Gāyatrī Mantra | Sāvitri Mantra

The Gāyatrī Mantra, also known as the Sāvitri Mantra, is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr. Gāyatrī is the name of the Goddess of the Vedic meter in which the verse is composed. The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Hindu texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy, and classical Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Harivamsa, and Manusmṛti. The mantra and its associated metric form was known by the Buddha. The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony. It is considered one of the most important and powerful Vedic mantras.

In Majjhima Nikaya 92, the Buddha refers to the Sāvitri mantra as the foremost meter, in the same sense as the king is foremost among humans, or the sun is foremost among lights:

"The foremost of sacrifices is offering to the sacred flame; the Sāvittī is the foremost of poetic meters; of humans, the king is the foremost; the ocean’s the foremost of rivers; the foremost of stars is the moon; the sun is the foremost of lights; for those who sacrifice seeking merit, the Saṅgha is the foremost."

In Sutta Nipata 3.4, the Buddha uses the Sāvitri mantra as a paradigmatic indicator of Brahmanic knowledge:

"If you say you brahmin are, but call me none, then of you I ask the chant of Sāvitrī"