The Gāyatrī Mantra
▾| # | Mantra | Meaning |
|---|
Word-by-Word
▾| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OM (ॐ) | The primordial sound; the best and most complete name of the Supreme Lord. All Vedic chanting begins and ends with OM. |
| Bhūr (भूः) | The earth — the physical, gross world of matter |
| Bhuvaḥ (भुवः) | The intermediate region — the vital and mental world |
| Svaḥ / Suvaḥ (स्वः) | The heavenly world — the celestial, causal plane. ("Suvah" in South Indian Krishna Yajur Veda tradition.) |
| Tat (तत्) | That — referring to the Supreme Divine Reality |
| Savituḥ (सवितुर्) | Of Savitur — the sun as the Divine Creator and Illuminator |
| Vareṇyam (वरेण्यम्) | Adorable, most excellent, worthy of being chosen and meditated upon |
| Bhargo (भर्गो) | Radiance, effulgence, divine light (same as tejas) — the grammatical object of dhīmahi (what we meditate upon) |
| Devasya (देवस्य) | Of the Lord, of the Divine Being |
| Dhīmahi (धीमहि) | We meditate upon, we fix our minds on, we contemplate — this is the meditation part |
| Dhiyo (धियो) | Our intellects, thoughts, understanding and discriminative faculty |
| Yo (यो) | Who — referring to Parameshvara, the Supreme Lord represented by the sun |
| Naḥ (नः) | Our (first-person plural) |
| Prachodayāt (प्रचोदयात्) | May He stimulate, impel, inspire and illuminate — optative mood (a prayer). This is the prayer part of the mantra. |
Significance
▾The Mantra of All Mantras
The Gāyatrī Mantra (Rig Veda 3.62.10) is the most revered mantra in the Vedas — both a meditation and a prayer addressed to God as represented by the sun. Lord Krishna himself declares in the Bhagavad-Gita (10.35): "Among the Vedic metres I am the Gāyatrī." The sun — self-effulgent, the source of all light and life — is the most fitting symbol of the Supreme Lord.
Structure of the Mantra
All Vedic chanting begins and ends with OM. After OM, the three Vyāhṛtis (sacred utterances) are chanted: Bhūr · Bhuvaḥ · Svaḥ — the three worlds: earth, intermediate region, and heaven. In the Krishna Yajur Veda (South India), "Suvah" is used instead of "Svah." Only then follows the Gāyatrī proper — 24 syllables in the Gāyatrī metre, the finest of all Vedic metres.
The Three Goddesses
So sacred is this mantra it is personified as a goddess. In the Sandhyāvandana ritual it is invoked three times daily as three goddesses: Gāyatrī at sunrise, Sāvitrī at midday, and Sarasvatī at sunset.
When & How Often to Recite
Recite at the three Sandhyā times — before/during sunrise, at noon, and at sunset. Traditional counts: 1008 · 108 · 64 · 32, or at least 10 times. The correct manner of recitation should be learnt from a qualified Guru. Regular chanting ethically and spiritually illumines the intellect, helping us make right choices in life.