Posted on: 29 Jun 2021
(A satsaṅga was done on 27-06-2021 in view of the occasion of marriage of Chi. Veena Datta and it is recorded below.)
Swāmi Replied:- Dīkṣā means rigid determination in the devotion to God and this can be obtained by yourself only. I cannot rub My decision on you. The firm decision regarding the devotion to God comes by itself based on the extent of your attraction towards God. Similarly, Mantra means that word or sentence or poem or song which attracts your mind to make you repeat it again and again without any force and without any aspiration for fruit in return. How can anybody else other than yourself can select such mantra because everybody has his/her own attraction for a specific word or sentence or poem or song. It varies from one individual to other. Gāyatrī means the song which has the highest attraction. If that line is in prose, such line is called the Yajur Veda. If that line is a poem it is called the Ṛg Veda. If that line is a song, it is called the Sāma Veda. In the Gītā God said that He is the Sāma Veda, which means that God has highest attraction for song. Naturally, anybody has highest attraction for a sweet song only. Gāyatrī mantra means any song on God that attracts your mind to repeat it again and again and brings the divine protection to you. If the song is related to creation, it may be also sweet, attract your mind and can make you to repeat it again and again. But such worldly song cannot bring protection to you. The word ‘trāyate’ existing in the word Gāyatrī (Gāyantaṃ Trāyate) and in the word Mantra (Mananāt Trāyate) means the divine protection that is brought to you from the God pleased with your song. Upanayanam means the process of initiating a child into this process of singing on God (because the child has sweet voice). Hence, any song on God (any form of God) in any language of any religion is Gāyatrī mantra and the Upanayanam is universal and not confined to Hinduism alone.