Gayatri

In the Vedic tradition, the term Gayatri refers to one of the three things -- (i) a particular meter, (ii) a specific mantra that is the essence of all three Vedas and (iii) Savita Devata.

By definition, Gayatri means that which protects one who chants it -- gayantam traayate iti gayatri. Gayatri in all three forms can protect the one who chants the mantra or meditates on the Devata. The protection is against all mental evils -- fear of failure, wrong desires, anger, greed, jealousy, delusion, false pretension due to ego, misery, despondency etc. It serves as a kavacham (armour) and is considered the best of all the kavacha stotras like Skanda Shashti kavacham etc.

Gayatri Devata is visualized as Brahma svarupini (Gayatri); Rudra svarupini (Savitri) and Vishnu svarupini (Saraswati). Hence, praying to Goddess Gayatri also ensures materialistic benefits like wealth and education. What a blessing, this greatest austerity is prescribed as a part of the daily ritual of Sandhyavandanam! One must note the usage of plurals in "dhiyo yo nah prachodhayat" in the Gayatri mantra. Therefore, a person doing this japam three times a day is doing it not only for his own personal benefit, but also for the benefit of those who are around him (includes immediate family, people in his locality etc.)

The gayatri meter (or chandas) consists of 24 syllables. The are many gayatri mantras for various deities in the Vedas. But there is one particular hymn which is the essence of each of the Rig, Yajus and Sama vedas in 8 syllables each. This particular hymn is named after the meter itself and is called the Gayatri mantra. The Gayatri mantra is the powerhouse of all Vedic hymns. According to the scriptures, no ritual is beneficial if it is not accompanied by a regular practice of Gayatri japa.

While chanting the Gayatri mantra as a japa, typically it is chanted in 23 syllables (not including the Om and bhur bhuva suvah), and hence is in nichrt gayatri chandas. While performing the japa, it is best to meditate on the form of the Gayatri Devata. It is said that equal benefit can be attained if one meditates on the sound of the mantra. Another way is to reflect on the profound meaning of the mantra.

The Gayatri mantra has been glorified very much in the smritis and subsequent commentries by Vedic scholars. I choose not to go into these or the meaning of the Gayatri mantra. Instead, here (check page 17 on the pdf) is a wonderful article written by my guru and a wonderful video wherein Pujyaswami Dayananda Saraswati talks about the Gayatri mantra (it is for about 13 minutes starting from 6:00).

Sandhyavandanam

Sandhyavandanam is a comprehensive daily prayer which has been prescribed by our ancestors to be performed three times a day. It is called so because, it is supposed to be done at the time of the day when the night and day meet (dawn), forenoon and afternoon meet (noon), day and night meet (dusk). In a nutshell, Sandhya means junction and Vandanam means worship or prayer. One of the most important rituals of the Sandhyavandanam is performing the Gayatri japa, which holds a very high place in the Vedic tradition. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna points out in verse 35 of chapter 10, "gayatri chandasaam aham" -- while enumerating the glories of the Lord, He says "I am Gayatri among the Vedic meters". All great pundits of the Vedas have time and again delved on the importance of Gayatri and Sandhyavandanam. I will say more about the importance of the Gayatri in another blog.

I have always wanted to perform Sandhyavandanam regularly. My father is a great inspiration for me. He hardly misses any kalam of Sandhyavandanam. Thanks to my student life, I have lived in hostels, with roommates etc. and I have been on and off, in terms of regularity of Sandhyavandanam is concerned. I have felt guilty a lot of times. But, the guilt did not push me to perform Sandhyavandanam regularly as I had not realized the importance of it. Of late, I have realized the importance of doing Sandhyavandanam regularly.

Two reasons why people do not perform Sandhyavandanam is probably because:
(i) they do not realize the importance of Sandhyavandanam, and
(ii) they expect some tangible benefits out of this ritual.

I will try to address the first concern in this blog. When we consider the second concern, though there are quite a few tangible benefits from doing Sandhyavandanam it is not considered to be done for those benefits. To elaborate, it consists of the pranayaama, a breath regulation technique that is taught in meditation and yoga sessions. It also involves performing rituals in some postures that serve as physical exercises for joints in the limbs. But, all these are not even considered as benefits by our ancestors. The Sandhyavandanam has been prescribed as just a nitya karma, a ritual that has be performed as a mere duty. If one goes into the details of the meanings of the mantras, they are really profound for a ritual that is deemed as just a duty or daily prayer. I do not want to get into the details of the meaning of the mantras in this post, but refer you to the book mentioned towards the end of this article.

