Gayatri is known as Panchamukhi, meaning she has five faces. What are they? ‘Om’ is the first face; ‘Bhur Bhuvah Suvah’, the second; ‘Tat Savitur Varenyam’, the third; ‘Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi’, the fourth; ‘Dhiyo Yo Na Prachodayat’ is the fifth. Gayatri Mantra has three parts – praise, meditation and prayer. First, the Divine is praised, and then It is meditated upon in reverence. Lastly, prayer is offered to the Divine to dispel the darkness of ignorance and to awaken and strengthen the intellect. ‘Dheemahi’ relates to the meditative aspect. ‘Dhiyo Yo Na Prachodayat’ relates to the prayer. Chanting of the Gayatri Mantra purifies the mind and confers devotion, detachment and wisdom. Young people must necessarily chant the Gayatri Mantra. Today we find that they get initiated into the Gayatri Mantra at an advanced stage of their youth. Intellect will blossom and shine in all its splendour after initiation into the Gayatri Mantra. That is why it is essential that Upanayanam be done at the age of 8. One who is initiated into the Gayatri Mantra at an early age will become highly intelligent. Man’s life will be sanctified by chanting this Mantra. It is because man does not think of God with devotion and sincerity that fear and restlessness have become the order of the day. Chanting of the Divine Name alone can make one fearless. God is referred to as ‘Hiranyagarbha’. ‘Hiranya’ means gold. Only when you place this ‘gold’ in your heart, can you get the jewels of Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. Once God is installed in your heart, only Divine feelings will originate from it. When sweet pudding is poured into a vessel with a number of holes, what comes out of the holes will also be sweet pudding. Likewise, when you fill your heart with Divinity, all your actions will become Divine. But man lacks faith in Divinity. He has Shwasa (breath), but no Vishwasa (faith). Such a life is useless.
Help Ever, Hurt Never
The youth should work for the progress of the country. They should always help their fellowmen. Sage Vyasa gave the essence of 18 Puranas thus: ‘Paropakaraya Punyaya Papaya Parapeedanam’ (one attains merit by serving others and commits sin by hurting them). So, Help ever, Hurt never. This is the true devotion and surrender. Devotion does not mean offering worship or doing Bhajans. They are all external activities. All these are futile if there is no inner purity. So, develop love. Love is God, God is love. So, live in love. Love your parents. Serve them, obey their command and satisfy them. They have immense love for you. But, sometimes, they may try to put you on the wrong path unknowingly. In such a case, explain to them, what is right and what is wrong and convince them. If they want you to go abroad to earn more money, tell them that character is important, not money. If you explain to them in a proper way, there will certainly be a transformation in them.
Boys! If you chant the Gayatri Mantra wholeheartedly, you will never face difficulties or hardships in life. Chant the Divine name incessantly. You know the story of Prahlada. His father Hiranyakashyap commanded him to stop chanting the name of Lord Narayana. Prahlada never argued with his father. He smilingly listened to all that his father said but ultimately followed the dictates of his conscience. Huge elephants were let loose to trample him under their feet, poisonous snakes were set on him to bite. He was pushed down from mountain cliffs, thrown into the deep sea. But never did he give up chanting the Lord’s name. As a result, the elephants, the poisonous snakes, mountain cliffs and mighty oceans got transformed into Lord Narayana Himself. The Lord came to his rescue whenever he was put to danger. Likewise, if you have Divine feelings in your heart, God will protect you wherever you are. Have unwavering faith in Him and chant His name with love.
The Same Divine Power Exists in all the Forms of Divinity
Gayatri Mantra is highly sacred. Gayatri Mantra contains the essence of all the Mantras. Gayatri is the embodiment of all Gods and Goddesses. Just as a single thread runs through all the flowers in a garland, the same Divine power exists in all the God forms. Understand this unity in diversity. One who has understood this unity will never be put to suffering. Develop faith in God. Do not get carried away by what others say. Follow the dictates of your conscience.
Dear Boys! Today is a sacred day. In fact, it is the foundation day of your life. Make this foundation strong and sturdy. Then the mansion of life raised on this foundation will also be strong and secure. This will give strength to the grand edifice of our nation. You should develop national and patriotic feelings. The spirit of nationalism is absent in the youth of today. This is due to the influence of those politicians who keep their self-interest above the interests of the nation. But, you should be ready to sacrifice even your life for the nation. This should be your ideal in life. If you develop such lofty ideals, you are sure to experience Divinity.
If you have the strong desire to see God, contemplate on Him with unwavering faith. Then you can certainly see Him. Never doubt His existence. He exists for those who believe in His existence and does not exist for those who deny His existence. He acts according to your feelings. So, develop faith in Him. Chanting the Gayatri Mantra three times a day, i.e., morning, noon and evening, is not enough. Chant this Mantra perpetually. Why should you stipulate a particular time period for chanting His name, who is beyond time? Sarvada Sarvakaleshu Sarvatra Harichintanam (contemplate on the name of God at all places, at all times and under all circumstances).
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