Tattva-viveka
Guru Gayatri in our line
Braja-sundari Dasi - August 7, 2012 12:36 pm
I`m reading Gayatri Mantrartha Dipika and there I found information that Guru Gayatri we chant now was introduced by Śrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, who thought traditional one (srim gurudevaya vidmahe gaurapriyaya dhimahi tanno guruh pracodayat) was misapplied by some. Intrigued by it during last call conference I asked Guru Maharaja about the history and exact reason of this change.
Guru Maharaj did not read this book in many years so after giving me reply on the call, later he wrote me a letter. And here is what he wrote:
I read the pertinent part of the article. It is true that aim is the bija for Saraswati. Ai means Sarasvati and bindu means dispeller of sorrow. . And srim is the bija for vadhu (bride), Laxmi/Radha. Sa means Mahālaxmi. Ra is said to mean wealth. Ī means satisfaction. M refers to Isvara. Bindu means dispeller of sorrow.
The bija aim given by Srila Saraswati Thakura may lend to conceiving of Sri Guru in any of the four primary sentiments of Vraja, as opposed to only madhurya rasa as in the case of the bija srim. And we do find that Saraswati Thakura did emphasize other possibilities in his preaching, as opposed to only madhurya rasa. So perhaps there is some truth to the idea that he changed the bija with this in mind. However, Sri Gaura Govindacarana Smarana Paddhati of Dhyancandra Goswami states that the bija mantra of sri, klim, and aim are interchangeable with regard to Gaura mantra and gayatri. The same then would apply to the guru mantra and gayatri.
The same text draws its guru mantra from the Brhad Brhamanda Purana. Then it draws its guru gayatri from the Padma Purana, but this reference is dubious because it speaks directly of Sri Caitanya (gaurapriyaya). I doubt it can be found in the original Padma Purana.
Saraswati Thakura employed the word krsnanandaya as opposed to gaurapriyaya. But one would think that meditation on the guru in Gaura lila would be a more conservative approach, and that if this was his idea that he would have kept gaurapryaya, rather than changing it to krsnanadaya. So why did he change it? It is not that gaurapriyaya overtly indicates nagara bhava. All Gaura's devotees are dear to him—gaura-priya. Then again, this is a feminine word (gaura-priya). So he may have had something like that in mind, to avoid any thinking toward nagara bhava. But we can only conjecture like this and not arrive at a definitive answer. Krsnanandaya indicates the svarupa of the guru in Krsna lila, the particular ananda he derives and is constituted of in lila seva. In this sense gaurapriyaya is more general and krsnanandaya is more specific. But overall the difference in these two is negligible.
Bijaya Kumara Das - August 8, 2012 7:11 am
I`m reading Gayatri Mantrartha Dipika and there I found information that Guru Gayatri we chant now was introduced by Śrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, who thought traditional one (srim gurudevaya vidmahe gaurapriyaya dhimahi tanno guruh pracodayat) was misapplied by some. Intrigued by it during last call conference I asked Guru Maharaja about the history and exact reason of this change.
Guru Maharaj did not read this book in many years so after giving me reply on the call, later he wrote me a letter. And here is what he wrote:
very nice reply thank you
Braja-sundari Dasi - August 8, 2012 4:10 pm
Guru Maharaj mentioned also that in the beginning Śrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was not giving guru mantras at all! Only after request from Vinodabihari brahmacari (later Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja) he started giving them to everyone.
Biography of BP Kesava Maharaja relates this story thus:
That year, 1919, Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvati Prabhupäda gave diksä initiation to Vinodabihäri at Yogapitha on Sri Gaura Pürnimä evening after the completion of the parikramä. After the diksä ceremony was over, Vinodabihäri very humbly requested at his Guru’s lotus feet that he should give him the guru-mantra. Until then Srila Prabhupäda had not given the guru-mantra to anyone. When Srila Prabhupäda heard Vinodabihäri’s earnest request he became silent and began to reflect. Seeing him silent, brahmacäraji asked again with ardent desire, “Is it necessary to obtain the guru-mantra and instructions on guru-sevä from some other guru?” Hearing this, Srila Prabhupäda began to smile, and gave Vinodabihäri the guru-mantra very affectionately. After this, Srila Prabhupäda started to give the guru-mantra to others as well.
Citta Hari Dasa - August 19, 2012 9:09 pm
It's interesting to see the usage of different forms of the mantras; Narayana Maharaja mentions the Gaura mantra (in Raga-vartma Candrika) as klim gauraya svaha, not namah. Same result so there is no difficulty.
Manohara - July 6, 2015 2:31 am
I received mantra diksa from SBNM and my Guru Gayatri is different than the one quoted in the first post of this thread. The bija mantra (got the Saraswati Devi one) is different and I got "krishnanandaya" instead of "gaurapriyaya".
Also, the visiting sannyasi who connected me on the phone clearly told me to pronounce all the bija with -ing like kling, shring, etc. I once asked devotees of different sanghas and I was apparently the only one told that. I had been chanting them wrong. I can't wait to " revisit" my diksa.
SBNM's Gaura mantra ends with namah. At least, that is what I received.
I heard a lecture from GM in which he spoke of the Radha Gayatri.GM was telling a devotee that he would give him this mantra too. I did not get that One...
Braja-sundari Dasi - July 6, 2015 2:46 am
Manohara, I think the sannyasi was trying to teach you to pronounce the mantra as best as he could explain it. It doesn`t technically sound like "cling" but there is this nasal sound in the end that is between "m" and "n" that can be replicated quite well if you pronounce "cling" kinda without finishing the "g". Or try to say "m" using only your vocal cords, without opening your mouth or moving the tongue and then apply this sound at the end of bija.
Manohara - July 6, 2015 4:48 am
That was very helpful, thank you Braja-sundari!
Ramakesava - July 6, 2015 5:50 pm
I heard a lecture from GM in which he spoke of the Radha Gayatri.GM was telling a devotee that he would give him this mantra too. I did not get that One...
I did not receive this either. I am conscious Guru Maharaja has said he wishes to "revisit" my mantra-diksa, so I may learn more then. However, I wondered if anyone might explain something about Radha-gayatri's role, without disrespecting any confidential information regarding it.
Madan Gopal Das - July 8, 2015 12:07 pm
Pretty much across the board Guru Maharaj gives the standard 7 mantras/gayatris for diksa initiates. If someone is particularly inclined towards deity seva and is worshiping a deity in which other mantras/gayatris are required (Nityananda, Balaram, Radha), he has given those mantras as well - usually just on the paper that one receives at diksa. Sometimes he has encouraged meditation on these mantras during special times (radha gayatri - kartika), but standard practice is the well known 7 mantras.
Ramakesava - July 8, 2015 4:40 pm
Thanks you, Madan Gopal. I really appreciate the reply.
I've lost my piece of paper, but I'll wait 'til September and see what will be. 
Bhrigu - July 12, 2015 9:00 pm
Just a small note: In Bengal, everyone pronounces anusvara ( m with a dot) as -Ng. So it is not really incorrect but rather the standard in our sampradaya, while dialectic to others.