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Resources » Tamilnadu culture & festivals » Tamilnadu Cultures
Gayatri Mantra - Sacred Thread Ceremony
Gayatri Mantra, Power and Significance of Gayatri Mantra, Benefits of chanting Gayatri Mantra, Ceremony related to Gayatri Mantra, Upanayanam, Sacred Thread Ceremony, Goddess Gayatri Devi.
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Gayatri Mantra - Sacred Thread Ceremony
Gayatri Mantra is the holiest and foremost mantra in Hinduism and Goddess Sri Gayatri Devi is considered as the Mother of the Vedas and is popularly known in the name of Vedamata.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Geeta (BG 10th chapter 35th verse) says:
"brihatsama tatha samnam gayatri chadasamaham"
Translation - "Among the Srutis that can be sung, I am the hymns in the Sama Veda known as Brhatsama; while among the Vedic hymns, I am the hymn known as Gayatri. No mantras in the world is comparable with Gayatri Mantra".
Divine Form of Goddess Gayatri Devi
She was the most Beautiful Mother. Goddess Gayatri had a five heads and five faces looking in all directions, whose faces are of five colours of the pearl, coral, gold, black and white. Her five face represents the pancha pranas(five lives). She has a three eyes in each face and the Gayatri Mantra of 24 syllables represents truth. In her arms she holds varada, abhaya, skull, ankusha, kasha, shankha, chakra, two lotus and khadhayudham. The vedas beautifully represents Goddess Gayatri is as five shakthi's as Adhi Shakthi, Paraa Shakthi, Gyana Shakthi, Iccha Sakthi and Kriya Sakthi.
Gayatri Mantra and benefits of Gayatri Mantra
'Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat'
This is the Gayatri Mantra and the translation can be given as.... 'We adore the Divine Self who enlighten our intellect and who illuminates the three worlds, We offer our salutations and our prayers to that Supreme God who shines like the Sun.' "Om" is the root of all sound emanates at the beginning of creation. The Gayatri Mantra is dedicated to Lord Suryanarayanan (Sun God). Maximum benefits can be obtained by chanting it 108 times and however it can be recited for 3,9 or 18 times.
Chanting of Gayatri Mantra is believed to remove all obstacles, which provides greater wisdom and it fulfills the purpose of birth. When recited daily it increases memory power and it enlightens one's intellectual level and gives way to spiritual growth and in short it gives peacefulness to the heart which makes the heart itself as a temple.
How to Chant Gayatri Mantra
First choose a peaceful and sanctified place and sit erect on an asana and chant the mantra facing East on Morning, facing North on Noon and facing west on Evening. According to Pranava Veda, Goddess Gayatri Devi is the Pranava i.e., the origin of all and destroyer of evils. She holds another name called Akilandeshwari. The mantra has to be recited 108 times or 1008 times.
Ceremony Related with Gayatri Mantra
There are many festivals celebrated exclusively for womens just like that in Hinduism it has the 'Sacred Thread Ceremony' (Upanayanam) for boys, which is celebrated by Brahmin Community which is perfomed to marks their coming of age to do religious ceremonies at which the boys began their formal education of vedas.
Usually they conduct this 'Thread Ceremony' when the boy reaches at the age of three and five. During the ceremony, the boy wraps a silk dhothi around his waist.
The Guru initiates the ceremony and invests him with sacred thread and chants the mantra to the boy. The sacred thread gives a radiance to the boy. Usually they celebrate this function in a grand manner as if like a marriage function.
After the Upanayanam is performed the boy must chant the mantra in the prescribed manner thrice a day which is called as 'Sandyavandanam' to be performed throughout his life. Every year during Tamil Month Avani (Month of August) at Avittam Nakshatra the sacred thread worn by the Brahmins is changed and they used to chant 108 to 1008 Gayatri Mantra on that particular day and celebrate the ceremony. A person who truly worships Gayatri Devi with full devotion and chants the Gayatri Mantra daily, the mother Gayatri Devi will be pleased with him and bestows with strength, immense wealth, will be successful and all his desires will be fulfilled.
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