Swami Brahmananda Saraswati

Other Names and Nicknames: 

Guru Dev, Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Jagadguru Bhagwan Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math

Function: 

Guru

Traditions: 

Vedanta

Main Countries of Activity: 

India

Date of Birth: 

1871

Place of Birth: 

Gana, Uttar Pradesh, India

In His/Her Body ("alive"): 

No

Date Left His/Her Body: 

1953

Brahmananda Saraswati (1871 - 1953) a Hindu Guru who was born into a Brahmin family in the village of Gana, near Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India. At the age of nine he left home to wander and follow a spiritual path of renunciation. At the age of 14 he found his master, Dandi Swami Krishnanand Saraswati, in Uttar Kashi. Later, following his master's instructions, he retired to a cave, resolving not to emerge until he had attained enlightenment. In 1904 he was initiated into the order of "Sannyas" by his Master at the Kumbh Mela.In 1941, after decades of meditation and maintaining silence, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati finally accepted repeated requests to become the Shankaracharya (spiritual head) of Jyotirmath, a position that had been vacant for about 150 years.

The Adi Shankara (c. 8th century CE), the great reviver of Vedic Sanatana Dharma, had four principal followers, Padma-Pada, Hasta-Malaka, Vartika-Kara and Trotaka who each established a monastery in the north, south, east and west of India. Jyotirmath is the northern monastery.

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was the guru of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who became his devotee shortly before his installation and later became his personal assistant. The Maharishi's devotees respect and revere "Guru Dev" as their Paramguru. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi stated that he was merely a conduit for the grace of his Guru. It is the blessings of Guru Dev that are invoked during the TM Puja initiation ceremony, that each TM practitioner experiences.

Gayatri Mantra

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,

TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM

BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI

DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Summary of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the vedas), the foremost mantra in hinduism and hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).


Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.







Gayatri, the five-faced Goddess, is said to have domain over the five senses or pranas, and protects these five life-forces of those who chant the Gayatri Mantra. In her role as the protector, Gayatri is referred to as Savitri.

Word for Word Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra

Aum = Brahma ;bhoor = embodiment of vital spiritual energy(pran) ;bhuwah = destroyer of sufferings ;swaha = embodiment of happiness ;tat = that ;savitur = bright like sun ;varenyam = best choicest ;bhargo = destroyer of sins ;devasya = divine ;these first nine words describe the glory of Goddheemahi = may imbibe ; pertains to meditationdhiyo = intellect ;yo = who ;naha = our ;prachodayat = may inspire!"dhiyo yo na prachodayat" is a prayer to God

Hence the Gayatri is unique in that it embodies the three concepts of stotra (singing the praise and glory of God), dhyaana (meditation) and praarthana (prayer).


The prayer form of the Gayatri be used to pray to Lord Shiva is called Rudra Gayatri. Similarly, one may sing Ganesha Gayatri for Lord Ganesha, Hanuman Gayatri for Lord Hanuman, and Saraswati Gayatri for Goddess Saraswati.

Origin, Benefits and Chanting of the Gayatri Mantra

The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayatri Devi also gave to mankind the "Gayatri Mantra", also known as the "Guru Mantra" or the "Savitri Mantra". It is one of the oldest mantras, and generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the Mother of the Vedas". In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna had proclaimed to Arjuna - "Among all the mantras, I am the Gayatri".




Rishis selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of righteous wisdom through their utterance. The ideal times for chanting the mantra are three times a day - at dawn, mid-day, and at dusk. These times are known as the three sandhyas - morning, mid-day and evening. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times. However, one may chant it for 3, 9, or 18 times when pressed for time. The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the chakras or energy centres in the human body - hence, proper pronunciation and enunciation are very important.


Chanting of Gayatri Mantra removes all obstacles in our path to increased wisdom and spiritual growth and development. The teachings and powers incorporated in the Gayatri Mantra fulfill this purpose. Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after Jap(recitation) of the Gayatri Mantra is performed. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that the Gayatri Mantra "will protect you from harm wherever you are, make your intellect shine, improve your power of speech, and dispel the darkness of ignorance (Dhiyoyonah prachodayaath)".

Gayatri Mantra - Mantra or Prayer?

The Gayatri Mantra occupies a unique place in that it has both the power of mantra and of prarthana (prayer). It is important then in considering the Gayatri Mantra to distinguish the difference between these two deceptively similar words.


A mantra may be articulate or inarticulate, or a combination of them, as with AUM. It has an inherent power, known as "Mantra shakti", which has a positive influence not due to any philosophical meaning behind the mantra, but simply due to its utterance alone.




A prayer on the other hand does have a philosophical meaning behind it, and it is generally through this meaning that the prayer or prarthana has its power. Since this meaning can be easily understood, the method of prarthana is generally the form of worship used by most people.


The Gayatri, or Guru Mantra possesses both the power of mantra and the power of prarthana, and thus has both an intrinsic power (ie "mantra shakti"), through its mere utterance alone, and also an instrumental power (ie "prarthana shakti"), which is derived from the understanding of its meaning and philosophical significance. Hence, the repeated and correct chanting of the Gayatri Mantra, with proper understanding of its meaning, is believed to be of the greatest good to the individual.