Gayatri Mantra is a Hindu Vedic hymn which is regarded as the holiest verse of the Vedas, the oldest sacred Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Sri Gayatri Mantra is addressed to Goddess Gayatri Devi, who is considered as the Goddess of all Vedas (Veda Mata). Goddess Gayatri, is usually portrayed as a Five-faced Goddess with ten arms holding all the weapons of Lord Vishnu. The Goddess is usually shown seated in a red lotus, representing wealth. Many Hindus consider Gayatri Devi as the Brahman itself in the feminine form. While some people consider the Goddess as the combined form of the Trimurtis – Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma – while some other consider the Goddess as the combined form of Goddess Lakshmi, Parvathi and Saraswati.

Gayatri Maha Mantra Lyrics

Aum Bhoor Bhuwah Swaha,
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasaya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yo Naha Prachodayat

Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra

The simple meaning of Gayatri mantra is "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". And here is the word by word meaning of Gayatri Maha Mantram

The first nine words of Gayatri mantra describes the glory of God

Aum - Brahma
Bhoor - embodiment of vital spiritual energy (pran)
Bhuwah - destroyer of sufferings
Swaha - embodiment of happiness
Tat - that
Savitur - bright like sun
Varenyam - best choicest
Bhargo - destroyer of sins
Devasya - divine
Dheemahi - may absorb - pertains to meditation
Dhiyo - intellect
Yo - who
Naha - our
Prachodayat - may inspire

Significance of Gayatri Mantra

Vedas are considered as the true and real source of knowledge. Ancient Rishis who were the great Gurus have arranged the Gayatri mantra in such a way that chanting this Maha mantra will provide immense energy as the syllables of the mantra are believed to positively affect all the energy centers (chakras) in the human body. Hence proper pronunciation of the mantra is required to correctly invoke the energy centers of our body.

Chanting of Gayatri mantra helps to illuminate our intellect and remove all the obstacles on our path and helps in our spiritual growth and development.

How many times should Gayatri Mantra be Chanted?

To get the maximum benefit of Gayatri mantra, one need to chant the mantra for 108 times. However, for those who have a busy schedule can chant the mantra in 3, 9 or 18 repitations.