Part 2: Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung The Siri Gayatri Mantra of Yogi Bhajan

Sanskrit Letters, Transliterations, and the Siri Gayatri Mantra

In the last blog, we undertook a in depth exploration of the the last part (So Hung), of the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung in light of the Upanishads and other topics. Now that we have laid all that out we will explore the Siri Gayatri mantra and how it can be viewed in light of Sanskrit alphabet. In this blog we will explore the connections as well as the mismatches with how Yogi Bhajan expressed the Siri Gayatri Mantra and how other sources do as well. 

Ra, Ma, Da, and Sa are consonants in the Sanskrit alphabet. The meaning of these letters according to Dr. David Frawley’s in his book Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound is mostly congruous with the Siri Gayatri Mantra as Yogi Bhajan taught it, although not 100%.

I have tremendous respect for Dr. Frawley's body of work and teachings.  That being said, and this is not to discredit him, but there are variations on how Sanskrit letters and their mystical meanings are explained. For example Kriya Yoga Guru, Paramahamsa Prajnanananda wrote a book called Akshara Tattva - Sacred Syllables. This book has a wonderful overview on the meanings of Sanskrit letters.  There are a lot of similarities between Dr. Frawley's work and Paramahamsa Prajnanananda's. That being said also differences.  

Below I have chosen to investigate the Ra Ma Da Sa Mantra mostly in in light of Dr. Frawley's work with quotes from Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji as well. 

The goal of this blog is harmonize not fault find.  While much can be said about Yogi Bhajan's character, exploring that is not the scope of this blog but I do suggest people look deeply at the history of Yogi Bhajan's legacy of abuse and how it relates to his method of gathering followers. 

One could say Yogi Bhajan's history of abuse is in the past and to leave it alone. The problem then comes is that many teachers knowingly and unknowingly are emulating Bhajan's dangers methods of gathering followers.  As I said this is not the scope of this blog but I do want to make my stance clear on the topic. 

The Problem of Inconsistent Use of Transliteration Systems

There is a standardized universal method for translating Sanskrit to English called the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST), learn more here.  

Yogi Bhajan and 3HO are not the only Yoga organizations to not always follow IAST.  In 3HO people do read Gurmukhi in standardized transliterations but as far as I can see it is not used on websites and general teacher training materials. Is this a major sin? My feeling is, of course not. 

Many of the Yoga teachers who came to the West are not Sanskrit scholars. They often spell things how they like or based on how it is was done in relationship to their Indian dialect. One familiar example we will find is the spelling variations of the word knowledge some times as jnana and other times as gyana. IAST spells it as jñāna.

Dr. Frawley and Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji most always use IAST.  The Vedanta Society also has high quality translations of various text that most all usually use IAST. 

Since most people are not using IAST this does lead to an un-standardized hot mess when it comes to research and universal understanding of Sanskrit to written English. On the other hand it takes some time to learn IAST and it is cumbersome on a keyboard.  It makes sense that many do not follow the academic standards for a long list of reasons I won't pontificate on at this time. 

The spelling on the 3HO website for the Mantra Ra Ma Da Sa uses different spellings than what is found in the Library of Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. That being said, most all of the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa is spelled the same between the Library of Teachings and 3HO website. The one thing that doesn't synch up is Say and Se. The Library of Teachings uses Se, while 3HO website uses Say. 

Say in regular English is the same sound Se in Sanskrit transliteration.  Or we could state, the sound Say would transliterate from IAST as Se if one was to use the standardized system.  

I am noting this because without using IAST or similar system of transliteration for other Indian dialects how mantras are pronounced and their origins is always a little wishy-washy. 

This blog is exploring Ra Ma Da Sa in light of Sanskrit. This could also be done with other Indian languages such as Punjabi or Hindi. 

Deconstructing Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung According to Sanskrit

Each Sanskrit letter is considered to have unique energetic qualities.  Sanskrit letters are also considered Bija mantras especially when used with the Sanskrit grammar rule called anusvara.  

The spiritual and mystical meanings of Sanskrit letters is explored in Dr.  Dr. David Frawley's book Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound: Secrets of Seed (Bija) Mantras, which I have quoted and referenced heavily in this section of the blog.  

