Friday Q&A: Gayatri Mantra

Summer Afternoon by Eyvind Earle

Q: I've been reading about Brahma Muhurta. I have started chanting Gayatri Mantra a few days ago and I was doing it from 6am to 7:45... Now, tomorrow morning I will do it from 4:16 am (1 hour and 36 minutes before sunrise) to 5:52 am. My question is: Is there also an appropriate time for the practice of meditation/mantras in the afternoon? 

A: The Vedic texts are replete with mantras (sacred sounds) to propitiate nature. Thus, the texts have mantras to appease the planets, stars, nature (seasons, climate (rain, summer, winter)], wildlife, crops, etc that can be recited at any time of the day. 

Specifically, Gayatri Mantra is a part of an entire SandhyaVandanam (salutations to the natural planetary transitions-in this case the SUN) and consists of recitation again from the Vedic texts. Sandhyavandanam literally means "salutation to Sun" at the different transitions (rising, noon, setting), hence the mantra is recited three times a day; morning (prataḥsaṃdhya), noon (madhyahnika) and evening (sayaṃsaṃdhya). You are welcome to chant/recite the Mantra at these different times (Brahma Muhurta time, Noon and the time at which the sun sets). 

A simple silent 15 mins meditation is also helpful if you are not into chanting or recitation. There are so many benefits of a silent meditation practice that we have discussed in this blog. I like to meditate early in the morning so my day starts of well, noon time meditation helps to consolidate the peace and calmness and evening mediation is a good practice to settle down from the day’s events.

—Ram