गायत्रीgāyatrī · sāvitrī
The Gāyatrī mantra, word by word
3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026
In short
The Gāyatrī mantra is Ṛgveda 3.62.10, a verse attributed to the seer Viśvāmitra and addressed to Savitṛ, the divine Impeller: tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi, dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt. Our translation: may we receive that excellent radiance of the god Savitṛ, who shall inspire our thoughts. It is usually preceded by oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ.
Listen: Om and the Gāyatrī — short extract
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Chapters
Guided audio narrated with a synthetic voice (ElevenLabs). Sanskrit recitation checked line by line.
Read the transcript
Oṃ, the syllable. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad divides it into three sounds, A, U and M: waking, dream and deep sleep. And a fourth part, the silence that follows.
Sit comfortably. Breathe in through the nose, and chant one long Om on the out-breath. Then rest in the silence for one breath. Three times, at your own pace.
Breathe in.
Om. [you chant]
Rest in the silence.
Breathe in.
Om. [you chant]
Rest in the silence.
Breathe in.
Om. [you chant]
Rest in the silence.
The Gāyatrī. A verse of the Ṛgveda, three, sixty-two, ten, attributed to the seer Viśvāmitra and addressed to Savitṛ, the sun as the divine power that sets all in motion. Listen once.
ॐ, भूर् भुवः स्वः। तत् सवितुर् वरेण्यं। भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥ (oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ / tat savitur vareṇyaṃ / bhargo devasya dhīmahi / dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt)
Now line by line. Repeat each line after me, slowly.
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः। (oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ)
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं। (tat savitur vareṇyaṃ)
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। (bhargo devasya dhīmahi)
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥ (dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt)
Our translation: Om. Earth, atmosphere, sky. May we receive that excellent radiance of the god Savitṛ, who shall inspire our thoughts.
Some traditional families prefer that the Gāyatrī be received from a teacher; others open it to all. Whichever you follow, chant it seated, attentive, without haste. This was an extract from Sacred Mantras, on yogide.com.
For three thousand years, at dawn, noon and dusk, Brahmin households have recited the same twenty-four syllables to the sun. The Gāyatrī is the best-known verse of the Vedas, and one of the oldest prayers still recited every day by millions of people.
The text
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 ||
Om. Earth, atmosphere, sky. May we receive that excellent radiance of the god Savitṛ, who shall inspire our thoughts.
Word by word
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| oṃ | the sacred syllable, Om |
| bhūḥ | earth |
| bhuvaḥ | the middle space, the atmosphere |
| svaḥ | the sky, the heavenly world |
| tat | that |
| savituḥ | of Savitṛ, "the Impeller", the sun as the power that sets everything in motion |
| vareṇyam | excellent, worthy to be chosen |
| bhargaḥ (bhargo) | radiance, splendour |
| devasya | of the god |
| dhīmahi | may we receive, may we meditate on: the form is read both ways |
| dhiyaḥ (dhiyo) | thoughts, insights, visions (plural) |
| yaḥ (yo) | who |
| naḥ | our |
| pracodayāt | may he impel, may he inspire |
The Gāyatrī asks for neither wealth nor health. It asks that the divine light should stir our dhī, our power of thought and vision: a prayer for clear understanding.
Where the verse comes from
The verse is the tenth of hymn 62 in the third book of the Ṛgveda, the book traditionally attributed to the seer Viśvāmitra and his family. In Theodor Aufrecht's edition, published on GRETIL, it reads tat savitur vareṇyam bhargo devasya dhīmahi | dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt, exactly as it is chanted today, apart from sandhi.
From the texts
Ralph T. H. Griffith's public-domain translation (The Hymns of the Rigveda, 2nd edition, 1896) reads: "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God: So may he stimulate our prayers."
The opening oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ is not part of the Ṛgveda verse. It joins Om and the three "great utterances" (mahāvyāhṛti), the names of the three worlds. The White Yajurveda (Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā 36.3) already gives the verse preceded by bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, and ritual practice adds Om before it.
