परि त्वा गिर्वणो गिर इमा भवन्तु विश्वतः ।
वृद्धायुमनु वृद्धयो जुष्टा भवन्तु जुष्टयः ॥ १२ ॥

Pari Tva Girvano Gira Ima Bhavantu Vishvatah.
Vriddhayum Anu Vriddhayo Jushta Bhavantu Jushtayah. ॥ 12 ॥

Meaning:

परि (Pari) Surrounding, all around, on every side. “Pari” indicates complete surrounding and protection. Here the idea is that knowledge and the Vedic utterances should surround a human being in all directions. When a person lives in an atmosphere filled with knowledge, his thoughts, actions and life become elevated. This word teaches that living within the protective circle of knowledge is the true life of happiness.

त्वा (Tva) You, you yourself. This word expresses the loving instruction given by the Divine directly to the individual being. It indicates that a human being should remain established as the center of knowledge and maintain good thoughts and words of wisdom around himself.

गिर्वणः (Girvanah) One who loves the Vedic utterances; one who serves divine knowledge. “Gir” refers to speech or Vedic utterance, while “Vana” conveys the sense of loving or serving. Therefore, “Girvanah” refers to a person who loves words of wisdom and follows them in life. The message is that the true wise person is one who accepts Vedic knowledge and lives according to it.

गिरः (Girah) Words, Vedic utterances, words of wisdom. Here “Girah” does not refer to ordinary words; it refers to exalted words that convey divine knowledge. Such words of wisdom elevate the human mind, remove ignorance and guide a person towards truth.

इमाः (Imah) These, these particular ones. This word points to specific words of wisdom. Good thoughts, Vedic teachings and the divine way of life that elevate a human being are referred to here as “these”.

भवन्तु (Bhavantu) May they become, may they remain established. This is both a blessing and a prayer. It means that words of wisdom should not remain merely as words that are heard, but should become firmly established in human life and become part of the way of living.

विश्वतः (Vishvatah) In all directions, on every side. Knowledge should not remain confined to one part of life; it should permeate the whole of life. Family, society, education, thought and conduct should all be permeated by knowledge. This is the purpose conveyed by the word.

वृद्धायुम् (Vriddhayum) Having a developed lifespan, having a long life. Here lifespan does not mean merely the number of years lived. It refers to a life accompanied by experience, maturity and wisdom gained through living. It contains the idea that as the lifespan of a human being increases, knowledge should also grow.

अनु (Anu) Continuously, following, according to. This word indicates connection and corresponding growth. As life increases, knowledge should grow along with it. The hidden meaning is that if only age increases without knowledge growing, life does not become complete.

वृद्धयः (Vriddhayah) Growths, increases, developments. Here growth does not refer merely to material development. It also refers to the growth of knowledge, good conduct, experience and spiritual progress. The essence of this word is that human life should be a continuous process of inner development.

जुष्टाः (Jushtah) Desirable, willingly accepted, lovingly received. Words of wisdom should not be accepted merely as something compulsory. They should be received with love and willingness. Only when love for knowledge develops does knowledge become deeply established in life.

भवन्तु (Bhavantu) May they become, may they remain established. The repeated use of “Bhavantu” emphasizes that knowledge should become firmly established in human life. Knowledge should not remain a temporary curiosity but should become a permanent principle of life.

जुष्टयः (Jushtayah) Beloved forms of worship, cherished paths of knowledge. This word expresses the highest idea of the mantra. Learning words of wisdom with love and putting them into practice in life becomes a higher form of worship of the Divine. One of the best ways of loving the Divine is to love knowledge and live according to it.

Explanation:

This mantra deeply explains the place of knowledge in human life and the greatness of a life centered on knowledge. Its basic idea is that a human being is not merely a living creature who exists through the body; he is a spiritual traveler who rises through knowledge and truth. The mantra is presented as though the Divine is instructing the individual being, “May knowledge and the Vedic utterances surround and protect you in every direction.” Its primary message is that a human being should establish himself as the center of knowledge and create an environment around himself filled with noble thoughts, teachings of good conduct and words of divine wisdom.

The words “परि (Pari)” and “विश्वतः (Vishvatah)” emphasize that knowledge should not remain confined to only one part of life but should spread throughout every aspect of existence. Family life, education, social relationships, thought, action and spiritual practice should all be permeated by the light of knowledge. Only when a person lives within the protective circle of knowledge, rather than being surrounded by ignorance, wrong habits and narrow thinking, can he experience true happiness.

The words “गिर्वणः (Girvanah)” and “गिरः (Girah)” emphasize the importance of loving Vedic utterances and divine knowledge and living according to them. Here speech does not mean mere words; it refers to paths of knowledge that purify the mind, remove ignorance and guide a person towards truth. Such divine teachings and noble thoughts that elevate a human being are referred to as “इमाः (Imah)”. They should not remain merely as teachings that are heard; according to the meaning of “भवन्तु (Bhavantu)”, they should become established in life and take practical form.

Another important teaching of this mantra is expressed through the idea of “वृद्धायुमनु वृद्धयः (Vriddhayum Anu Vriddhayah)”. As the lifespan of a human being increases, his knowledge should also increase. Increasing age alone is not the growth of life; experience, good conduct, spiritual maturity and the ability to recognize truth should also increase. A long life without the growth of knowledge is not a complete life. Rather, a life in which the mind and intellect become mature at every stage is the true “developed life”.

The words “जुष्टाः (Jushtah)” and “जुष्टयः (Jushtayah)” express the highest meaning of the mantra. Words of wisdom should not be approached merely as something compulsory; they should be approached with love and willingness. When a mind that loves knowledge is developed, joy and peace arise within it. At that point, studying knowledge, reflecting upon it and living according to it cease to be merely educational activities and become a higher form of worship leading towards the Divine. The profound Vedic truth expressed here is that lovingly serving knowledge is equivalent to lovingly serving the Divine.

Therefore, the complete teaching of this mantra is that a human being should make knowledge the center of life and live in such a way that Vedic knowledge and noble thoughts surround and remain established within him in every direction. As life increases, knowledge and spiritual maturity should also increase. Furthermore, loving knowledge and living according to it is itself a higher form of worship and a noble path towards the Divine. Thus, the mantra gives the profound Vedic teaching that a human being who lives in an atmosphere of knowledge attains true happiness and higher spiritual fulfillment.

Conclusion:

This mantra is a profound Vedic teaching that emphasizes the necessity of living a life centered on knowledge. Vedic knowledge, noble thoughts and divine words should surround and protect the human being in every direction; living in an atmosphere of knowledge is true life of happiness. As a person’s lifespan increases, his knowledge, good conduct and spiritual maturity should also continue to grow; merely increasing in age is not the fulfillment of life. Furthermore, accepting words of wisdom not through compulsion but with love and willingness, finding joy in them and living according to them is a higher form of worship of the Divine. Therefore, the person who loves knowledge, lives within the protective circle of wisdom and fills his entire life with truth and the divine way of living is the one who attains true happiness and spiritual fulfillment. This is the profound essence of the mantra.