To observe the Mahasamadhi of our beloved, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the devotees of Canada conducted a Akhanda Gayatri chanting from midnight of 18th April until midnight on the 24th of April, 2019.

“The Gayatri is a universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas. It is addressed to the Immanent and Transcendent Divine which has been given the name ‘Savita,’ meaning ‘that from which all this is born.’ The Gayatri may be considered as having three parts – (i) Adoration (ii) Meditation (iii) Prayer. First the Divine is praised, then It is meditated upon in reverence and finally an appeal is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect, the discriminating faculty of man. The Gayatri is considered as the essence of the Vedas. Veda means knowledge, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty. As a matter of fact the four core-declarations enshrined in the four Vedas are implied in this Gayatri mantra.” – Sathya Sai Speaks’, vol 13.34: June, 20, 1977.

Benefits of chanting the Gayatri Mantra:

“Gayatri is the Mother of all scriptures (Vedas). She is present, wherever Her name is chanted. She is very powerful. The One who nourishes the individual being is Gayatri. She bestows pure thoughts on anyone who worships Her. She is the embodiment of all Goddesses. Our very breath is Gayatri, our faith in existence is Gayatri. Mother Gayatri nourishes and protects every being and she channelizes our senses in the proper direction. ‘Dhīmahi’ means meditation. We pray to her to inspire us with good intelligence. ‘Dhīyo Yonah Prachodayāt’ – We beseech her to bestow on us everything we need. Thus Gayatri is a complete prayer for protection, nourishment and finally, liberation.”  – ‘My Dear Students’, Vol 3, Ch 2, Mar 19, 1998

Universality of the Gayatri Mantra:

“Repeat the Gayatri – it is a universal prayer. It has three parts, meditation on the glory of God as the illumination immanent in the three worlds – upper, middle and lower (Om Bhur Bhuva Swah; Tat Savitur Vareñyam); it has smaraña or picturisation of the Grace (Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi) and prārthanā, prayer for compassion for the sake of liberation, through awakening of intelligence that pervades entire universe, not to any particular name or form of that intelligence; and so, all can use it and be saved by it. There can be no fanaticism, no hatred, no rivalry, if the Gayatri is adhered to, its pious repetition will clarify the passions and promote love.” – ‘Sathya Sai Speaks’, vol 07.37: October, 13, 1967

This endeavor has been successfully implemented across our land from the east to the west coast of Canada from 12 AM on 18th of April ,2019 until 12AM on the 24th of April. This project was welcomed with enthusiasm by Sai devotees across our beautiful country, with 825 devotees participating and completing 825 hours of chanting the Gayatri Mantra.
To understand the effect of this chanting, we have calculated the total number of Gayatri mantras chanted collectively. Based on an average chanting of four Gayatri mantras per minute or 240 per hour; the devotees of Canada collectively chanted: (240 per hour)*(825 hours)*(825 devotees) = 163,350,000. Thus, we have chanted approximately 163 million Gayatris in the 6 days commencing from 18th of April and concluding on the 24th of April at midnight!

May this chanting of the Gayatri Mantra bring peace to the individual, the family, the society, to our nation and ultimately the whole world and the universe. We humbly bow at the divine feet of our beloved Lord to have blessed us with the strength and dedication to chant this mantra with love and faith and continue to benefit from chanting the Gayatri Mantra everyday of our lives.