The name and the metre
Gāyatrī is first the name of a metre: three lines of eight syllables, twenty-four in all. The verse is also called Sāvitrī, after Savitṛ, the god it addresses. Count the first line and you find only seven syllables: tat-sa-vi-tur-va-reṇ-yam. Vedic metre restores the eighth by reading va-re-ṇi-yam, and many traditional chanters still pronounce it that way.
The Upanishads meditate on the name. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.12.1) opens with gāyatrī vā idaṃ sarvaṃ bhūtam, "the Gāyatrī is all that exists", and adds that speech is the Gāyatrī, for speech "sings and protects" (gāyati ca trāyate ca). The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (5.14.4) explains: the Gāyatrī protected (tatre) the gaya, and the gaya are the vital breaths; hence its name. It adds that the Sāvitrī a teacher recites to a pupil protects that pupil's breaths.
The tradition: sandhyā and upanayana
In orthodox Brahmanical practice the Gāyatrī is the heart of the sandhyā-vandana, the rite performed at the three junctions of the day. It was imparted to a boy by his father or teacher during the upanayana, the sacred thread ceremony, and was not taught outside that frame.
From the nineteenth century, reform movements, the Ārya Samāj among them, and many twentieth-century teachers opened it to all, women and non-Brahmins included. Today it is sung in temples, schools, yoga classes and on countless recordings. Some traditional families and teachers still prefer that it be received from a teacher. Both attitudes exist in India today; we present the text with respect for both.
How to pronounce it
"Om bhoor bhu-va-ha sva-ha / tat sa-vi-tur va-re-ṇyam (or va-re-ṇi-yam) / bhar-go de-vas-ya dhee-ma-hi / dhi-yo yo na-ha pra-cho-da-yaat."
- c in pracodayāt is "ch"; the final āt is long.
- dh and bh are aspirated: a consonant followed by a breath, never an English "th".
- The ḥ of bhuvaḥ, svaḥ, naḥ is a light breath, barely audible.
- Vedic chanters use pitch accents learned by ear; a recording made by a trained Vedic reciter is the best model.
How it is chanted
- Sit facing east at dawn, or facing the sun at another junction of the day.
- Take a few calm breaths and recall the meaning: the light that inspires understanding.
- Recite slowly, aloud or in a murmur, one Gāyatrī per breath or two.
- Traditional counts are 10, 28 or 108; a japa mala of 108 beads helps.
- End in silence for a minute.
If you have not received it from a teacher and wish to chant it, do so with the same respect: seated, attentive, without haste. Our page on mantra meditation and japa gives the full method, and the overview of Sanskrit mantras places the Gāyatrī among the other great mantras, including the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya, its Vedic companion.
Good to know
The Gāyatrī also has many later "versions" addressed to other deities (Gaṇeśa, Śiva, Viṣṇu…), built on the same metre. They are devotional compositions; the Gāyatrī of the Ṛgveda is the one on this page.
Questions people ask
What does the Gayatri mantra mean in simple words?
It is a prayer for clear understanding: we meditate on the radiance of the divine sun, Savitṛ, so that it may inspire and direct our thinking.
Why is it called Gayatri?
Gāyatrī is the name of its metre: three lines of eight syllables. The Upanishads add a play on words: it protects (trā) the vital breaths (gaya), Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.14.4.
Can women or non-Hindus chant the Gayatri?
Orthodox tradition imparted it at the sacred thread ceremony. Since the nineteenth century, reform movements and many teachers have opened it to all; some families and teachers still prefer that it be received from a teacher.
When should the Gayatri mantra be chanted?
Traditionally at the three junctions of the day (sandhyā): dawn, noon and dusk, facing the sun, often 10, 28 or 108 times.
Sources
- Ṛgveda-Saṃhitā, ed. Aufrecht (1877), Sanskrit text, verse 3.62.10 (GRETIL) checked October 16, 2026
- Ralph T. H. Griffith, The Hymns of the Rigveda, vol. 1, 2nd edition (Benares, 1896), Internet Archive checked October 16, 2026
- Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā (White Yajurveda), chapter 36, verse 3 with bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ (TITUS, Frankfurt) checked October 16, 2026
- Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.14 on the Gāyatrī, Sanskrit text (GRETIL) checked October 16, 2026
- Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12 on the Gāyatrī, Sanskrit text (GRETIL) checked October 16, 2026