plain matter is that the Shri Suktam falls under the Vedic; and so its utterance should be done only by those who wear the yajnopavita. Today, having watched videos from South India and elsewhere, people say who stops anyone, everyone does it — but, he says, brother, you cannot do it. By his information, Shri Suktam and Purusha Suktam are Vedic mantras, and there is no adhikara to utter them when there is not even adhikara for Gayatri.
What should the daily count be after Sawan ends?
He says that after Sawan finishes, do not carry on with five malas but take it to ten. Because in the nitya Gayatri, in the nitya sandhya, if you do less than ten malas nobody will ask after you. You will reach Shivalok, he says, but people will ignore you; the ganas will not ask after you, Parvati ji's sakhis will not ask after you. You will wander about at the edges feeling that these people are not asking after you, that everyone has ignored you. And there you cannot do japa, so you would have to take birth again. Therefore do ten malas.
May a yajnopavita-dhari do three Saptashati paths in the three sandhyas without diksha?
Asked whether a person wearing the yajnopavita can do three paths of the Durga Saptashati daily in the tri-sandhya, three paths together, when there is no diksha, he says that if you are wearing the yajnopavita and walking by the niyam, doing Gayatri and so on in the sandhya, or the upadesh your guru has given — and if you do not do Gayatri, then at least do ten malas each of the Panchakshari in the three sandhyas — and along with that a clear, correct pronunciation of the Saptashati, if it has come to you, then do all three sandhyas; there is no problem.
Is there a dosha in doing only two Gayatri sandhyas instead of three?
A listener says he is only able to do the Gayatri sandhya twice, not three times, and asks whether there is any dosha. He answers: no, there is no dosha. Even two sandhyas happening is a great deal in the present time. Do them, and keep hold of both sandhyas.
How should a person serve a deity without touching?
Without touching, give it to the pandit ji, he says. The pandit ji will perform the pujan in your name, he will do the shringar, he will put on the flowers and garland. He will be initiated, he does his own rule and dharma, he does his Gayatri, he has the adhikar — let him do it. Our concern is with the blessing; what great blessing are we going to get by touching them?
Do you need a separate guru for tantra, puja, Gayatri and Vedanta?
The speaker lists the second question that comes: we are in the tantra marg, in the adhyatma marg, and in ordinary pujan-path as well — so is a separate guru needed for the tantra marg, another for puja-path, another for Gayatri, another for adhyatma, another for Ved-Vedant, or is one guru enough? Many such questions arrive, he says.
Which Gayatri works against a Brahm shakti?
To Prashant Dwivedi ji he says plainly that against a Brahm shakti the Gayatri never works at any time. This, he says, is a subject of tantra, not a Vedic subject. In today's time nobody has the leisure to do a samput path of the Gayatri, or the vidhi-vidhan path of the vijatmak Gayatris, because everyone has to do his own work and trade and then all these things on top of that. So if you expect that by the process of the mool Gayatris the Brahm should be settled, his own experience in the present time has been quite different, and quite different from the things people read or hear written in books.
May the Bhairav mantra be done along with Gayatri paath?
If your yajnopavit sanskar has taken place, the speaker answers, you may do Gayatri japa. If you wish, you may also keep a murti of Batuk Bhairav ji, and japa of Bhairav ji's mantra may be done along with Gayatri — there is no difficulty in it.
Why should a copper murti of Gayatri not be kept?
A copper murti should not be kept for Ma Gayatri, the speaker says; rather than copper, keep a panchdhatu murti or a brass murti. Copper is tamba: if you keep a tamba murti you can never have her bathed with sweet water, since jaggery or any sweet substance put into copper becomes like poison, and such things find their use in abhichaar karma.
May a woman do Gayatri japa after being shown a sign in a dream?
A woman who does Navarna japa says she received a sign in a dream to read the Gayatri mantra, and asks what to do. If you are a woman, the speaker answers, the adhikara of Gayatri japa does not belong to a woman; you should not do Gayatri japa. As for the Navarna, if you do its japa and are initiated, that is very good; if you are not initiated, then you should do its japa within a limit, in a limited quantity.
How is a negative place cleared for sadhana?
In such a state, the speaker says, those sadhaks do japa of the agni beej in an authoritative quantity. Or they place the agni beej as a Samput in the Gayatri Mantra and do japa. Because of which so great a measure of agni tattva is produced there that the pret and pishach simply withdraw. Or they take the Kavach of their own aradhya, which they have made siddh by the guru's command, and apply the agni beej to it as a samput.
What is the moonj yajnopavit offered to Hanuman ji?
Moonj is a plant related to kusha, and brahmacharis make its janeu and put it on Hanuman ji — what we read in the Hanuman Chalisa as "kandhe moonj janeu saaje". If on the day of Kushotpatini Amavasya the moonj plant is brought with vidhi-vidhan and a janeu is made from it with full vidhan, with the complete pujan of nine tantus and the japa of Gayatri and the rest, and it is put on Hanuman ji, then special grace is attained.
