Saba, I always liked this one.
http://www.gsbworld.com/articles/gayatri.html
Om Bhur Bhuva Suvah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
Om -Om ,Bhur Bhuva Suvah- Three worlds-universe ,Tat- That, Savitur- Sun, Varenyam- Most excellent,Bhargo-Effulgence(radiance splendour),Devasya- Divine, Dheemahi- Meditate upon, Dhiyo- Buddhis,intellects, Yo-Who, Nah- Our, Prachodayat- Unfolds
Om Bhur Bhuva Suvah.We meditate upon the adorable effulgence of the divine sun ,may that unfold our intellects.
The one lettered word symbol (Om) called PRANAVA represents the supreme reality beyond the three worlds of the waking,dream and deep sleep.BHUR BHUVA SUVAH are called the VYAHRITIS. They represent the three worlds experienced by man.When man conceives this first he understands his relative insignificance in the vast universe.This part of the prayer is meant to humble him .He goes through the initial preparation necessary for his mind to lift itself to the realisation of the Supreme Self in him.
The prayer is directed to the Sun (Savitur). In Manusmriti it is said that the Gayatri Japa is to be chanted twice in a day at Sandhya time. There are two Sandhyas in a day - dawn and dusk. Sandhya literally means holding together(union ,junction). The meeting point of day and night i.e twilight in the morning and evening. At this time Gayatri Mantra is repeated -“We meditate upon the adorable effulgence of the divine sun, may that unfold our intellect”.
The Gayatri Mantra is said to be one of the oldest of the divine hymns. It is referred to as the mother of the Vedas. Gayatri has compelling charm of its own to millions of Hindu hearts. The repetition of this mantra with the right understanding of its sacred meaning is believed widely to have power to dispel all the negative tendencies in the human mind and thereby unfold the Supreme Self within. The graetness of Gayatri Mantra is that it has both the power of Mantra and the power of Prayer.The pure Mantra has an inherent effectiveness called Mantra-Shakti that is the power contained in inarticulate or intonational sound.It has philosophical meaning . When the power of prayer is combined with power of Mantra the seeker is fully equipped with the most effective instrument for the unfoldment of the spiritual potentialities. That is the uniqueness of the Gayatri Mantra.
Gayatri Mantra is given to the boy at his spiritual initiation called Upanayanam(Thread Ceremony). It is performed to Hindu boys at a early age betwwen 6 and 10 yrs. The father taking the boy on his lap,and covering himself and the boy with a white sheet,whispers into his ears ‘Gayatri Mantra’ ,the sacred prayer to sun. The boy is then considered Dwijah which means twice born. The first birth of the gross personality is when physical body emerges from the mother’s womb.The second birth now is that of the subtle body when mind and intellect are fully grown and ready to receive the knowledge of the Supreme Reality.The gayatri mantra is chanted generally minimum ten times during each Sandhya but one could chant more according to one’s personal capacity.
The invocation of the sun signifies the invocation of the Self, the Atman within. The Atman is the illuminator of all perceptions, emotions and thoughts just as the sun is the illuminator of all the planets around it of the solar system. The Gayatri Mantra is an appeal by the seeker to the divine sun within to emerge out of the cloud of desires and shine forth its resplendent light