May & June Are The Best Months Of The Year!

By H H Maa Purnananda

Summer in our country is really challenging in most of the States. May and June are peak of summer with scorching heat all around and extreme humidity in some parts. These two months are declared as Summer-holidays in schools and other educational institutions. The sun shines brightly and the days are long during summers. Nobody wants to go into the kitchen which becomes a furnace, but everybody wants to hog because it is holiday time! Home becomes zoo as (dear) children jump, chirp and quarrel all around along with their friends. Mothers go berserk coaxing the children to study and finish their holiday homework. It becomes quite a task to keep them busy whole day long, day after day, for days together! That is when the father comes in with a brilliant idea! “We are going on a tour.”- says he.

The families look forward to this time earned by the members of the family with much difficulty indeed, so that they can go on a vacation to a beautiful cool place, say a hill-station, or could be abroad for those who can afford!

Did anyone think differently? One in millions would think about the best way to utilize this time earned after much difficulty, and spend it with family to learn more about their own religion and spirituality. Exceptional case indeed! Some families do go for pilgrimages at least, but might not be ready to learn as such about ‘how’ and ‘why’ of religion.

Every week, most of the people are off the work on Sundays. After the whole week spent in quite a disciplined manner by each member of the family, everyone wants to take it easy on Sundays. Sunday is the day attributed to the sun. In Vedik literature, Sun is considered to represent or symbolize our Aatman – the Self. Therefore, the Sun is worshiped as a Devta – Divine Entity. Truly, as much the sun is most important for survival of living beings on our planet, even much more, the Self is important for existence itself. Our Rishi-s have exclaimed in the Ved-s that Self is the very Substratum, the Support and the Sole Eternal Existence Itself, in absence of which, the very existence itself is not possible.

In both Shukla and Krishna Yajurved we find Sree Gaayatri Maha Mantra, the most Sacred Mantra of our voluminous Shaastra-s, dedicated to Savtuh Devta, Lord Sun. We find Sree Gaayatri Maha Mantra also in Rigved, Saamved and Atharvaved and therefore this Maha Mantra is believed to be the most Sacred of all Mantra-s. It sings the greatness and glory of Savituh Devta and also, in this Mantra the seeker of the Self invokes blessings upon himself for Self-realization.

Vyahriti-s
“Aum! Bhooh, Aum! Bhuvah, Aum! Swah…….(……Mahah, Janah, Tapah, Satyam.)” –
(Vyahriti-s which indicate the mental Planes, from present, the terrestrial 7th Plane, the ancestral 6th Plane, the celestial 5th Plane……..up to the highest, 1st Plane that is closest to the Self. Incidentally there are 7 Planes believed to be below the present one too, (Atal, Vital, Sutal, Taraatal, Rasaatal, Mahaatal, Patal) making the total of 14 mental Planes in all.)

Sree Gaayatri Maha Mantra:
“Aum! Tat Saviturvarenyam Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyoyonah Prachodayaat……(Aapo Jyoti Rasoamritam Brahm.)” – (……Bhoorbhuvah Svaraum.)

“Aum (the Sacred single syllable Mantra, symbol of the Un-manifest Self)! I meditate upon That enchanting and brilliantly effulgent Divine Sun, may He enlighten me with the intuitive Knowledge……..The All-pervading, Illuminous, Essential, Immortal Brahman.)”- (…….In the manifest three-phased worldly States, Jaagrat, Swapn and Sushupti, that has Aum - the Self, as the Substratum.).

Originally, this Sacred Mantra is of 32 Matra-s as given above. But, usually only the first 24 Matra-s are supposed to be chanted by all. And hence, only 3 prefixed Vyahriti-s need to be chanted of the higher Planes i.e. Bhooh, Bhuvah and Swah, and, Vyahriti-s added at the end also are not to be chanted by all. The complete Gaayatri along with all the 7 prefixed Vyahriti-s and 3 suffixed Vyahriti-s with Aum as conclusion, is to be chanted by those who have dedicated their lives completely for the purpose of Self-realization, or, by the priests for certain specific rituals, as evident from the meaning given herewith. Based on the 24 Matra-s of the Gaayatri, the Rishi-s have given Gaayatri Chhand (Metre) and have composed many Hymns and other works in Gaayatri Chhand.

Before chanting Sree Gaayatri Maha Mantra, the seeker has to elevate himself from the present mental Plane to the higher Planes, therefore with each prefixed Vyahriti chanted, he has to leave that particular Plane and transcend to the next higher Plane. Hence, usually for a seeker it would be sufficient to try to transcend 3 Planes i.e. Bhuh, Bhuvah and Swah.

After understanding the meaning of the Vyahriti-s and Sree Gaayatri Maha Mantra, it is evident that it is important to invoke the Surya Dev (Lord Sun) early in the morning or rather at dawn, by those who are eligible to chant this Mantra, pray or meditate upon it; of course, on every Sunday it is a must too, because, Sunday (Ravivaar) is actually dedicated to Lord Sun! Instead, people generally prefer to laze around on Sundays after a week-long worldly work! Think!

May and June are the best months of the year! The Sun shines brightly and for longest hours each day. Why would the seekers of Self-Knowledge not consider these two months to be the best months, for their Sadhna!