Gayatri Devi and the Gayatri Mantra: Meaning, Form and How to Chant

The Gayatri Mantra is the most revered verse of the Vedas: a 24-syllable prayer from the Rig Veda (3.62.10), composed by the sage Vishvamitra, asking the divine light to awaken our understanding. Personified as a goddess, it is worshipped as Gayatri Devi, Veda Mata, the mother of the Vedas. For thousands of years it has been chanted at sunrise, at the sacred thread ceremony, and at the start of every day of study.

The Gayatri Mantra

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah, Tat Savitur Varenyam, Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat.

Meaning: We meditate on the most excellent radiance of the divine Savitr, who pervades the earth, the sky and the heavens. May that light inspire our intellect.

Word by word

Gayatri mantra at a glance

Who is Goddess Gayatri?

As the mantra came to be revered as the essence of all the Vedas, it was worshipped as a goddess: Gayatri Devi. She is shown with five faces (named Mukta, Vidruma, Hema, Nila and Dhavala: pearl, coral, gold, blue and white), ten arms holding a conch, discus, lotus, mace, noose and other emblems, seated on a red lotus. She is often identified with Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, and with Savitri; the Puranas also tell of her as Brahma’s consort, and at Pushkar her shrine stands on a hill above the Brahma temple. Her festival, Gayatri Jayanti, is celebrated on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi in many regions, and on Shravan Purnima in others.

How to chant the Gayatri Mantra

1. Time: at sunrise if you can; noon and sunset are also traditional. Before study or work is good too.
2. Place: sit facing east (or north at night), on a mat, with the spine straight.
3. Breath: take a few slow breaths and settle the mind.
4. Chant: clearly and slowly, aloud, in a whisper, or silently, counting on a 108-bead mala. Pause briefly after Svah, Varenyam and Dhimahi.
5. Attention: dwell on the meaning: light entering the mind. One mindful chant is worth more than many hurried ones.

Many families chant it once before meals, at the start of a journey, and as the first prayer taught to children.

Gayatri and the sacred thread

At the upanayana (sacred thread ceremony), the Gayatri Mantra is the first mantra the guru whispers to the student, marking the beginning of Vedic learning. It is also recited in sandhya-vandana, the daily prayers at dawn and dusk, and offered into the fire in havans, as in the photograph above.

Sources: Rig Veda 3.62.10; Taittiriya Aranyaka; Devi Bhagavata Purana on Gayatri Devi; Padma Purana (Pushkar). Image: Havan at a Gayatri temple, by Seema Pandya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.