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The Use of Mantra:
Sri Aurobindo, in Hymns to the Mystic Fire, wrote:
"We have to invoke the gods by the inner sacrifice, and by the word call them unto us - that is the specific power of the Mantra, - to offer to them the gifts of the sacrifice and by that giving secure their gifts, so that by this process we may build the way of our ascent to the goal... We give what we are and what we have in order that the riches of the Divine Truth and Light may descend into our life."


OM

BHOOR BHUVAHA SWAHA

TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM

BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI

DHEEYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT

Prayer of praise that awakens the vital energies and gives liberation

We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light
of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness....
May it awaken our intuitional consciousness

*********************
We meditate on the glory of the Creator;
Who has created the Universe;
Who is worthy of Worship;
Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light;
Who is the remover of all Ignorance;
May you enlighten our Intellect...


The Gâyatrî Mantra is first recorded in the Rig Veda which was written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and by some reports, the mantra may have been chanted for many generations before that.
The word Gâyatrî is a combination of Sanskrit words, although there is some disagreement in various texts about the exact derivation.
One suggestion is that the word Gâyatrî is made from these two words:
- gâyanath - what is sung, giving of praise
- trâyate - preserves, protects, gives deliverance, grants liberation
Another viewpoint suggests that the roots are:
- gaya - vital energies
- trâyate - preserves, protects, gives deliverance, grants liberation
The word Mantra means instrument of thought, sacred text, or a prayer of praise.
So, the two words "Gâyatrî Mantra" might be translated as: a prayer of praise that awakens the vital energies and gives liberation.
And indeed, this is such a prayer.