OM BHUR BHUVAH SVAH
TAT SAVITURVARENIYAM
BHARGO DEVASYA DHIMAHI
DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT
Rig Veda 3.6.10
Also known as the Savitri Mantra, this prayer to the living sun comes from the Rig Veda and likely dates back to 1400 BCE. There are many transliterations and translations, what I list here are my preferences for both.
When I started my exploration of mantras for my online yoga teacher training I picked Gayatri to start with. I’m not really sure why, but it stuck with me when I heard it. I’ve always found memorizing things difficult, so I knew to get started it would help to pick one that I really liked.
‘We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may she inspire our intelligence.’
-translation by S. Radhakrishnan, 1953
‘We choose the Supreme Light of the Divine Sun; we aspire that it may impel our minds.’
-translation by Sri Aurobindo
Uses
- Niranjananda Saraswati calls us to chant Gayatri 11x each morning.
Associations
- Devi Gayatri
- Deva Savitr
- Devi Saraswati
- Deva Surya
- Deva Brahma
- Vedas
- Scriptures
- Sun
- Knowledge
- Buddha