Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 420: Shri Gayatryai (ōṃ gāyatryai namaḥ )

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details.

The Divine Mother is the Gayatri mantra. 

Gaya means the one who recites; tri means the safe guarding. So the gayatri means it protects the devotee who chants the mantra. With improvements for the  chanter come on its own. As the devotee recites the Gayatri mantra with involvement, he gets the purity and clarity of his mind. 

The Gayatri mantra is famous in worship of the supreme Divine. It is celebrated as the essence of the four Vedas. Each deity worthy of worshipping has its own Gayatri mantra. There are three sections for each Gayatri mantra. The first section talks about the reference to the deity. The second section describes the attributes and the glories of the deity. The third section asks for blessings, protection from the deity up on whom the mantra is recited. These mantras give a means to get the benefits in worshipping the deity of devotee’s choice; here with this Gayatryai mantra, it is the Divine Mother. In these Gayatri mantras recitation gives the benefits much faster. So the Gayatri mantras are considered important.

Gayatri celebrated as the mother of Vedas, has 24 syllables. It is safe guarding the person, makes his mind to move to Ananda state in reciting the Gayatri mantra. 

In Padma Purana, a story about Brahma is told: In initiating a rite, Brahma asks his spouse Sarasvthi to be with him at the place of doing the rites. She was with Mahalakshmi Devi conversing deeply and delayed her participation in the rites. Brahma got angry, and created a divine shakti  using his servant maid Gayatri and married her to start the rites. The Divine Mother is in Gayatri rupa. 

Essentially, Gayatri mantra consists of a meter with twenty-four syllables. Lord Krishna says, “I am Gayatri among the meters” as in Gita X.35. This mantra is used to pray to the Divine Mother. Gayatri is that which protects (tra) one who sings (Ga). The Divine Mother’s holy names are equal to the Gayatri mantra. In Padma Purana, Gaytri Devi herself says, “After bathing in the morning, one should repeat Me, the Mother of Vedas. I abide in three parts part with eight syllables in each part, yet I fill the entire universe.”

 The Gayatri mantra is considered to be most exalted mantra. Gayatri is the source of all Vedas, having become the seed for all four Vedas. Gayatri is celebrated as mother of Vedas and as wife of Brahma. 

“Om Bhur Bhuva Suvah

Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi

Dhiyo yo nah Prachodayat” 

In the Vasistha Ramayana, “The Divine Mother is referred as Gayatri. She is in the form of Song.”

The Gayatri Devi as the Divine Mother

         

C N Nachiappun 

Singapore, 20 March 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar.