A note on the Vyasa-Gayatri

Vyasa-Gayatri [vyasagayatri] (With note by Sri Anand Swarup Gupta) / 227-231

vyasa- gayatri om purnajnanaya vidmahe purnanandaya dhimahi | tanno vyasah pracodayat || vyasa gayatridhyanam dhyayecchasankasatakotyati saukhya kanti samsicyamanamamrtorughataih suresaih | varnabhimanibhirajesamukhaih sahaiva pancasata pratigirantamasesavidyah ||

A NOTE ON THE VYASA-GAYATRI This Vyasa-gayatri is given in the 'vinayakadi - pujapaddhatih ' published in 1922 at Kumbhakonam (South India ) by R. Gururaja Acharya, second edition, p. 28. It is preceded by: vedavyasadhyanam- vijnanarocih paripuritantarbahyandakosam haritosalabham | tarkabhayetam vidhisarvapurvagirvanavijnanadamanatosmi || vyam vyasaya namah | vedavyasagayatridhyanam-- dhyayecchasankasatakotya tisaukhyakanti samsicyamanamamrtorughataih suresaih | varnabhimanibhirajesamukhaih sahaiva pancasata pratigirantamasesavidyah || In the tantrasarasamgraha of Srimad ananda-tirtha (Madhvacarya) Bhagavat-padacarya (published by P. K. Madhvacarya of Tiruvallikkeni, Madras, 1935) we have the basis of this Vyasa-gayatri as follows :- jnananandapurah purno vidmahe dhimahe tatha | tannah preranamadhye tu vyaso mantradhipadhipah || (45.1) The two Slokas of the vedavyasadhyana and vyasabijadhyana as quoted above from the 'vinayakadi- pujapaddhati ' are also given in the tantrasarasamgraha of ananda-tirtha (4.50 and 4.53 respectively). The tantrasarasamgraha calls this vyasagayatrimantra as 'mantradhipadhipah ' ie the lord or king of all the mantras. It also says that this vyasagayatri mantra (or the vyasaboja ) destroys all sins, cures all diseases, and gives salvation :- adibinam sthiradosa (V. 1. 0 rasesa ) jnanabinam vimuktidam | sarvapapaksayakara sarvavyadhivinasanam || (4.52 ) The says that though in the Kaliyuga mantras

July, 1966] A NOTE ON THE VYASA-GAYATRI 229 have become ineffective, yet the vyasamantra and the krsnamantra are quite effective :- drstartha eva mantranam kalau viryam tiraskrtam | tatrapyuddiptavirya hi mantra atra prakirtitah || vasisthavrsnipravaramantrastatrasi viryadah || (4.46-47 ab) Those who recite this Vedavyasa-gayatri also recite (traditionally) the Rsi, Chandas and Devata of this mantra as follows:- asya sri vedavyasamantrasya brahma rsih, gayatri chandah, sri vedavyaso devata | In the Ganapati-Upanisad we have the Ganapati gayatri composed in the similar style:- ganaka rsih | ganapataye namah | nicrdgayatri chandah | sri mahaganapatirdevata om gam ekadantaya vidmahe vakratundaya dhimahi | tanno danti pracodayat || In some other Upanisads also (which are probably of later date than those commented upon by Sankara, and are influenced by the Tantras) Gayatris of various deities are given in the similar style, e.g.:- narayanaya vidmahe vasudevaya dhimahi | tanno visnuh pracodayat || govindaya vidmahe vasudevaya dhimahi | tanno narayanah pracodayat | ( narayanapurvatapaniyopanisad ) adityaya vidmahe sahasrakiranaya dhimahi | tannah suryah pracodayat | ( suryopanisad ) mahakalaya vidmahe smasanavasine dhimahi | tanno rudrah pracodayat || ( parayanopanisad, Unpublished Upanisads, Adyar 1933, p. 302 ) In the of Sri Krsnananda Vagisa also more than 25 Gayatris of different Deities are given in the same style. (Chaukhamba, Banaras, edition, pp. 68-70). † When the Gayatri metre (a metre of three padas, and each pads of eight syllables) has one syllable less, it is called the Nicrd-gayatri, as says Katyayana in his Sarvanukramanika- 'atha chandamsi ......... caturvimsatyaksaradini caturuttarani | unadhikenaikena nicadbhuriji | dvabhyam viratsvarajau | '