I would like to point out what the Kanchi Mahaswami H. H. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati swamigal has mentioned about performing Sandhyavandanam. Some points to highlight from this article:

1. If a man has a high fever, people looking after him must pour into his mouth the water with which sandhyavandana has been performed. Today it seems all of us are suffering all the time from high fever! When you run a high temperature you have to take medicine; similarly Gayatri is essential to the self and its japa must not be given up at any time. It is more essential to your inner being than medicine is to your body. Sandhyavandana must be performed without fail everyday. Gayatri japa can be practised by all of us without much effort and without spending any money. All that you require is water. Sandhyavandana is indeed an easy means to ensure your well being. So long as there is life in you, you must perform it.

2. Even in these days it is not difficult to perform sandhyavandana both at dawn and dusk. Office goers and other workers may not be at home during midday. They may perform the madhyahnika (the midday vandana) 2 hours 24 minutes after sunrise that is called sangava kala.

3. We must never miss the daily sandhyavadhana unless we find it absolutely impossible to perform. When we fall ill, in our helplessness we ask others for water or kanji in the same way, we must ask our relative or friend to perform sandhyavandana on our behalf.

Another article that stresses the importance of rituals in general (Sandhyavandanam is a mandatory ritual):

Importance of rituals

CHENNAI, APRIL 15. It has become the norm to shun traditional rituals that have been practised by our ancestors, either due to a change in life styles or priorities. Even the discerning tend towards a surmise that reading or listening to discourses on the scriptures are enough to lead them in the right path. The rituals prescribed in the Vedas have a very important role to play in the overall spiritual development of man. Without them, the mind would be ill-prepared for absorbing the essence of the scriptures even if the individual feels that he has understood the works.

In his discourse, Sri Prasanna SooraMadhva Theertha, Pontiff of Sri Madhva Theertha Mutt, Kolar, said being religious is much more than being austere. It encompasses control over emotions and the senses. In order to help a person achieve the desired mastery, daily rituals play a crucial part. Difficult as it may appear, such a regimen helps one remain physically and mentally fit at all times, regardless of the pressures of everyday life. The Vedas which are the last word in righteous conduct recommend a way of life, which are a cementing force of moral integrity. The best one can do is to live up to the tenets. One of the daily rituals is the 'Sandhyavandanam' which wields a stellar influence on the mind and keeps the individual harnessed to the right path in his quest for spiritual liberation.

Some feel that the realities of daily life and scriptural recommendations on virtuous conduct are divergent. How then can one absorb time-honoured exercises into their working days? If the doors and windows of a house are kept open, it enables a thief to enter easily and decamp with the loot under cover of darkness. Similarly, evil tendencies gain access and spread quickly across the mind, if the intellect is in the dark and senses get a free reign. Chalking out a daily time-table which includes prayer, 'sandhyavandanam' and conducting poojas helps a person subdue the arrant senses and turn towards inner harmony. For, the prayers are a supplication to the Supreme Being for expiation of sins accumulated in previous births, in order that one may become worthy of liberation. The unequivocal lesson is that while material pleasures become worthless investments after one's span on Earth is over, spiritual gains will fetch prosperity, peace and other rewards in one's rebirth, ultimately culminating in freedom from the bondage of rebirths. The application of the moral law in one's daily life is sacrosanct.

I recently came across a 110-year old book on Sandhyavandanam. One should read at least the introduction of this book. The book was written in 1898, and I am amazed to see the relevance of the introduction to the present age. Each and every word is applicable. Quoting the first few words in this book:

"Sandhyavandanam is the daily prayer of the Aryans of India. It is a noble institution embodying a simple faith and breathing a lofty spirituality. And yet most of us Brahmans have turned it into a farce more or less. We have no time for it in these busy days."

I feel the author couldn't have started the book in a better way. Giving an excuse of having no time for Sandhyavandanam seems to be prevailing for more than 100 years now! I feel saying that we have no time for Sandhyavandanam is really "lame". Performing this ritual hardly takes 10 - 15 minutes.

Inspiration from an old man

Yesterday, I was at the graduate director's office to get his approval for my master's degree presentation. There was an old man waiting before me to meet the graduate director. He was frail and had quite wrinkled skin hanging from different parts of his face. He was having many sheets of paper in his hand and was carrying a fully loaded conference bag. I was wondering why on earth such an old person would want to meet the graduate director! He looked at me and immediately started a conversation.

