“Gayatri mantra is the origin of scientific spirituality. It encompasses both the principle as well as the method of application of scientific spirituality.” – Saying so, Yugrishi Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharyaji looked at the audience. His eyes had the keenness of a visionary as well as the calmness of inner feelings. This was a meeting of intellectuals. About 150 people were present. Volunteers from Raipur had organized this meeting at Ravishankar University. Raipur is now the capital of Chhattisgarh state. In 1968 this entire region was a part of undivided Madhya Pradesh. Though the whole of humanity was his own, Param Pujya Gurudev had a special affection for the Chhattisgarh region. Occasionally, during intimate discussions he used to say that Lord Ram had been bestowed with maximum love and affection by the residents of this very Dandakaranya region. In this era again, Shriram used to feel that the people of this entire region were very close to his heart.
Whenever they would call, he would certainly go to Chhatisgarh. During the winters of 1968 volunteers from Raipur and nearby region had organized this special meeting with intellectuals in the university campus. They had also invited Swami Atmanand, Head of Swami Vivekanand Ashram of Ramakrishna Mission at Raipur for this meeting. Swami Atmanand was very dear to Pujya Gurudev. Whenever he visited Raipur region he would certainly meet him. Atmanandji had also visited Gayatri Tapobhumi once or twice on Gurudev’s invitation. Swami Atmanand was basically a resident of Chhattisgarh. He was born in the village of Barbanda located one mile from Mandhar. For most of his early life he lived in the village of Kapsada in Raipur district. He received his higher education at Nagpur University. A notable fact about him was that he had earned first rank in both M.Sc. as well as IAS examinations. Even then he chose to relinquish his worldly achievements and accepted the path of austerity and social service by taking initiation into sannyasa at Shri Ramakrishna Mission. Two of his highly educated brothers also had followed in his footsteps.
Yugrishi had a deep regard for Swamiji’s inclination towards renunciation and service. He also had a liking for his deep interest in scientific spirituality. In this special meeting Swami Atmanand was sitting alongside Yugrishi on the dais and was carefully listening to him. Yugrishi was saying, “Gayatri Mahamantra contains alongwith “Om” three vyahruti’s (bhuh, bhuvah, swah), three steps (tat saviturvarenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yonah prachodayat), nine words and 24 letters. In this amazing mahamantra the entire science of absolute existence of the Supreme Soul, physical elements of nature and creation of the universe by their union, is interwoven in the form of a blueprint. Formula in this mantra is just like the formulas of physics, chemistry or mathematics, but it is much more important and valuable. It contains not just the science of creation and the science of entire universe but also science of the soul and that of its refinement and upliftment through sadhana.”
The entire audience was listening attentively to Yugrishi’s discourse. In his voice was assimilated the vast experience of Gayatri Sadhana that he had conducted over a long period, as well as the radiance that he had attained through penance. He was saying ‘Om’ is the Supreme God. Nature that has three worlds – bhuh, bhuvah, swah – and three gunas (characteristics) – Sat, Raja, Tama – gets enlivened by uniting with ‘Om’ and expresses its 23 elements. The twenty four letters of Gayatri mantra point towards the fundamental Nature and its 23 elements namely, Mahat-tattva (the basic principle or the cosmic intelligence), ahamkar (the sense of individuality or ego), five Tanmatra’s (the objects of the five senses of sound, touch, form, taste and aroma), mind, five Mahabhuta’s (the five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and the ten indriya’s (five senses of perception: organs of the hearing, touching, seeing, tasting and smelling, and five senses of action: the mouth, the hands, the legs, the genitals and the excretion organs). Sankhya philosophy has also expounded this truth. This philosophy explains all the secrets of creation of universe in the form of formulas, which is nothing but an exposition of Gayatri Mantra in another form.”
All these statements of Acharyashri were very profound, but within them was resonating the entire science of the physical manifestation that is included in the Gayatri mahamantra. Now he began to talk about the science of the soul which is also included within this mantra, “Om is the Supreme God and the ultimate truth that pervades bhuh, bhuvah, swah i.e the physical body, prana (the life force) and mind. To experience and express the presence of the same, a seeker has to refine the three steps of Gayatri, namely, thought process or the thoughts, character or the feelings and emotions, and behaviour or the actions. For this he needs to cultivate nine qualities that are indicated by these nine words of the mantra: (i) Tat – science of living, (ii) savituh – gaining energy, (iii) varenyam – superiority of thoughts and actions, (iv) bhargo – purity of mind, (v) devasya – divinity in attitude, (vi) dhimahi – good qualities, (vii) dhiyo – discretion, (viii) yonah – self-control, (ix) prachodayat – service. Then the 24 subtle nodes of energy in human body get awakened which are indicated by the 24 syllables of Gayatri mantra.
“Supreme God then expresses Himself within the sadhak of Gayatri mantra in the form of
(1) success, (2) bravery, (3) sustenance, (4) upliftment, (5) union with God (6) love, (7) prosperity, (8) brilliance,
(9) protection, (10) intelligence, (11) power to suppress the wrong, (12) faith, (13) concentration and retention, (14) life force (prana), (15) self-restraint, (16) penance, (17) far-sightedness, (18) awakening, (19) production (or reproduction),
(20) simplicity, (21) faith in ideals, (22) courage, (23) discretion and (24) service.
Explaining the essentials of science of the physical world and science of the soul, which form the scientific spirituality that is incorporated in the Gayatri mantra, he said, “This is possible only when the three elements of working process of scientific spirituality, which are presented by the three steps of Gayatri mahamantra, namely, (1) intense curiosity, (2) flawless application, and (3) detailed and comprehensive analysis of results, are properly followed.”
Thus concluding his talk Acharya-shri returned to his seat on the dais. The organizers then requested Swami Atmanand to say a few words to the audience. Swamiji rose gently. He looked at Acharya-shri, paid his obeisance by joining his hands together, and said, “First of all I pay obeisance to ‘Lord Shriram’ who has returned to know the well-being of all of us residents of this Dandakaranya land Chhattisgarh.” This statement full of emotions evoked an unprecedented applause from the audience. Then he said, “I have read Gayatri Mahavigyan written by Acharya-shri, but an opportunity to understand Gayatri Mantra in the context of scientific spirituality I have earned only today.” Saying so he paused for a moment or two, and then continued, “I am a very regular reader of Akhand Jyoti magazine. I have read very attentively the three articles published in the column ‘Apno Se Apni Baat’ (My thoughts for those who are mine) published this year (1968) in the months of July, August and September titled: (1) We shall Expound Spirituality at a Logical and Scientific Level, (2) Steps Taken in the Direction of Expounding Scientific Spirituality, (3) Scientific Spirituality and Support of Intellectual Members of our Family.
“In the article titled ‘Steps Taken in the Direction of Expounding Scientific Spirituality’ published in August, Acharya-shri has written – ‘In the last twenty years science has made a very rapid progress and it has also moved forward towards acceptance of spirituality. If this sequence of progress continues then in the next fifty years spirituality and science would come so close to each other that their union and association would no longer remains a dream.’ To these words of Acharya-shri, I would also like to add a few of mine and say that Acharyaji is a great rishi and words of a rishi can never be wrong. Whatever he has forecasted to happen after 50 years would definitely happen by 1968+50, that is, by 2018. I would probably not be alive till that time, and may be Acharya-shri may also choose to wrap up his activities for this incarnation, but all living human-beings of the world would definitely be able to watch his vision for the future and the new era take concrete shape. Definitely then the truth of scientific spirituality would begin to take shape in the gross laboratories of scientists and subtle laboratories of rishis together and at the same time.”
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2009 Sep-Oct
