Ved Mata · Mother of the Vedas · The goddess of the mantra
Gayatri
Gayatri Mata, Ved Mata, is the Gayatri Mantra as a goddess: the mother of the Vedas, worshipped at dawn, noon and dusk wherever her mantra is said. Chant it with its meaning, and see when Gayatri Jayanti falls in your city.
- Her days
- Every day
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- Next Gayatri day
- Gayatri Jayanti
- In 225 days · Mon 14 June
Pratah sandhya · Gayatri
Dawn
At dawn, the first sandhya, the mantra is chanted facing the rising sun, and many offer water to the sun as it is said. In the morning she is worshipped as Gayatri herself, with her mala and her water pot.
Chant the Gayatri Mantra →Madhyahna sandhya · Savitri
Noon
At noon, the second sandhya, with the sun at its height, the mantra is said again, and she is worshipped as Savitri, her name from Savitar, the sun the mantra prays to.
Sayam sandhya · Saraswati
Dusk
At dusk, the third sandhya, as the sun goes down, she is worshipped as Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of speech and learning. So one mantra is said three times a day, where light meets dark.
Ved Mata
The four Vedas
She is Ved Mata, the mother of the Vedas, and is shown holding them. Of her five faces, four are said to stand for the four Vedas: the Rig, the Yajur, the Sama and the Atharva.
Her seat
The lotus
She is shown seated on a lotus: the flower that rises clean out of muddy water, as the mind the mantra prays for rises clear of what clouds it.
For the 108
The mala
She holds a mala, a string of beads, and her mantra is counted on one: 3, 11 or 108 times, one bead moved with each saying, aloud, softly or in the mind.
Kamandalu
The water pot
She holds the kamandalu, a water pot. Water is part of every sandhya: at dawn many pour it to the sun from a pot as they chant her mantra.
Tap a sun or an emblem, or its name, to read about it. Dawn, noon and dusk on a ring of 24 points, one for each syllable of her mantra in its three lines of eight; her emblems inside.
Her days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, the day of Nirjala Ekadashi: her birthday as many calendars keep it.
- Every day
- Sun 1 NovHer days of the week
- Shravana Purnima
- Tue 17 Aug
Chant the Gayatri Mantra
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.
Om. Earth, sky and heaven. We hold in our minds the shining light of the divine sun, Savitar, the best of all to worship. May he wake our minds and lead them on.
ॐ। पृथ्वी, आकाश और स्वर्ग। हम सूर्य देव सविता के उस चमकते तेज का ध्यान करते हैं, जो पूजने के लिए सबसे श्रेष्ठ है। वे हमारी बुद्धि को जगाएँ और सही राह पर ले चलें।
Her own mantra, a verse of the Rig Veda (3.62.10) seen by Rishi Vishvamitra, in the gayatri metre of 24 syllables, to Savitar, the divine sun. It is chanted at dawn, noon and dusk, 3, 11 or 108 times on a mala. Her aarti and chalisa are not given here until their authorship is known.
The mantra word by wordA simple Gayatri puja at home
Customs differ by family and region; this is a simple way to worship her at home, best at sunrise. Her aarti and chalisa are not given here.
- Rise early, before sunrise if you can, and bathe.
- Offer water to the rising sun from a pot.
- Spread a cloth and set her picture on it.
- Offer flowers, akshat and fruit, and light a lamp and incense.
- Chant the Gayatri Mantra 3, 11 or 108 times on a mala, facing the east.
- Say Om Gayatryai Namah, and pray for a clear and awakened mind.
What you need
- A pot of water for the sun
- A clean cloth
- Her picture
- Flowers
- Akshat, unbroken rice
- A lamp and incense
- Fruit
- A mala
Prayers for the puja
- Gayatri MantraRead
Who is Gayatri
Gayatri is the Gayatri Mantra as a goddess. The mantra, a verse of the Rig Veda seen by Rishi Vishvamitra, is in the gayatri metre of 24 syllables, in three lines of eight, and it prays to Savitar, the divine sun, to wake the mind. The goddess of the mantra is called Ved Mata, the mother of the Vedas.
She is worshipped at the three sandhyas, the meeting points of the day: at dawn as Gayatri, at noon as Savitri and at dusk as Goddess Saraswati. She is shown with five faces and ten hands, seated on a lotus, with the Vedas, a mala and a water pot among what she holds; in the Puranas she is the consort of Lord Brahma.
Her mantra is given to a child at the upanayana, the sacred thread ceremony, and is chanted at sunrise in Hindu homes everywhere. At Pushkar she sits beside Lord Brahma in his temple, with a temple of her own on a hill nearby. Gayatri Jayanti falls on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi in many places and on Shravana Purnima in others: the date differs by tradition.