"Do you know what ECN stands for?", he asked me pointing to an ECN magazine lying on the desk at the office. I didn't know the full form of ECN and I thought I could figure out what it is by looking at it. I quickly flipped through the pages and could not find it. I gave up and replaced the magazine silently back in its place.

He then asked me some questions related to registering for the Systems Analysis graduate course at the ECE department. I figured out that he wanted to do that course and was surprised! I told him to e-mail the instructor and he said, "The instructor will not reply. You know how many e-mails I get per day?"

"No!" I said. "190", he retorted. I asked, "Who sends you those mails?"

"The IEEE," he said. I figured out that he subscribes to a lot of techie stuff online. I was amazed that at this age this guy wants to keep himself updated.

Our conversation drifted off, and he was complaining that the graduate director was not on time to his office. But the director was not very late and this old man went into the director's office and told him he wanted to take the course and got it approved. He showed some transcripts to the grad director, but the director was not interested in seeing that anyways. I wanted to know more about this old man, who at this age wanted to do the systems analysis course. I find it hard to keep myself motivated to do the Ph.D. at this young age!

It was my turn next and got my job done in no time. I wanted to catch hold of this old man and ask him more questions. I came out of the office and saw the old man doddering down the hallway and I ran behind him to talk to him. Here is the conversation between me and the old man, whose name I later found out to be Dirk Plummer:

Me: How old are you?

DP: 78.

Me: Why do you want to do the systems analysis course?

DP: Because I want a Ph.D.

I was puzzled! Why does this old man want a Ph.D. at this age? May be just for fun. I wanted to know more.

Me: Why do you need the Ph.D.?

DP: I want a job at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and they will not hire me if I don't have a Ph.D.

I was taken aback by his answer! "This man really has a goal", I thought. But was he close to getting his Ph.D? Or is he just starting his Ph.D? Man, he is already too old!

Me: How long will you take to finish your Ph.D.?

DP: I will take five years.

I was bowled over by this answer! This guy will be 83 years old if he is alive and everything goes well, by the time he will get his Ph.D. Why will PPPL hire an 83 year old guy? Does he have anything special?

Me: Why do you think you will be hired at PPPL? Why do you want to work there?

DP: Because, the researchers in PPPL are building a nuclear reactor and they think they know how to build it! They don't know and I know how to build it. I wrote a paper that was published by the IEEE in 1995 that showed that you cannot build a reactor with negative slope...

He showed me a lot of math from the paper. Now, there were only two possibilities. Either this guy is an extraordinary person or he is an eccentric guy (because it is hard to believe that people in PPPL are that dumb too.) Nevertheless, he was a great person to meet. I took a picture with this guy and told him he was a great inspiration. But I wanted to know why his ambition in life was to build this better reactor?

Me: Why do you want to build this better nuclear reactor?

DP: Because I have a daughter and I want to do it for her. It will make this world a better place to live.

I didn't have anything to say to his reply! We talked for some more time and he told me that he drives 34 miles to get to the campus. I stay just 3 miles from the campus and don't even feel like going to the campus daily!! He also told me that the toughest thing for him was to get A's in the courses. I felt I am so blessed that I can ace courses easily at my age.

I left the place with a big inspirational lesson. This 78-year old had so much motivation, drive and a single-minded goal. I have the advantage of easily understanding the latest technology as I grew up with it. He seemed to be struggling with getting used to new technology! But the drive in him was so inspiring!

I found this useful in Bob Parson's blog:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
2. Never give up.
3. When you are ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
4. Accept the worst possible outcome.
5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
6. Take things a day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward.
8. Be quick to decide.
9. Measure everything of significance.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
12. Never let anybody push you around.
13. Never expect life to be fair.
14. Solve your own problems.
15. Don't take yourself too seriously.
16. There's always a reason to smile.

Quotes

In this column, I plan to post some quotes that I read in my random browsing:

1. The harder you work through the easy times, the easier it becomes through the hard times. If you work hard at your basic training, the easier it is during the game situation.

- Merv Hughes, former Australian Test cricketer.

2. An excerpt from John F. Nash's autobiography (from the Nobel prize website):

So at the present time I seem to be thinking rationally again in the style that is characteristic of scientists. However this is not entirely a matter of joy as if someone returned from physical disability to good physical health. One aspect of this is that rationality of thought imposes a limit on a person's concept of his relation to the cosmos. For example, a non-Zoroastrian could think of Zarathustra as simply a madman who led millions of naive followers to adopt a cult of ritual fire worship. But without his "madness" Zarathustra would necessarily have been only another of the millions or billions of human individuals who have lived and then been forgotten.

