Gayatri

Gayatri (, ) is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. It can be:-

The name of a Vedic poetic meter of 24 syllables (three lines of eight syllables each), see Vedic meter.

Any hymn composed in this meter.

In Hinduism, it is one mantra in particular, attributed to Vishwamitra, and a goddess as its personification, a representation of the Parabrahman.

Mantra

The Gayatri Mantra is the most revered mantra in Hinduism (second only to the mantra Om). It consists of the prefix : , a formula taken from the Yajurveda, and the verse 3.62.10 of the Rigveda (which is an example of the Gayatri meter). Since all the other three Vedas contain much material rearranged from the Rig Veda, the Gayatri mantra is found in all the four Vedas. The deva invoked in this mantra is Savitar, and hence the mantra is also called Sāvitrī.

By many Hindus, the Gayatri is seen as a Divine awakening of the mind and soul, and within it a way to reach the most Supreme form of existence, and the way to Union with Brahman. Understanding, and purely loving the essence of the Gayatri Mantra is seen by many, including the guru Satya Sai Baba, to be one, if not the most powerful ways to attain God

Although many Hindus believe that the Gayatri Mantra is restricted to only the males of the first three castes who have received Upanayana in orthodox Hinduism, others believe that the Gayatri is unlimited in potential, and that any soul is capable of reaching Parabrahman with true understanding and faith in God through the mantra.

Text

See Sanskrit for details of pronunciation.

In Devanagari:

ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः ।

तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।

भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।

धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

In IAST

(a)

(b)

(c)

Translation

Ralph T.H. Griffith (1896):

(a, b) "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitr the God:"

Word-by-word explanation:-

om The sacred sound, see Om.
bhū 'earth'
bhuvas 'atmosphere'
svar 'light, heaven, space'
tat 'that'
savitúr of Savitr the god' (genitives of savitr-, 'stimulator, rouser; name of a sun-deity' and deva-'' 'god' or 'demi-god')
varenyam 'Fit to be worshipped' varenya- 'desirable, excellent'
bhargo 'Glory Effulgence'(radiance, lustre, splendour, glory)
devasya 'Resplendent, shining'
dhīmahi 'may we attain' (1st person plural middle optative of dhā- 'set, bring, fix' etc.)
dhíyaḥ naḥ 'our prayers' (accusative plural of dhi- 'thought, meditation, devotion, prayer' and naḥ enclitic personal pronoun)
yáḥ pracodáyāt 'who may stimulate' (nominative singular of relative pronoun yad-; causative 3rd person of pra-cud- 'set in motion, drive on, urge, impel')

Other translations, circumlocutions and interpretations:

Kavikratu Tattva Budh ^*

"Almighty Supreme Sun impel us with your divine brilliance so we may attain a noble understanding of reality."

Gayatri Pariwar

"O God, Thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme, sin destroying light; may Thou guide our intellect in the right direction."

William Q. Judge ^*

"Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light, that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."

Gayatri Sadhaka

"Let us meditate on the supreme effulgence of Brahman, from whom these three worlds Bhuh(earth), Bhuvah(atmosphere), Suvah (shining heavens) originated and who manifests to our eyes as the shining Sun. May those purifying divine rays enlighten our minds."

The word Gayatri can be broken into 'gayantam trayate iti' which means 'that which protects the singer(s)'. Regular chanting of the Gayatri mantra with faith is believed to endow the chanter with high intelligence, vigorous health and noble thoughts.

Goddess

Originally the personification of the mantra, the goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and the consort of the God Brahma and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman, the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Gayatri Veda Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahman himself, in the feminine form. Essentially, the Goddess is seen to combine all the phenomenal attributes of Brahman, including Past, Present and Future BHuvah Swah as well as the 3 realms of existence. Goddess Gayatri is also worshipped as the Hindu Trimurti combined as one Brahma and Shiva, and the image of her portrays her carrying all the 'objects' in the hands of each God of the Trimurti, symbolising the Divine creation, preservation and destruction as one omnipotent force

Gayatri is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms:

Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.
Accompanied by a swan, holding a book in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of Education.

There are many forms of Gayatri, and the Goddess is seen in many forms, such as early morning,, midday, afternoon, evening and night.

Popular Culture

An abbreviated form of the Gayatri Mantra is sung in the opening theme for the TV show Battlestar Galactica.

The Treasure Quest video game soundtrack by Jody Gnant includes a song entitled "The Gayatri"

External links

All World Gayatri Pariwar
Gayatri Pariwar
गायत्री स्तोत्र
RV 3.62.10 (flaez.ch)
Gayatri Mantras for japa
Scientific Meaning of Gayatri Mantra
Scientific Interpretation of the Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri Mantra Comentary (broken link!) (Need alternate source)
Weekly podcast on Vedic Chanting and Vedic Mythology
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Hindu goddesses | Mantras | Poetic form | Rig Veda

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