Gayatri Mantra

Gāyatrī Mantra in Devanāgarī script.
Recitation of the Gayatri mantra. Duration: 23 seconds.
Gayatri Mantra personified as the goddess Gayatri, surrounded by the Tamil Om symbol, with the mantra written in it. From left clockwise: Brahmi as Pratah Sandhya (Morning), Maheshwari as Madhyanika Sandhya (Afternoon), Pranava Rishi and Vaishnavi as Sayam Sandhya (Evening).

The Gāyatrī Mantra (Sanskrit pronunciation: [ɡaː.jɐ.triː.mɐn.trɐ.]), also known as the Sāvitrī Mantra (Sanskrit pronunciation: [saː.vi.triː.mɐn.trɐ.]), is a sacred mantra from the Ṛig Veda (Mandala 3.62.10),[1] dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr.[1][2] It is known as "Mother of the Vedas".[3]

The term Gāyatrī may also refer to a type of mantra which follows the same Vedic meter as the original Gāyatrī Mantra. There are many such Gāyatrīs for various gods and goddesses.[3] Furthermore, Gāyatrī is the name of the Goddess of the mantra and the meter.[4]

The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Hindu texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy, and classical Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita,[5][6] Harivamsa,[7] and Manusmṛti.[8] The mantra and its associated metric form was known by the Buddha.[9] The mantra is an important part of the initiation ceremony. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to everyone and its use is now very widespread.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b "Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 3: HYMN LXII. Indra and Others". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Gayatri Mantra". OSME.
  3. ^ a b Swami Vishnu Devananda, Vishnu Devananda (1999). Meditation and Mantras, p. 76. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
  4. ^ Staal, Frits (June 1986). "The sound of religion". Numen. 33 (Fasc. 1): 33–64. doi:10.1163/156852786X00084. JSTOR 3270126.
  5. ^ Rahman 2005, p. 300.
  6. ^ Radhakrishnan 1994, p. 266.
  7. ^ Vedas 2003, p. 15–16.
  8. ^ Dutt 2006, p. 51.
  9. ^ Shults, Brett (May 2014). "On the Buddha's Use of Some Brahmanical Motifs in Pali Texts". Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. 6: 119.
  10. ^ Rinehart 2004, p. 127.
  11. ^ Lipner 1994, p. 53.