An analysis of the Gayatri mantra as a mega-compression: A cognitive linguistic perspective in light of conceptual blending theory

Suren Naicker

doi:10.4102/hts.v75i4.5325

Abstract

In this article, the Gayatri mantra, one of the most sacred chants to be found in Hindu lore, will be analysed as a blend, where an entire philosophy is compressed into these few syllables, which will be expounded upon here in more detail. Drawing upon insights from conceptual blending theory, this sacred mantra will be unpacked and explored, and it will be shown here that this ancient Rigvedic hymn is actually a nucleic compression which once tapped into leads the practitioner to new insights and higher levels of spiritual awareness as the inner meaning unfolds. Practising Hindus around the world revere and recite this mantra with the utmost reverence, and this is true of the Indian diaspora in South Africa as well. Aside from presenting this hymn through the lens of blending theory, the aim is to demonstrate and explain why exactly this mantra is chanted with such reverence and given precedence over the many other mantras found throughout the Vedic texts.

Highlights

The aim of this article is to look at a well-known mantra and expound on the importance of the chant, which is seen as a mega-compression with concentrated layers of meaning
In addition to the application of the theory to a novel domain, the theory itself was simultaneously being used as a conventional blend understood in terms of four-domain mental spaces and as the upshot of decompressing the very same phenomenon, in other words, seeing the conventional blend as a result of decompressing the mantra
As far as the author is concerned, this is the first study to demonstrate a phenomenon whereby a standard blend – followed by compression and decompression, followed by its constituent metaphorical blends –applies one of the three principles to a given phenomenon, showing that Fauconnier (2005:523, [author’s own italics]) has a point when he says that the ‘patterns are all products of conceptual integration networks’

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this article is to look at a well-known mantra and expound on the importance of the chant, which is seen as a mega-compression with concentrated layers of meaning. This is an attempt to explain ‘rationally’ how that might happen, in light of BT It may be a fiat assumption, but the idea here is that once it is accepted that there is a systematic decompression at play, the mere chanting of this mantra activates mental spaces which create connections from the generic space to the mapping between the two input spaces, which allow the practitioner access to this metaphysical realm, and creates some degree of concomitant physical edification as a result. It ought to be evident that these metaphorical blends function as a gestalt and as such cannot be truly separated given their veritable ontological inter-reliance on each other

Summary

Conclusion

Funding information

Data availability statement