Guru Mantra is one of the most important mantras for yoga students. Often this Guru Mantra is chanted before every Yoga class.
ॐ ॐ ॐ गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुर्गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः
गुरुः साक्षात्परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः
Om Om Om gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇur gurur devo maheśvaraḥ,
guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ.
Guru – The remover of darkness
brahmā – the creator God
viṣṇur – The sustainer God
devo maheśvaraḥ – Lord Shiva, in which everything dissolve back
sākṣāt – Direct
paraṁ brahma – Supreme Creator
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ – salutations to that great guru
Om, Om, Om. To that Guru who is Brahmā, the Creator, Viṣṇu, the Maintainer, and Śiva, the dissolver. To that Guru who is the direct experience of Brahman, salutations to that great guru.
Importance and significance of Guru Mantra
The word Guru means remover of darkness. We all have the darkness of ignorance. Guru helps us to see the light and follow the path of truth. This Mantra prayer helps us to develop faith in our self. In yogic traditions, Guru is the spiritual guide on the journey on self-growth.
Some people question how we can trust somebody completely and put full faith. The True physical Guru is there to guide us towards the inner guru. The ultimate Guru is Hiranaya Garbha (Golden womb) the source of all knowledge.
Shri Gurave namah
I Bow down to that great Guru, Who is the essence of all living and nonliving things.
akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalākāram vyāptam yena carācaram
tatpadam darśitam yena tasmai śrī gurave namah
Which pervades in the whole universe creation, moving and unmoving. To that benevolent Guru(spiritual guide) who showed me the true state of being, I bow down.
Here is the link to the Mantra on Youtube.