Mystical systems
Gayatri Mantra
Direct answer
Gayatri Mantra: The Gayatri mantra is a verse from the Rig Veda (3.62.10) addressed to Savitr, the divine Sun, asking that he inspire the mind; it is among the most recited prayers of Hinduism.
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At a glance
- Also called
- savitri mantra, om bhur bhuvah svah
- Found in
- Mystical Systems
- Related
- Mantra, Om Symbol, Japa, Bija mantra
The Gayatri mantra is a verse from the Rig Veda (3.62.10) addressed to Savitr, the divine Sun, asking that he inspire the mind; it is among the most recited prayers of Hinduism.
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What does the Gayatri mantra mean?
The Gayatri is a single verse in Sanskrit: tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. A close rendering is: we meditate on the excellent radiance of the god Savitr; may he rouse our thoughts. In recitation it is preceded by Om and three words, bhur bhuvah svah, naming earth, air and heaven.
Gayatri Mantra’s name is the name of its metre. A gayatri verse has three lines of eight syllables, twenty-four in all, and this one is the most famous example, so it took the title. It is also called the Savitri, after the deity. A boy of the upper castes traditionally received it from his teacher at initiation and repeated it at dawn, noon and dusk for life. Since the nineteenth century reform movements have taught it to women and to all castes, and it is now sung publicly and recorded.
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What sets Gayatri Mantra apart
The Gayatri is unusual among famous mantras in being a full sentence with a plain meaning, and a request and not a name: it asks for the mind to be stirred. Its fame made its metre a title, so that the verse is known by the name of its form. Reciters point to a small discrepancy: the first line as written has seven syllables, and one word is pronounced with an extra vowel to make eight. The three opening words are not part of the Rig Veda verse and were added for ritual use.
- Source: Rig Veda, book 3, hymn 62, verse 10
- Seer: Vishvamitra, by tradition
- Deity: Savitr, the Sun as the one who rouses
- Metre: gayatri: three lines of eight syllables, twenty-four in all
- Opening formula: Om bhur bhuvah svah, added before the verse
- Daily times: dawn, noon and dusk, the three sandhyas
Often mistaken for something else: A bija mantra is a single seed syllable with no dictionary meaning; the Gayatri is a whole Vedic verse whose words can be translated.
The story behind Gayatri Mantra
The verse stands in the third book of the Rig Veda, composed in the second millennium BCE and credited to the family of the seer Vishvamitra. Later Vedic texts and the Laws of Manu rank it as the essence of the Veda. Tradition personified it as a goddess, Gayatri, shown with five heads. Dayananda Saraswati, who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875, argued that the mantra was open to everyone, and twentieth century movements such as the Gayatri Pariwar spread that view.
Why Gayatri Mantra matters
Gayatri Mantra is the best known verse of the oldest Indian scripture, and a prayer for clear thinking and nothing more, which helps explain its wide appeal.
How to read Gayatri Mantra
It is recited at sunrise and sunset, at initiations and before study; outside Hinduism many people chant it as a meditation on light.
Gayatri Mantra in practice: an example
In many Hindu homes a parent or a recording begins the day with the Gayatri, said three times or a full round of one hundred and eight.
Where readings of Gayatri Mantra go wrong
Some traditional teachers hold that it should be received from a guru, a view worth respecting when chanting with others.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Mystical Systems
- Aliases
- gayatri, gayatri mantra meaning, savitri mantra, om bhur bhuvah svah, gayatri mantra words
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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Common questions
What does the Gayatri mantra mean?
It is a prayer to Savitr, the Sun as a divine power. A plain translation is: we meditate on the excellent radiance of the god Savitr; may he inspire our thoughts.
Why is it called Gayatri?
Gayatri is the name of the verse form it is composed in, three lines of eight syllables each. Because this is the most revered verse in that metre, the name of the metre became the name of the prayer.
Who can chant the Gayatri mantra?
Historically it was taught to boys of the three upper castes at initiation. Hindu reformers from the nineteenth century on opened it to all, and today it is chanted by men and women of every background.