“If one knows the prime roots of the Sanskrit languages, one can understand most bija mantras, which are nothing but the language of the Sanskrit roots” 

Dr. David Frawley (Acharaya Vamadeva Shastriji)

The firs section of the Ra Ma Da Sa mantra is all Sanskrit letters.  The second half is a letter (Sa), followed by Se which is a compound vowel and concluded with the popular So Hung mantra which we already explored in blog #1 on the topic.

The Ra Ma Da Sa mantra content is made up of:

Semi Vowel - Ra 

Consonant - Ma

Consonant - Da

Consonant - Sa

Consonant - Sa

Compound Vowel - Se 

Common Mantra with anusvara - So Hung

Anusvāra (अनुस्वार):—[=anu-svāra] m. (√svṛ), is the nasal sound (in some of the Indian scripts) which is marked by a dot above the line and always follows the preceding vowel.

From Wisdom Library Sections on Sanskrit and Hindi 

(My ebook from Om to Ong explore Anusvāra in great details. I plan to re-release this ebook in the next few months to make it more readable.)

Chanting of Sanskrit letters is a common form of mantra practice.  We find the chanting of Sanskrit letters in various practices such as, Mantra Purusha, Meditation of the petals of the chakras, and in Marma Therapies in Ayurveda. Meditation on Sanskrit letters is also found in various preparation for Puja.  With this we can see that YB teaching the chanting of Sanskrit letters is by no standard heterodox or heretical. 

Ra

The semi-vowel Ra, is explained by Dr. Frawley in the following way:

"The letter Ra, connotes heat, light, and fire, particularly in manifest form..... We can use it to reach the core fire element. Cosmically, it also relates to the heavenly realm or realm of light. It is connected to the deity Rudra, who is the form of Shiva governing light and sound." 

Pg 70, Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound

"The semivowel-Ra, like the vowel-R, reflects light and heat but on a level of greater density, indicating friction, combustion, conversion and transformation. This connects it to the fire element." 

Pg 70, Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound

We can see here that Dr. Frawley's explanation of Ra is generally in alignment with what is offered by 3HO.

“Ra is the energy of the Sun: strong, bright, and hot. It energizes and purifies.”

We can note, they are not exactly the same as Dr. Frawley does not specifically refer to the sun, yet both focus on the qualities of Sun such as heat and fire. 

Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji in his book Akshara Tattva Sacred Syllables defines Ra to mean, fire, heat, love, desire, forty, vibration, and play. 

We can see that Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji, Dr. Frawley and Yogi Bhajan/3HO define Ra in similar yet different ways. 

Ma

“The Ma sound indicates the mother, the measures, the source, the origin, and the end.  As the last of the 25 consonants, it indicates dissolution.  It draws things back to ourselves and helps us return to the source. Like the mother, it is softening, nourishing, cooling, and calming to the body, mind, and nervous system.

It also refers to Self, mind and internal nature.

Ma is very common in mantric formulas, not just as connected to the final or Anusvara but as indicating the mind, Self heart, and center.  Sometimes the two consonants Ka and Ma are used to represent all the consonants, which fall between them in the order of the alphabet.”

Pg 85, Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound

In this case, we can see that Ma relates to what Yogi Bhajan/3HO taught about the mantra 

“Ma is the energy of the moon: receptive, cool, and nurturing.“

Both 3HO and Dr. Frawley refer to Ma as cooling and nurturing. Again we can see differences in these explanations and we can acknowledge the similarities.   

Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji, like 3HO specifically refers to Ma as the moon. 

Da

"Da- sounds indicate upholding a vertical energy." 

"Da- sounds carry such root meanings as to give, to control, to hold, to cut, to sand, to support, to divide, to apportion, even to bite"

Pg 84, Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound

3HO states:

“Da is the energy of Earth: secure and personal. It is the ground of action.”

Compared to Ra and Ma, Da as defined by 3HO is not as clearly related to the system of Sanskrit words Dr. Frawley shares. That being said we can see some similar qualities as earth energy is supportive and upholding.  It also creates divisions as in when land meets water, or sky meets earth.  

Dr. Frawley and Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji both refer to Da as giving which is certainly a quality of earth.  

Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji also states on page 56 in Akshara Tattva Sacred Syllables that Da means mountain. 

While these three explantations of the sound Da are not exact there is certainly connections for one looking to harmonize teachings. 

Sa 

The sound Sa governs prana our life force.

 "Sa means to take in, to inhale, to energize to hold to take power to sit to endure, and set in motion. It is the sound of inhalation."

