Ravi Shankar Tribute

Ravi Shankar, (7 April 1920 - 11 December 2012) often referred to by the title Pandit, was an Indian musician and composer who played the sitar. He has been described as the best-known contemporary Indian musician and credited for bringing Indian music to the West. This tribute contains a wide range of videos from the early to the later years.

9 videos play for 60 minutes

Ravi Shankar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shankar

Ravi Shankar, (7 April 1920 - 11 December 2012), often referred to by the title Pandit, was an Indian musician and composer who played the sitar. He has been described as the best-known contemporary Indian musician.[2]

Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent his youth touring Europe and India with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. He gave up dancing in 1938 to study sitar playing under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, and was music director of All India Radio, New Delhi, from 1949 to 1956.

In 1956, he began to tour Europe and the Americas playing Indian classical music and increased its popularity there in the 1960s through teaching, performance, and his association with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and rock artist George Harrison of the Beatles. Shankar engaged Western music by writing concerti for sitar and orchestra and toured the world in the 1970s and 1980s. From 1986 to 1992 he served as a nominated member of Rajya Sabha, the upper chamber of the Parliament of India. Shankar was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999, and received three Grammy Awards. He continued to perform in the 2000s, sometimes with his younger daughter, Anoushka. He was posthumously awarded two Grammy awards in 2013, one for lifetime achievement, another for The Living Room Sessions Part 1 in the world music category.

1 Best Sitar/Tabla piece ever Ravi Shankar & Chatur Lal Raga Mishra Piloo In Thumri Style (1963)  10:46

2 George Harrison - sitar lesson with Ravi Shankar 1:42

3 Evening Raga - Ravi Shankar & Alla Rakha (Live at Woodstock) (August 15, 1969)  3:54

4 Ravi Shankar on the Dick Cavett Show (November 23, 1971) 4:46

5 Pandit Ravi Shankar clip (1983) 5:21

6 As part of India & Pakistan's Golden Jubilee celebrations, Pandit Ravi Shankar, accompanied by his daughter Anoushka Shankar, perform live for the BBC at The Symphony Hall, Birmingham. (1997) 11:11

7 Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha - Tabla Solo in Jhaptal (no date) 8:24

8 Pt Ravi Shankar at the Taj Mahal 9:02
with his daughter, Anoushka. (June 22, 2005 ?)

9 Master Class with Ravi Shankar, Paris [2008]  4:56




Playlist url
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLACmwZPBGZMf5GH9SIYFh7jGE3f418UaP

2013 12 08 Gayatri Mantras for Meditation and Illumination

Gayatri Mantras for Meditation and Illumination: Sun, Ganesha, Brahma, Saraswati, Vishnu, L:akshmi, Shiva, Durga, Kali, Krishna, Radha, Ram, Sita, and Hanuman.

(Check out 10 Reasons to chant...the benefits of mantra meditation.)

Below you'll find information on the Gayatri Mantras as well as lyrics and translations.

Today's playlist includes 14 videos that play for 59 minutes.

Gayatri Mantra
http://www.sanskrit.org/www/Hindu%20Primer/gayatri.html

"Om bhur bhuvah svah
"tat-savitur varenyam
"bhargo devasya dhimahi
"dhiyo yo nah pracodayat

"Gayatri is actually the name for a Sanskrit poetical meter that contains three lines of eight syllables each. There are, therefore, many gayatri mantras, but this particular one is the oldest and most well known of all gayatri mantras. In Hinduism all Gods and Goddesses have a gayatri mantra associated with them. There is a gayatri for Ganesha, one for Shiva, one for Durga, one for Vishnu, one for Lakshmi, and so on. Most people are unaware of this fact and when Hindus talk about the gayatri mantra they mean thee gayatri mantra shown above, which is addressed to Savitri, the sun. The first line: om bhur bhuvah svah that you see above is not actually part of a gayatri mantra. It is a special utterance called vyahriti that has been added to the beginning of this famous gayatri .

"The Great Utterance

"The first part of the gayatri mantra, om bhur bhuvah svah, which we mentioned at the beginning as not part of the mantra, is called vyahriti or the "great utterance." This mantra is repeated not only in conjunction with the gayatri mantra, but also separately during havans or fire ceremonies. The word om is a auspicious sound made at the beginning of many prayers. The expression bhur bhuvah and svah is technical, but a simple way to think of it is as a “call to creation,” that the light of the sun (the light of God) shines on the earth (bhur), in the sky (bhuvah), and in space (svah), and therefore the implication is, "let that light also shine on me."

"The technical explanation vyahriti has to do with subtle practices of meditational yoga. This earth is simply one of many planes of existence. In fact, above this earth are six higher planes, heavens as it were. Including this earth, there are seven planes up (heavens) and seven planes down, or hells below this earth. The earth is in the middle. If you have ever heard the expression, “he is in seventh heaven” you should understand that this is a reference to the Hindu idea of heavens. The seventh heaven is the highest heaven. The first three of these planes starting with the earth are called bhur, bhuvah and svah. The utterance bhur bhuvah svah, therefore, refers to the first three subtle planes of existence that may be reached in meditation by a yogi."


