Friday, July 3, 2009

Gayathri Mantra

Brahma conceived the Gayatri mantra consisting of 24 letters before he created the world. Each letter in this mantra has a great potential force, which when released, branches off into the four Vedas with their sub-branches just as a vast tree is hidden in its seed. After sprouting, the mantra takes the form of the four Vedas.

Philology (the science of language i.e., sound) was born of the 14 sounds. With these 14 sounds that vibrated and emanated when Lord Shiva, in his happier mood, played on his favorite 'damaru' (a percussion instrument). With these 14 sounds (the sutras) as the basis, Panini, the greatest grammarian, wrote his Astadhyayi (or Maha Vyakarana), the greatest and the most important compilation on Sanskrit grammar. Many scholars have commented on his work and such commentaries alone are enough to constitute a large library. Similarly, all literature in various forms is the outcome of the 24 letters of Gayatri mantra only. While the Gayatri mantra is the sutra or source, the compilations with their branches and sub-branches are its extensive commentaries.

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