Statistically, it would seem improbable that any mathematician or scientist, at the age of 66, would be able through continued research efforts, to add much to his or her previous achievements. However I am still making the effort and it is conceivable that with the gap period of about 25 years of partially deluded thinking providing a sort of vacation my situation may be atypical. Thus I have hopes of being able to achieve something of value through my current studies or with any new ideas that come in the future.

- John F. Nash Jr., the renowned economist and Nobel Laureate.

3. The main cause of all bondage is ignorance. Man is not wicked by his own nature — not at all. His nature is pure, perfectly holy. Each man is divine. Each man that you see is a God by his very nature. This nature is covered by ignorance, and it is ignorance that binds us down. Ignorance is the cause of all misery. Ignorance is the cause of all wickedness; and knowledge will make the world good. Knowledge will remove all misery. Knowledge will make us free. This is the idea of Jnana-Yoga: knowledge will make us free! What knowledge? Chemistry? Physics? Astronomy? Geology? They help us a little, just a little. But the chief knowledge is that of your own nature. "Know thyself." You must know what you are, what your real nature is. You must become conscious of that infinite nature within. Then your bondages will burst.

- Swami Vivekananda, Complete Works, vol. 9.

4. Ponting said he had an obligation "to play the game in the right spirit" and try to bowl 90 overs in the day. "We speak about it at every team meeting," he said.

"I've told the bowlers, the whole team, for a couple of years now that if we keep going the way we are there's going to be some time or moment where it's really going to come back and hurt us. I'm not saying that's right now, but there have been other times where we've had to do that."

- From an article from cricinfo after former Australian cricketers criticized Ponting for not bowling his best bowlers to restrict India in the 4th test at Nagpur in Nov 2008. If anyone sways away from *dharma*, it is surely going to come back to hurt them.

Thus Spake Adam Gilchrist

This cricinfo feature seems to reiterate why the Australians are so successful in their cricket. It is good that young Indian cricketers are exposed to their practices while playing alongside these experienced cricketers like McGrath, Warne, Ponting, Gilchrist and Lee, who excelled during their playing days. They learn unconsciously when they try to keep up with them. The one fact that caught my attention was:

The prolific Rohit Sharma has attributed part of his success to Adam Gilchrist. "He told me not to get swayed by the results, as my job is only to keep performing."

Isn't this what Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita? It might be easier said than done, but Adam Gilchrist is probably practicing it and no wonder he is successful!

There were many other things in this article that had me awe-struck. Ricky Ponting's dedication to fielding, McGrath's attitude to practice, Brett Lee's camaraderie, Shane Warne's acts of encouragement -- hats off to the Australians! They deserve to be on top.

Meeting Bob Wilson

I did attend last week's picnic celebrating Jim Gordon's 80th birthday. I was amazed to see a group of world-class physicists who had come to attend the picnic. They spoke praising Jim Gordon for his exceptional leadership skills. Notable among those who spoke were: Herwig Kogelnik, Arthur Ashkin, Linn Mollenauer. It was inspiring to hear these people say that Jim was just a great colleague and manager, and created a great atmosphere for research. I could imagine the electric atmosphere for research at Bell Labs those days!

The most exciting moment came when Jerry introduced me to Bob Wilson, who won the Nobel prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic background radiation, that provided the experimental evidence for the Big Bang. "Nice to meet you" he said, as I shook his hand. I immediately started asking him some questions. "Did you build this telescope?" I asked, pointing to the horn antenna behind me. He said, "that horn was already there when I joined". "It's a section of a parabola," he said, pointing to the curvature of the horn antenna.

"Where were the pigeons?" I asked, as I had read the story of pigeons being killed. "Oh! the pigeons are dead! We shot'em. They were in the small chamber and I sent it as far as the campus mail could get". He meant the Whippany campus, when he said "as far". "There was a guy who loved pigeons and we sent it to him. He found that they were junk pigeons and let them free. They came back to the antenna. We finally had to shoot them," he sounded sad.

"Do they pay the Nobel prize money in Swedish currency?" I asked. He said, "Yes! they do. I had to convert to US dollars here. Those days the Nobel prize money was tax-free. Nowadays, it is not." He was apparently 72 years old and he still works in a Radio Astronomy lab at Boston. He was also telling us about the radio telescope they built in Hawaii.

It was great to meet and talk to a Nobel Laureate. They are normal human beings, do not have a great ego. I guess they just work hard to earn their fame!