Gayatri Chalisa

Joined with the syllable Om and the three worlds named in Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah, Gayatri is the divine Mother. Day after day she burns away the impurities of this dark age.

Her mantra has twenty-four supremely pure syllables. Within these syllables live the scriptures, the Vedas and the wisdom of the Gita.

She is eternal, full of pure sattva, the very form of goodness. She is truth itself, ancient and beginningless, sweet like nectar and beyond compare.

Seated upon a swan and clothed in white garments, she moves with a golden, spotless radiance through the open sky.

In her hands she holds a book, a flower, a water-pot and a rosary. Her body is fair and luminous, and her eyes are wide and full of grace.

Whoever meditates on her thrills with joy and finds true well-being. Happiness rises within, while sorrow and wrong-mindedness fall away.

You are the wish-granting cow and the shade of the heavenly wish-tree. You are the wondrous creative power of the formless Supreme.

Whoever takes refuge in you crosses safely beyond every trouble and danger.

You are Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali all in one, and your unique light shines through each of these forms.

No one can reach the limit of your glory, even if a thousand-tongued Sharada were to sing your praises with a hundred mouths.

You are the pure mother of the four Vedas. You are Brahmani, Gauri and Sita, taking shape as each great goddess.

Of all the great mantras that exist in this world, not one equals the Gayatri Mantra in power.

Remembering you, knowledge dawns within the heart, and laziness, sin and ignorance are destroyed.

You are the seed of creation, mother of the world, the great Bhavani. You are Kalaratri who grants boons, the one who brings welfare to all.

Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and all the gods receive from you their consciousness and inner awareness.

You belong to your devotees and they belong to you. To you they are dearer than life itself, as a child is to its mother.

Your glory is boundless and beyond measure. Victory, victory, victory to you, the three-footed goddess who removes all fear.

All knowledge and deeper wisdom are complete in you. In this whole world there is no one greater than you.

Once you are truly known, nothing more remains to be known. Once you are attained, no suffering is left behind.

Knowing you, the devotee becomes one with you, just as base metal turns to gold at the touch of the philosopher's stone.

Your power shines in every place. Mother, you are present and contained everywhere.

The countless planets, stars and universes all move because you set them in motion.

You are the life-giving ordainer of all creation, the one who protects, nourishes, dissolves and saves.

O sovereign Mother, holding fast to your vow of compassion, you have ferried even the heaviest sinners across to safety.

On whomever your grace falls, everyone else also turns kind and favourable toward that person.

The dull-minded gain sharpness and strength of intellect, and the sick are made free of their illness.

Poverty ends and every pain is cut away. Sorrow is destroyed and the fear of worldly existence is removed.

Household conflict and the heavy worries of the mind are dissolved, for Gayatri is the destroyer of all fear.

Those without children are blessed with worthy offspring, and they rejoice surrounded by happiness and prosperity.

Ghosts and evil spirits all flee in fear, and the messengers of death dare not come near.

The married woman who remembers you with a focused heart keeps her good fortune unbroken and ever joyful.

The unmarried girl receives a good home and a worthy partner, and the widow is upheld in her vow of truth and virtue.

Victory, victory to you, Bhavani, mother of the world. There is no other so compassionate and so generous as you.

Whoever receives initiation from a true guru makes their spiritual practice fruitful.

The fortunate soul who remembers you with sincere love attains the heart's desire, whether a householder or a renunciate.

You are the giver of the eight powers and the nine treasures. Mother Gayatri, you are capable of all things.

Sages, ascetics, hermits and yogis, the distressed, the seeker, the anxious and the worldly alike turn to you.

Each and every one who comes to your refuge receives the fruit their heart longs for.

Strength, intellect, learning, good character and conduct, wealth, splendour, fame and a rising radiance all come through your grace.

All these blessings grow and many kinds of happiness arise for those who recite this hymn with steady, mindful attention.