Should the arghya to Surya Dev be stopped in sutak?
If you are being forbidden to give water to Surya Dev, then they are saying rightly, he answers. You will be giving water with Gayatri — then from where will you give water now, or by which mantra will you give water at all? And for the pitrs too: if the people of your house and family say that even water cannot be given to the pitrs now, then you should indeed not give it. Make pranam mentally to Surya Dev daily.
The Gayatri mahapurashcharan of twenty-four lakh japa is the measure of the strength required
Suppose, for example, that we have done the mahapurashcharan of Gayatri, that is twenty-four lakh japa. Then by Bhagavati's grace such capacity is attained by such a sadhak that if some person afflicted by an avichar sits before him and he, making a sankalp, gives him water and the like made abhimantrit with Gayatri to drink, then however great a prarabdha there may be, relief will be had by him.
How is water consecrated?
For consecrating water one then has to learn the mudra, the speaker says, if you want it in the proper manner; and mudra cannot be displayed publicly. For mudra one should at the least be doing Gayatri, and then that subject will become clear. The whole vidhi of jal abhimantran in tantra brings mudra into it. But for the ordinary consecration of water, simply place the water before you and, looking at it with your gaze, with the feeling that the energy of the mantra is going into it, do the japa; and it will be consecrated.
Who has the adhikara for the Gayatri mantra?
The speaker says only this much is to be understood — who has which adhikara. Where the yajnopavita samskara is being performed, the adhikara for Gayatri and the rest is obtained there; if you are an adhikari of the yajnopavita samskara then Gayatri is given to you there. All the rest should do the Pauranik Gayatri and the like, or should do the Panchakshari, the laghu Gayatri.
Which ahutis does he hold to be forbidden to women?
Look, in the Vedic marga the ahuti of Vedic mantras is forbidden, the speaker says: the ahuti of Vedic mantras should not be given by women; the ahuti of ghee should not be given. The ahuti of Pauranik and Tantrokta mantras — because in tantra women are also worshipped — they may do everything, havan, pujan, all of it in that. But of a Vedic mantra such as the Mahamrityunjaya, he says, if you are giving the ahuti then your information is deficient: a woman should never give the ahuti of the Mahamrityunjaya, should not give it herself; she may give the ahuti holding her husband's hand.
What is chiefly done at Pushkar for the pitrs?
Sadhana is done there particularly for the gati and mukti of the pitrs, he says: recitation of the Sahasranama, the Vishnu Sahasranama and the like, by brahmins; or recitation of the Gayatri and so on, and japa, which you may do having taken a sankalpa. That is the best of all. If there is any pitru dosha or anything connected with them, or even for their gati, then by doing sadhana there you may also obtain the grace of the pitrs.
What protects against the fifty-two kinds of veer?
Fifty-two kinds of veer have been told, he says; and if the fifty-two kinds of veer are set upon somebody, his survival is difficult. If it truly is so, then protection can come by the kripa of Sarveshwar Bhairav. Protection can come from the Aghor svarup of Bhagwan Mahadev. Protection can come by the prayoga of the Panchmukhi Hanuman, the Saptamukhi, the Ekadashmukhi. Protection can come from Bhagavati Pratyangira. Protection can come with the help of the most ugra forms of Kali ji. And by the japa of the Agni Gayatri within the Gayatri — that is, the Agni Gayatri of the mool Gayatri — there can be peace and there can be protection.
Which alterations to the Panchakshari and Gayatri mantras are wrong?
He names them: that you should put om ten times before the Panchakshari; that five oms should be put before the Gayatri; that agni beej should be used five times before the Gayatri; that maya beej is made to be used five times; and other beejas besides. Do you even know, he asks, what the state of the person will be after using agni beej, and for what purpose he is using it?
What further sadhana is there for those with Gayatri diksha?
Asked what separate sadhana needs to be told to sadhaks who have received Gayatri diksha, he says: Gayatri — Brahma Gayatri — go on doing its sadhana as much as possible. Doing the twenty-four lakh sadhana is the most obligatory of all; at the very least this much should be done.
Is the Gayatri mantra for everyone?
Asked to explain Gayatri simply so that everyone can do it, the speaker replies that he cannot accept all the statements of Shri Ram Sharma Acharya ji. Gayatri is for all, he says, but the shastra view on anadhikar is what he will speak according to, and for Vedic mantras he will absolutely forbid it: not everyone may do a Vedic mantra — its utterance, its nature and its rules must all be known first. He points out that Ram Sharma Acharya himself, asked whether Gayatri could be done without wearing the janeu, answered that one should simply have the yagyopavit done.
Who, in the speaker's view, must not perform Gayatri japa?
