Gayatri Mantra, Nav Rasas, Awakening

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः ।
तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥



Om Bhoo bhuvah svaha
Tat savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhio yo nah Prachodayaat

Table reproduced from Shanti Mayi

Sanskrit	Translation	English Version
OM	All of existence. Perceptive vibration of the cosmos. The Almighty. Life.	Throughout the experience of Life
BHOOR	Coming. The physical world. Vital energy.
BHUVAH	Going. The mental world. Destroyer of suffering.
SVAH	Balance. The intellectual world. Embodiment of happiness.
TAT	That; indicates the three planes of experience, isness, pure being, God.	That essential nature
SAVITUR	Radiant brilliance shinning forth from nowhere. Bright, luminous, like the sun. Knowledge. Male principle.	illuminating existence
VARENYAM	Adorable. Venerable. Supreme.	is the adorable
BHARGO	Permeated with Magnificence. The destroyer of sins.	One.
DEVASYA	Divine. Intrinsically pure and brilliant.
DHEEMAHI	Meditation-focused, absorbed. Receiving.
DHIYO	Intellect.	May all beings perceive through subtle and meditative intellect
YO	Who
NAH	Us (Out of one into many; Yo-Nah: Female principle.)
PRACHODAYAAT	Inspire, enlighten and ignite.	the brilliance of enlightened awareness.

Here is a simpler translation:

ॐ	OM	Symbol of the Brahman
भूः	Bhoo	Bhu-Loka (Physical plane)
भुवः	Bhuva	Antariksha-Loka (Astral plane)
स्वः	Svaha	Swarga-Loka (Celestial plane)
तत्	Tat	That; Transcendent Paramatman
सवितु	Savitur	Of the Sun
वरेण्यं	Varenyam	Fit to be worshipped or adored
भर्गो	Bhargo	Light, Illumination
देवस्य	Devasya	Divine
धीमहि	Dheemahi	Let us meditate
धियो	Dhiyo	thoughts
यो	Yo	Which
नः	Nah	Of us, Our
प्रचोदयात्	Prachodyat	Enlighten; Guide

“The Cosmos is the giver of life, the remover of myopia, the bestower of sanity; I pray to the Cosmos to bless us with enlightenment and awakening and dazzle us with its intelligence.” - My interpretation.

The meaning is awareness of the environment around us, in all its forms and flavours, at all its scales, humble or huge, and the appreciation that it enlightens.

The sanity, the illumination that exists...tries to come to us through our environment. Sometimes we are given sweets. Sometimes chillies. By universal wisdom. So that we may awaken and see what is going on around us...

In fact, we are given the entire Nav Rasas. And through these Nav Rasas, which are sometimes tough, sometimes soft....life toughens us, shapes us, awakens us, illuminates us.

This tough illumination that flows continuously, 24/7/365 -- it is this very light, this very awareness, that will guide us out of the cycle of birth/death, at the end of this life or in a succeeding one as per a pre-destined trajectory.

Birth/Death cycle, pre-destined trajectory, both are religious concepts - my point of view towards these concepts can be summed up as: NOT literal.

It would be great to look upon the different elements of the environment as *one unified conduit of the Cosmos* through which it sends the Nav Rasas to awaken us...

We need to awaken because we are asleep, experiencing MAYA...according to hindu/buddhist concepts. And it's very possible that we are asleep. Just look at the condition of the world. Nobody knows what's going on.

We are a bit like the mythological KumbhKaran who needed a lot of tough treatment from the environment before he finally woke up.

The "pre-destined trajectory" concept -- sort of points to a *multidimensional reality* , because it means 'upon full awakening, we wil become what we always were'.

Summary :
This mantra reminds us of the amazing, dazzling splendour of the infinite cosmos. And makes us aware that it is nothing but eternal, infinite cosmic wisdom that is playing with us through our surroundings.

All that has ever happened. All that is happening. And all that will ever happen. Every tiny bit of it. It is all perfect. Often it is tragic. But the tragedy is also perfection and necessary for our illumination.

Because Humans need to be SHOCKED INTO AWAKENING.
Nothing else Works.