III.7. Solar Power and the Gayatri Mantra
Part III.7
Solar Power and the Gayatri Mantra
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Solar Energy Within and Without
������ The Vedas worship
the Sun, Surya, as the source of light for the entire world. But for the Vedic
people, light is not a material force but a power of life, love and
intelligence. Nor is the Sun a distant entity unrelated to us. It has a
presence on Earth through the power of its rays, which not only pervade our
environment but also touch our very hearts. By the Sun the Vedas don�t simply refer to the outer luminary, the central star of
our solar system. They mean the principle of light and consciousness on a
universal level, of which the Sun is our local representative.
������ One of the main problems in the world today is the energy
crisis, which is endangering the very roots of life on the planet. Where can we
get the power to run all our new technology, industry, transportation and
media? Our energy needs are increasing daily with the growth in population and
the increasing affluence of the third world that is now demanding the same
conveniences that the western world has enjoyed for decades. Where do we get
this additional energy? And how can we create it without destroying the planet
by pollution that is the by product of most of our energy sources? Solar power is
the ultimate answer for the energy crisis because it is a clean source of
energy that is unlimited, though the technology for it may take a few decades
more to develop fully. We must make solar power the priority in energy
research. We must return to the Sun to save the Earth.
������ The Vedas are said
to reside in the rays of the Sun, which hold the Vedic mantras. The Vedas are the manifestation of solar
intelligence, the light of consciousness on Earth. The sacred syllable OM
itself is the sound of the Sun and the essence of the Vedas. The Vedic mantras carry light and power both for the body
and the mind. India, therefore, should be at the forefront of solar research in
order to keep up with its ancient Vedic heritage.
������ Our society is also complaining about low energy on a personal
level. Particularly, in the developed world low energy diseases like chronic
fatigue, depression and weak immune conditions are almost epidemic. Many people
find that they lack the vitality to do what they want to do. Even if we try to
meditate in order to contact a higher power, we often end up falling to sleep
in the process and get nowhere owing to a lack of mental energy.
������ According to the Vedas,
the inner Sun is Prana or vital energy, which manifests through the breath. To
increase our personal energy, both for physical health and for mental acuity,
the best practice is Pranayama or breath control. Breath carries the subtle
essence of speech, which is mantra. The inbreath carries the sound �so� and the
outbreath carries the sound �ha�. The natural mantra �So�ham� in Sanskrit
means, �He am I,� referring to the Purusha or consciousness in the Sun, as the Isha Upanishad (v. 6) so eloquently
proclaims. Our very breath is based upon unity with the solar creator and
source of life and can be used to connect with its power.
������ We all want to increase our intelligence, concentration,
memory and capacity for information. This is the key to strength and success in
the information age. The best way to do this is to harness the power of the
inner Sun, which is to connect with cosmic intelligence through mantra and
meditation. Each one of us possesses a portion of the light of consciousness, a
ray of the solar creator that endows us with understanding. This faculty is
called �dhi� in Vedic thought refers to the meditative aspect of the mind
(dhyana manas) and �buddhi� in later Indian thought, referring to awakened
intelligence.
������ The best mantra for awakening the higher mind is the Gayatri
mantra, which is a mantra to the solar light of consciousness to awaken our
meditative mind (dhi). It brings us the Divine solar power of consciousness,
love and prana�the supreme light of truth.
Vishvamitra and the Gayatri Mantra
������ The Gayatri mantra was the gift to the world of the great Rishi
Vishvamitra, seer of the third book of the Rigveda.
Vishvamitra was one of the greatest Vedic Rishis but also the most
controversial. He began as a great king and warrior who wanted to add spiritual
power to his worldly conquests. This brought him in contact and in conflict
with Vasishtha, the greatest and purest of the Rishis. Vishvamitra persisted
through all difficulties, including those created by his own ambition, until
after a long period of struggle through his will power and tapas he ultimately
achieved Self-realization. Vishvamitra�s path, therefore, was more of human
effort than Divine grace. His was the path of the warrior, of discipline and
struggle, defeat and victory. He shows the development of an indomitable will
that can overcome all obstacles and even challenge the Gods.
������ Vishvamitra by his tapas eventually created such an internal
fire that it began to threaten the Gods in heaven by its heat. For this the
Gods sent the celestial nymph (apsara) Menaka to seduce him and take him off his
path. The strategy succeeded, but not for long, and to fulfill another purpose
that perhaps the Gods had not planned. From his union with Menaka, Vishvamitra
begat a daughter, Shakuntala, who eventually became the wife of King Dushyanta.
From the union of Dushyanta and Shakuntala was born King Bharata, from whom the
name of India as Bharat arose. The whole country of India, through its
determinative dynasty carries the blood and spirit of Vishvamitra, which is
closely connected to that of the warrior Goddess Durga.
������ Vishvamitra�s Gayatri mantra is the most important mantra of the Hindus, probably still recited by half the people in India today. It is the most sacred Vedic mantra, reciting at sunrise, noon and sunset. We can literally translate it as:
�
We meditate
upon the supreme effulgence of the Divine Solar Creator that he may inspire our
intelligence!
������ The Gayatri mantra encourages creative
thinking, not as mere human invention but as our portion of cosmic
intelligence. It exhorts us to attune ourselves to the cosmic mind and its laws
of dharma. This chant is as valuable and appropriate in the modern world as it
was in ancient times. We can use it whenever we wish to gain new insight and
inspiration or to increase memory and concentration, even for mundane tasks.
������ Vishvamitra in the Rigveda
states that his prayer or Brahma protects the Bharata people:
(visvamitrasya
raksati brahmedam bharatam janam, Rig Veda III.53.12).
His prayer of course is the
Gayatri mantra. As long as that mantra is recited in India, its ancient
spiritual heritage will be preserved. India should not forget the Gayatri
mantra, Vishvamitra or its connection to the Sun. That is the key to its
destiny as a nation. Humanity also must remember the Divine Self in the Sun,
the Prana that is the universal energy, and our role in the cosmos to bring the
Divine light of knowledge into the darkness of physical matter. This is not an
issue of mere science and technology. It requires an inner science of Yoga and the
enlightenment of the mind.
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