Mantra · Hindu practice
Gayatri Mantra
May we hold in mind that most excellent radiance of the divine Vivifier; may it impel our understanding
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्
Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
The Sāvitrī verse of the Ṛgveda, addressed to Savitṛ, the divine impeller associated with the sun. It is central to sandhyāvandana, traditionally observed at the junctures of the day.
Source: Ṛgveda 3.62.10
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ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्
Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
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What the words say
Tat savitur vareṇyaṃ — that most excellent of Savitṛ; bhargo devasya dhīmahi — may we hold in mind the radiance of the god; dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt — who may impel our thoughts. The request is not for a gift but for the mind itself to be set going. The opening Oṃ and the three vyāhṛtis — bhūr, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ, the earth, the mid-region and the beyond — are a liturgical addition placed before the verse, not part of the Ṛgvedic line.
Where it comes from
Ṛgveda 3.62.10, attributed to the seer Viśvāmitra, in the gāyatrī metre that gives the verse its common name. It is the verse traditionally transmitted at the upanayana, the initiation into Vedic study, and recited at dawn and dusk thereafter.
How it is practised
Recited in sandhyāvandana at dawn, noon and dusk, with practices varying by community. Eligibility, initiation, counting and recitation are understood differently across traditions; follow the guidance of your own tradition.
References
- Ṛgveda 3.62.10
- Taittirīya Āraṇyaka on the vyāhṛtis and the sandhyā rite
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