230 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VIII, No. 2 All these Gayatris including the Vedavyasa-gayatri are the Tantric Gayatris and are composed in a style different from that of the famous Vedic Gayatri relating to God Savita (viz. tatsaviturvarenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayat || Rgveda III. 62. 10; etc.). In the Savitr-gayatri its three padas are connected with each other in sense, and its Deity has been mentioned simply as 'savita devah ' (saviturdevasya ). But in the Gayatri-8 of the other Deities as given mainly in the Tantric Upanisads and the Tantras, and the three padas are somewhat independent in sense, each pada contains a different epithet of the Deity, and also a different verb (ist pada vidmahe, 2nd pada-dhimahi or dhimahe, 3rd pada). Another peculiarity of these Gayatris is this that the nouns governed by the verbs vidmahe and dhimahi have both the dative instead of the accusative (which we have in the SavityGayatri as varenyam bhargo dhimahi ). In the Vedavyasa-gayatri also we have three epithets of Veda-vyasa, as follows:In the 1st pada-qui In the 2nd pada- In the 3rd pada (Having perfect knowledge) (Having perfect bliss) (Arranger of the Vedas) The verb used with purnajnanaya is 'visva he ' (the roots in jnana and fawe have the same meaning-to know); the verb with qu is 'f' (bliss is to be concentrated or enjoyed-a step further than the mere knowledge); and finally the verb with : is '' (Vyasa, Deity of this mantra, is prayed by the worshipper to urge him to perfect knowledge and bliss : - 'tanno vyasah pracodayat '). This Vyasa-gayatri, thus, may be translated as follows:We know him (Vyasa) to be of perfect knowledge. We concentrate on him (Vyasa) who is of the nature of the perfect bliss. We pray that Vyasa may urge or lead us also to perfect knowledge and bliss (i.e. moksa).

July, 1966] A NOTE ON THE VYASA-GAYATRI 231 A gayatri mantra whether given in the Vedic Samhitas, or in the Upanisads, or in the Tantras, is always related to some deity, or to some person who is deified and raised to the status of a deity. The most modern example of the Gayatri of a person raised to the status of a deity is the Ramukrsna-Gayatri, i. e. the Gayatri related to Shri Ramakrsna Parama-hamsa, a modern saint of Bengal. This Gayatri is as follows : - om ramakrsnaya vidmahe | gadadharaya dhimahi | tanno devah pracodayat || ( diksitera nityakrtya o pujapaddhati, 1ma bhaga, Pub. by sriramakrsna advaitasrama, kasi ) Maharsi Veda-vyasa (or Vyasa), the son of Parasara and Satyavati has been considered in the Puranas as well as in the Mahabharata as an Amsa-Avatara of Visnu. The Visnu-Purana (III. 4. 5 ) says :- krsnadvaipayanam vyasam viddhi narayanam prabhum | ko hyanyo bhuvi maitreya mahabharatakrdbhavet || The Bhag.-Purana ( I. 3. 21 ) considers Vyasa as the seventeenth (out of twenty-two) of the Avataras of Visnu:- tatah saptadase natah satyavatyam parasarat | cakre vedataroh sakha drstva pumso'lpamedhasah || Similarly the Matsya-Purana (an. edn. 47. 246) mentions him as the eighth pradurbhava or manifestation of Visnu :- astamo dvapare visnurastavimse parasarat | vedavyasastatha jajne natukarnya purahsarah || Thus Veda-vyasa has been regarded as a deity or an avatara of Visnu, like Rama and Krsna. We have the Ramagayatra (raghuvamsyaya vidmahe sitavallabhaya dhimahi | tanno ramah pracodayat | Unpublished Upanisads, p. 463), and also the Krsna-gaytri (given in the diksitera nityakrtya o pujapaddhati ). So the Vyasa-gayatra, although it could not be traced in the Upanisads or other ancient works, comes in the same line, and deserves our respectful study. - ANAND SWARUP GUPTA