Not everyone can do it, he says plainly: women should absolutely not do it, and those who do not wear the janeu should not do Gayatri. Those who do it anyway will themselves become fit for the punishment and will bear it. And he adds that such people often do not bear it themselves — their coming generations bear it, then ask what fault of theirs they are suffering for, and take birth again in that same lineage to bear it once more.
Is sabhimuchan compulsory in the Sandhya Gayatri?
A listener whose gurudev, from whom he received the Gayatri mantra at the time of the janeu, is no longer alive asks whether sabhimuchan is compulsory in the Sandhya Gayatri, since he does only ten repetitions rather than a full mala. If you do ten repetitions, the speaker answers, there is no compulsion of sabhimuchan; if you do one mala, then at the minimum it is necessary.
Can Gayatri japa be done devotionally without the janeu sanskar and without a shikha?
No, it cannot be done, the speaker answers.
What should be done if bats keep entering the house?
Two things should be done first, the speaker tells Ashwin Soni ji. First, the Kshetrapal nikari is necessary. Second, have a Gayatri havan performed at home every Sunday by some Brahman who does Gayatri japa well — a pure sattvik Brahman — and take part in his havan; if it is possible with the whole family, begin on a Sunday in the shukla paksha, and have at least five Sundays done. It will not cost very much. The nikari is to be done only once. When bats keep coming again and again and there is much trouble, he says, it shows that negative things have begun coming and going in greater and greater measure.
What happened to a listener who did the Gayatri mantra for a month without diksha?
A listener writes that the speaker is right that the Gayatri mantra should not be done without guru diksha — he did not know, and did it for a month; kundalini jagran occurred, samadhi set in, sleep stopped coming, and then he went to a doctor. So much happened, the speaker exclaims. Asked separately to make a video on the Vedic mantras — who should do them and who should not, and what precautions should be kept — he agrees that it is a correct point and says he will make one.
Do women have the adhikar for the Gayatri mantra?
Asked his view of Ram Sharma Acharya ji's citing of Vedic mantras and the examples of Gargi, Maitreyi, Mata Sita and others to say that women have the adhikar for Gayatri, the speaker answers with one statement: for the adhikar of the Veda mantras and of Gayatri — if there is within these people the purity that Bhagavati Sita had, then do Gayatri. If there is purity like Draupadi's, read the Veda mantras. If within you there is capacity like Maitreyi's and Gargi's, do Gayatri. That much is his view. If you have that capacity in human form, in which Bhagavati Sita fulfilled the dharma of the pativrata, then do it; if within you there is capacity like Gargi's and Maitreyi's and you can take up that purity, then do Gayatri, do the path of the Veda mantras — who has stopped anyone? Giving examples is easy; walking upon it is not.
What should a Shiv temple pujari do about bats in his house?
A listener writes that bats lived in his house and he killed three, that some came again a month ago, that he himself is a pujari performing puja in a Shiv temple, that he does Gayatri himself, and asks whether he can have the havan done by some pandit. It is a very good thing that you are a pujari in a Shiv temple, the speaker says — do this: if you perform pujan in Shiv ji's temple, then do the havan at home with the Rudra Gayatri. Beginning from one Shodash up to the next Shodash, perform the havan daily with the Rudra Gayatri in your own house. It will be the best of all. Do it yourself; there will be no need of anyone else.
What has been done to the Navarna mantra in popular portrayal?
The speaker says these people use the Navarna mantra so much: some tantric performs a maran prayoga on someone, simply reads out a maran mantra, and the next man is finished on the spot. Yet the mantra by which every single thing of the entire creation can be obtained — the mantra called the greatest mantra of tantra, of which it is said that in the Vedas there is Gayatri and in tantra there is Navarna — has been turned by these people into a maran device. Kaal Bhairav, made as the remover of even the fear of Kaal, the Kaal of Kaal himself, is the very one by whom we have been made afraid.
A woman of that family did a great deal of Gayatri japa and came to a very bad final condition
He was told that in that family there was a woman who used to do a very great deal of upasana of Gayatri and used to do Gayatri japa, and whose final condition was very bad. The speaker notes at once that an ordinary person who hears only this much will turn negative about Gayatri and conclude that Gayatri should not be done — they will not understand the whole subject.
What is his position on women doing Gayatri japa?
The speaker states his position: when a woman's menopause has occurred, then even if she does Gayatri after that there is no difficulty. This, he says, is what he has heard from vidvans who are knowers of the Veda. Now someone who is doing Gayatri from the age of twenty-five or thirty stands firm on the point that it is written nowhere and forbidden nowhere — and you will find thousands of such videos.
Can the Navarna mantra be japped without diksha?
The japa of the Navarna mantra without diksha — brother, the speaker says, we are absolutely against this. Gayatri and Navarna, according to him — and he warns that hearing the truth will feel a little bad — should not be done without diksha, according to him. Do them only after obtaining a guru. Ordinarily, he says, do nine times, do twenty-seven times, that is plenty. If you go as far as even one mala, then that and no more.
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