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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,...

 Introduction

In this multiple part blog I will be sharing eye opening observations on the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa aka the Siri Gayatri Mantra in light of Sanskrit, the Upanishads, and what I refer to as “the larger yoga tradition” meaning, Classical Yoga, Ayurveda, Yoga Scriptures, Tantric Bija Mantra and the Sanskrit language. I started this article in 2020. I got busy with being a new dad and other big projects and set this effort to the side. I am happy to finally get this info out to you.

In my studies of Yoga I have seen lots of variations on similar themes.  Many master teachers offer variations influenced by culture and language.  The master teachers personal experiences also informs how they share the practice.  Ra Ma Da Sa Mantra shares similarities with many other yoga traditions, namely using Sanskrit letters as mantras and the mantra So Hung, which is commonly known in its classical from so'hum.  

I have observed that much of...