Pg 79, Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound

In this case, the teaching 3HO gives has a different meaning than the Sanskrit letter does.

“Sa is the impersonal Infinity. The cosmos in all of its dimensions, openness, expansiveness, and totality is Sa.”

To be fair we must return to the issue that Standardized Sanskrit Transliteration are not used by 3HO or Yogi Bhajan.  This become difficult with Sa because in Sanskrit there are three different letters that are very similar. To have a final word on this we would need to hear from a close student of YB that is positive on the pronunciation of the syllable.   Bellow is an image of the three different Sanskrit Sa in transliteration and Devanagari. 

Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji offers the following which is written in IAST transliteration first and common English spelling second. 

Śa or Sha - cutter, weapon, destroyer, Shiva, vehemence in union 

Ṣa or sha - best, wise, loss, destruction, end, rest, final, emancipation, heaven, sleep, nipple, horse, pride, strong, action in rest. 

Sa - snake, wind, Shiva, Vishun, repose, union.

When we take into account the three Sanskrit letters, Śa, Ṣa, and, Sa we can see more possible connection to what 3HO offered.  One example is Śa means Shiva. Shiva is the impersonal reality according to many schools of Shaivism. 

Say or Se

As stated above Ra, Ma, Da, and, Sa are all regular letters in Sanskrit.  Se is slightly more complicated. The vowel E is a compound vowel in Sanskrit.

“The four Sanskrit compound vowels (dipthongs) reflect the meanings of the two shorter vowels that they are composed of. They are commonly used in Sanskrit mantras

The Sanskrit vowel E- is composed of the Sanskrit sound A and the sound I, and combines there meanings”

Dr. Frawley's Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound pg 71

If we use Sanskrit transliterations as explained above, Say would become Se, in IAST.  Se is pronounced like the long vowel-a as in cake. 

"Se is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms sa and i"

From Wisdom Library (here) 

On the 3HO website, it makes the following statement about Say.

“Say is the totality of experience and is personal. It is the feeling of a sacred 'Thou.' It is the embodiment of Sa.”

On the other hand Dr. Frawley explains the vowel e in, Se (Say) in the following way. 

“It shows the state of all primal forces in their original condition of unity before manifestation.”

Dr. Frawley's Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound pg 71

3HO states “Say is the totality of experience.”  This is beautifully expanded on by Dr Frawley. “It is called Yoni Bija, meaning the womb or the source of all.  All human experience comes from the womb or Yoni.  E “indicates unity, eka.” (Eka is the Sanskrit variation on Ek meaning one)

Based upon the above info we can see that Say is written in English transliterations as Se and 3HO’s explanation has some similarity to how the mystical explanation of the Sanskrit vowel e is shared by Dr. Frawley.

The sound S, alone with out a letter attached to it (english vowel) is not found in my Sanskrit books that explore mystical meanings of letters.  

Conclusion 

The way Yogi Bhajan taught Ra Ma Da Sa  is generally in alignment with Sanskrit scholars view on the mystical meanings of the letters. That being said Sa is the hardest to reconcile then the rest of the matra. In the next blog we will dig into Sanskrit letters and their usage in Ayurvedic healing arts as well as these interesting topics: 

1. Healing and the Siri Gayatri Mantra and Cultivation of Vital Essences in Ayurveda

2. Why Not Gurmukhi?

3. Rama Dasa in light of the Path of Devotion

4. Why does Yogi Bhajan Call it the Siri Gayatri Mantra?

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Closing Thoughts and about my work

Thank you for taking the time to read through this technical explanation and I hope you found it useful.  This blog is well researched and gives useful quotes and information to support your yoga practice or your teaching missions.  You will find the same high quality work in my blog about Kriya where I explore some of these topics in light of Ayurveda and Modern Yoga Therapy. It was specifically written for people who want to make sense of Yogi Bhajan's body of teaching in light of the larger yoga tradition.  Check it out to read more. 

I also explore YB's teachings on Kriya and Kundalini and how they relate and don't relate to the larger yoga tradition like the Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and other bodies of teachings. You can learn more about that here.  The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is loaded with teachings about Kundalini. If you think Hatha Yoga and Kundalini are different check out the blog to start expanding your view.

And if you want to go deeper, you can also get access to over 5 hours of teachings on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Kundalini practices. You can learn more and purchase that course here.

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Namaste!

Trevor Chaitanya Eller