- Gayatri Mata Mother Gayatri, as devotees call her
- Ved Mata the mother of the Vedas
- Savitri from Savitar, the sun her mantra prays to
- Gayatri Devi the goddess Gayatri
ॐ गायत्र्यै नमः
Om Gayatryai Namah
Om, I bow to Gayatri: her name said as a short mantra of salutation, after her mantra or on its own.
ॐ, माँ गायत्री को नमस्कार: उनका नाम, नमस्कार के एक छोटे मंत्र के रूप में, उनके मंत्र के बाद या अकेले।
बृहत्साम तथा साम्नां गायत्री छन्दसामहम्।
मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकरः॥
Brihat sama tatha samnam gayatri chhandasam aham,
Masanam margashirsho ham ritunam kusumakarah.
Of the hymns of the Sama Veda I am the Brihat Saman; of metres I am the Gayatri; of the months I am Margashirsha; of the seasons I am spring, the bringer of flowers.
साम वेद के गीतों में मैं बृहत्साम हूँ, छंदों में मैं गायत्री हूँ, महीनों में मैं मार्गशीर्ष हूँ और ऋतुओं में फूलों वाला वसंत हूँ।
Her great days
When devotees worship her most
Gayatri Jayanti
Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, the bright eleventh of Jyeshtha, in May or June, the same day as Nirjala Ekadashi: the day she appeared, as many calendars keep it. Devotees rise early, chant her mantra and worship her at home.
Gayatri Jayanti, on Shravana Purnima
Shravana Purnima, the full moon of Shravana, in July or August: the day of her Jayanti in other traditions and regions. The dates differ by tradition, so follow your family or temple.
The three sandhyas
Every day has her three times of prayer: dawn, noon and dusk, the meeting points of the day, when her mantra is said. Dawn above all, when the sun rises.
What her symbols mean
The rising sun
Her mantra prays to Savitar, the sun as the one who wakes the world, and it is chanted above all at sunrise, facing the east.
The three sandhyas
Dawn, noon and dusk, the meeting points of the day, when her mantra is said: she is Gayatri in the morning, Savitri at noon and Goddess Saraswati in the evening.
The 24 syllables
The gayatri metre has 24 syllables, in three lines of eight: the metre gives the mantra its name, and the mantra gives its name to her.
The four Vedas
She is Ved Mata, the mother of the Vedas, and holds them; four of her five faces are said to stand for the four Vedas.
The lotus
Her seat: the flower that rises clean out of muddy water, as a clear mind rises out of confusion.
The mala and the water pot
The tools of daily prayer: the beads on which her mantra is counted, and the water of the sandhya and the offering to the sun.
The swan
In pictures of her today she rides a swan, the hamsa; older images give her other mounts. The drawing here keeps to objects.
Her stories
Across India
Rajasthan
At Pushkar her image sits beside Lord Brahma’s in his temple by the lake, and she has a temple of her own on a hill, lower than Ratnagiri, the hill of Savitri’s temple.
Karnataka
In the grounds of the Mysore Palace stands a Gayatri temple built in 1953 by Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of Mysore.
Across India
Wherever her mantra is chanted at sunrise, she is honoured. Many keep her Jayanti on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, and other traditions and regions on Shravana Purnima.
Her temples
- Brahma Temple, where she sits beside BrahmaPushkar, Rajasthan
- Gayatri Temple, on its hillPushkar, Rajasthan
- Gayatri Temple, in the palace groundsMysore, Karnataka
Questions
When is Gayatri Jayanti in 2027?
Gayatri Jayanti, Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, as many calendars keep it, is on Monday 14 June 2027 in New Delhi. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Who is Gayatri Mata?
Gayatri Mata is the Gayatri Mantra as a goddess: Ved Mata, the mother of the Vedas. She is worshipped at the three sandhyas, dawn, noon and dusk, as Gayatri, Savitri and Goddess Saraswati.
Why is she called Ved Mata?
Ved Mata means the mother of the Vedas. She is shown holding them, and four of her five faces are said to stand for the four Vedas.
When is Gayatri Jayanti?
The date differs by tradition. Many calendars keep it on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, in May or June, the day of Nirjala Ekadashi; other traditions and regions keep it on Shravana Purnima, in July or August. Follow your family or temple.
Which day is Gayatri Mata’s?
Sources do not agree on a day of the week for her, so every day is hers, at its three sandhyas: dawn, noon and dusk, when her mantra is said.
What are the three sandhyas?
Dawn, noon and dusk, the meeting points of the day. Her mantra is said at each, and she is worshipped as Gayatri in the morning, Savitri at noon and Goddess Saraswati in the evening.
How many syllables does the Gayatri Mantra have?
It is in the gayatri metre of 24 syllables, in three lines of eight, after Om and the three great words Bhur Bhuvah Svah. The metre gives the mantra its name.
Where are Gayatri Mata’s temples?
At Pushkar in Rajasthan she sits beside Lord Brahma in his temple and has her own temple on a hill nearby. In Mysore a Gayatri temple stands in the grounds of the palace.