In short
- It is a verse from the Rigveda (3.62.10), addressed to Savitr, the sun as the one who inspires.
- The request it makes is for one thing only: that our understanding be guided.
- Tradition places it at the three sandhyas: sunrise, noon and sunset.
- A steady daily count matters more than a large one. 108 is customary, not compulsory.
The mantra, in Devanagari and in Roman letters
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥
Om bhur bhuvah svah, tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.
The first line, Om bhur bhuvah svah, is an opening invocation placed before the verse. The three lines after it are the verse itself, and each has eight syllables: that three-by-eight pattern is the Gayatri metre, which is where the mantra gets its name.
Where it comes from
The verse is found in the Rigveda, in the third mandala (3.62.10), and tradition names the sage Vishvamitra as its seer. It is addressed to Savitr, the sun understood not as a ball of fire but as the power that sets things in motion and wakes the mind. For that reason it is also called the Savitri mantra.
It has been recited daily for a very long time and across almost every school of Hindu practice, which is rare for a single line.
The meaning, word by word
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ॐ (Om) | The sacred syllable that opens the recitation |
| भूः (bhur) | The earth; the physical world |
| भुवः (bhuvah) | The space between earth and sky |
| स्वः (svah) | The heavens |
| तत् (tat) | That |
| सवितुः (savituh) | Of Savitr, the divine sun, the one who inspires |
| वरेण्यं (varenyam) | Most excellent; worthy of being chosen |
| भर्गः (bhargah) | Radiance; the light that burns away darkness |
| देवस्य (devasya) | Of the divine one |
| धीमहि (dhimahi) | We meditate upon |
| धियः (dhiyah) | Our thoughts; our understanding |
| यः (yah) | Who |
| नः (nah) | Our |
| प्रचोदयात् (prachodayat) | May he inspire, may he set in motion |
The meaning as one sentence
Put together, a plain rendering is: we meditate on the excellent radiance of the divine Savitr; may he inspire our understanding.
Notice what it does not ask for. There is no request for wealth, health, victory or protection. It asks only that the mind be pointed in the right direction, and it says our understanding rather than mine, so even one person reciting alone is asking on behalf of everyone.
When it is traditionally chanted
The customary times are the three sandhyas, the joints of the day: around sunrise, at midday and around sunset. Of the three, the morning is the one most people keep.
- Sit facing east in the morning if you can; it is a custom, not a condition
- A common count is 108, kept on a mala
- If 108 is not realistic, 11 or 21 every day is better than 108 once a week
If you use beads to keep the count, see how to use a japa mala.
How to begin
- Learn the sound firstListen to a clear recitation several times before you try it. The line breaks above are where the breath falls.
- Say it slowly, aloudSpeed comes by itself. A mantra said slowly and correctly is the foundation; a fast one learned wrongly is hard to undo.
- Fix a small daily countChoose a number you will still be doing next month, and tie it to something already fixed, such as the time just after you bathe.
- Read the meaning once a weekSo that the words do not turn into sound alone.
Who can chant it
In the older custom the mantra was given at the sacred thread ceremony, and some families and schools still keep to that. Today it is recited openly by people of every background, by women as well as men, and many teachers encourage exactly that.
This article does not rule between those views. If you belong to a tradition that has a position, follow your own teacher.
Where this site stands
This is a site about Premanand Ji Maharaj, and the Gayatri Mantra is not his particular teaching: his instruction to a new seeker is the Radha naam, with no fixed hour and no minimum count. We are not attributing anything in this article to him.
It is here because people ask about it. If you want what he himself tells people to do, read how to start naam jap or the teachings page.
This is a fan website, not the official site of Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj. The article summarises what he teaches in public satsang; it does not quote him. If something here is wrong, tell us and it is corrected the same week.