Lyrics and translations for Brahma Gayatri, Hanuman Gayatri, Saraswati Gayatri,
Translations for Krishna Gayatri, Vishnu Gayatri, Radha Gayatri, came from:
Gayatri mantras of Several Gods
Translated by P. R. Ramachander
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Gayatri_mantras_of_Several_Gods


The Gayatris Playlist:

1 Ravi Shankar Gayatri Chants#A3C23 3:30
Ravi Shankar and George Harrison
Om Bhur Bhuvah Svaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo yonah Prachodayat

Om, in each of the 3 planes of existence
We worship That Ultimate Reality
the vivifying power within the Sun
We contemplate the Divine Radiance
May our intellect be so illumined, we pray.


2 Ganesha Gayathri Mantra  2:28
OM Ekadantaaya Viddhamahe,
VakratunDaaya DhImahi,
Tanno danti prachodayaat.

Translation: We pray to the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (ekadantāya) who is omnipresent (viddhamahe).
We meditate upon and pray for greater intellect (dhīmahi) to the Lord with the curved, elephant-shaped trunk (vakratunḍāya).
We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (tanno danti) to illuminate our minds with wisdom (pracodayāt).



3 Brahma Gayatri Mantra Gayathri Mantram of Lord Brahma Deva x264  1:14
Om Vedathmanaya vidmahe,
Hiranya Garbhaya Dheemahi,
Thanno Brahma prachodayath

Om, Let me meditate on The God who is the soul of Vedas,
Oh God, who holds the entire world within you, give me higher intellect,
And let the Lord Brahma illuminate my mind.



4 Vedic Mantras to Improve Education & Memory - Sri Saraswati Gayathri 4:14
Om Vakdeviyai cha Vidhmahe
Virinji Pathniyai cha Dheemahe
Thanno Vani Prachodayath.

Om, Let me meditate on the goddess of speech,
Oh, wife of Lord Brahma, give me higher intellect,
And let Goddess Vani illuminate my mind.



5 Vishnu Gayatri Mantra 5:09
om namoh namaha
om narayanaya vidmahe
vasudevaya dhimahi
tam no vishnu prachodayat

Om, Let me meditate on Lord Narayana,
Oh, Lord Vasudeva, give me higher intellect,
And let Lord Vishnu illuminate my mind.



6 Lakshmi (Laxmi) Gayatri for Spiritual Wealth and Luxuries 3:20
Om Mahalakshmyai cha vidmahe
Vishnu patnyai cha dhimahi
Tanno Lakshmihi prachodayat

Translation: "Om. Let us meditate on the Great Goddess Sri Lakshmi,
the consort of Sri Maha Vishnu.
May that effulgent Maha Lakshmi Devi inspire and illuminate our mind with understanding."



7 Shiva Gayatri 2:51
Om Tat Purushaya Vidmahe
Mahadevaya Deemahe
Thanno Rudra Prachodayath

"Aum. Let us invoke the superlative (-tad) male (-purusha) and omniscient lord (-vidvamahe).
Let us meditate and focus upon (-dheemahi) the supreme (-maha) lord (-devaaya).
Let us ask Shiva (-rudra) to provide us inspiration and guidance (-prachodayaat) in our spiritual journeys."



8 Durga Gayatri Mantra - with English lyrics 6:47
Om Girijayai Vidmahe,
Shiva Priyayai Dhimahi,
Tanno Durga Prachodaya



9 Remove+Fear+-+Kali+Gayatri+Mantra.flv 3:13
om kaalikaayai vidmahe
shmashaana vaasinyai dhimahi
tanno kaalee  prachodayat



10 Krishna Gayatri (Recite) 4:28
Om Dhamodharaya Vidhmahe
Rukmani Vallabhay Dheemahe
Thanno Krishna Prachodayath.

Om, Let me meditate on the god whose belly was tied by a rope,
Oh, consort of Rukhmani, give me higher intellect,
And let God Krishna illuminate my mind.


11 Radha Gayatri Mantra 8:50
Om Vrishbhaanujayei Vidmahe
Krishnpriyayei Dhimahi
Tanno Radha Prachodayat

Om, Let me meditate on the daughter of Vrishabhanu,
Oh, darling of Krishna, give me higher intellect,
And let Radha illuminate my mind.



12 Sri Rama Gayathri Mantra 5:59
Om Daserathaya Vidhmahe
Sita Vallabhaya Dheemahe
Thanno Rama Prachodayath.

Om, Let me meditate on the son of Dasaratha,
Oh, consort of Sita, give me higher intellect,
And let God Rama illuminate my mind.



13 Gayatri Mantra of Sita 2:52
Om Janaka Nandinye Vidmahe
Bhumijayai Dheemahe
Thanno Sita Prachodayath



14 Hanuman Gayathiri Mantram 4:25
This matches the chant:
Aum Aanjaneyaaya Vidmahe
Vayu-puthraaya Dhimahee
Thanno Hanuman Prachodayath

Middle line does not match the chant, but this goes with the translation:
Om Aanjaneya Vidhmahe
Maha balaya Dheemahe
Thanno Hanuman Prachodayath.

Om, Let me meditate on the son of Anjana,
Oh, Very strong one, give me higher intellect,
And let Hanuman illuminate my mind.

Playlist url:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLACmwZPBGZMdX9M2ZGkYtUb2jYttDX1RS