The most chanted verse in the tradition, a request that the source of all light kindle the mind's own light.
Savitṛ, the sun as illumination of the mind Vedic (Ṛgveda) Wisdom & learning
The mantra
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्
oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
Meaning
We meditate on the excellent glory of the divine Savitṛ; may he illumine our intellects.
Listen, a free rendition
A free recording to chant along with, loaded only when you scroll to it, via YouTube's privacy-enhanced player.
In the tradition
Sāvitrī, Gāyatrī, the “mother of the Vedas”; one verse carried on three feet of eight syllables each, for perhaps three thousand years of daily dawn. Its request is refreshingly specific: not wealth, not victory, light in the intellect.
Sources & further reading
- Ṛgveda , Viśvāmitra's family book (3.62.10, the Gāyatrī verse itself)
- Chāndogya & Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣads , the Upaniṣadic teachers (the Gāyatrī as the meter of the hymns and the guard of breath)
- Gayatri Mantra: live rendition (video) (opens in a new tab) , Deva Premal & Miten