About this stotra
The Gayatri Mantram Ghanapatham presents the sacred Gayatri Mantra (Rigveda 3.62.10) recited in the elaborate Ghana patha mode — the most complex of the eleven traditional Vedic recitation styles. In Ghana patha, adjacent words of the mantra are chanted in intricate forward-and-reverse patterns, ensuring perfect preservation of the text and generating intensified spiritual merit. The Gayatri Mantra itself meditates on the divine solar radiance of Savitri and prays for the illumination of the intellect. Reciting even the simple mantra is considered supremely purifying; the Ghana patha amplifies this many-fold.
ओ-म्भूर्भुव॒स्सुवः॒ तथ्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्यं॒ भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि । धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचोदया᳚त् ॥
ō-mbhūrbhuva̠ssuva̠ḥ tathsa̍vi̠turvarē̎ṇyaṃ̠ bhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi । dhiyō̠ yō na̍ḥ prachōdayā̎t ॥
Om. Bhuh (earth), Bhuvah (atmosphere), Suvah (heavens). We meditate on the supreme, adorable divine radiance of Savitri (the Sun-god). May that light inspire and illuminate our intellects and thoughts.
ओ-न्तथ्स॑वि॒तु - स्सवि॒तु - स्तत्त॒थ्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्यं॒-वँरे᳚ण्यग्ं सवि॒तु स्तत्तथ्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्यम् ।
ō-ntathsa̍vi̠tu - ssavi̠tu - statta̠thsa̍vi̠turvarē̎ṇya̠ṃ varē̎ṇyagṃ savi̠tu stattathsa̍vi̠turvarē̎ṇyam ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of the words "tat savituh... savituh tat... tat savituh varenyam... varenyam savituh tat..." of the Gayatri Mantra. This traditional Vedic recitation technique deepens memorization and generates great spiritual merit.
स॒वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्यं॒-वँरे᳚ण्यग्ं सवि॒तु-स्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्य-म्भर्गो॒ भर्गो॒ वरे᳚ण्यग्ं सवि॒तु-स्स॑वितु॒र्वरे᳚ण्य॒-म्भर्गः॑ ।
sa̠vi̠turvarē̎ṇya̠ṃ varē̎ṇyagṃ savi̠tu-ssa̍vi̠turvarē̎ṇya-mbhargō̠ bhargō̠ varē̎ṇyagṃ savi̠tu-ssa̍vitu̠rvarē̎ṇya̠-mbharga̍ḥ ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of the words "savituh varenyam... varenyam savituh... savituh varenyam bhargo..." This complex weaving of the Gayatri's sacred syllables is one of the eleven Vedic recitation modes (pathah).
वरे᳚ण्य॒-म्भर्गो॒ भर्गो॒ वरे᳚ण्यं॒-वँरे᳚ण्य॒-म्भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ दे॒वस्य॒ भर्गो॒ वरे᳚ण्यं॒-वँरे᳚ण्य॒-म्भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ ।
varē̎ṇya̠-mbhargō̠ bhargō̠ varē̎ṇya̠ṃ varē̎ṇya̠-mbhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dē̠vasya̠ bhargō̠ varē̎ṇya̠ṃ varē̎ṇya̠-mbhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of "varenyam bhargo... bhargo varenyam... varenyam bhargo devasya..." Each Ghana patha segment interweaves adjacent words of the mantra, forward then backward, to preserve the sacred text with perfect accuracy.
भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ दे॒वस्य॒ भर्गो॒ भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि धीमहि दे॒वस्य॒ भर्गो॒ भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि ।
bhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dē̠vasya̠ bhargō̠ bhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi dhīmahi dē̠vasya̠ bhargō̠ bhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of "bhargo devasya... devasya bhargo... bhargo devasya dhimahi..." The Ghana mode is the most elaborate of all Vedic recitation modes and is considered especially powerful for purification.
दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि धीमहि दे॒वस्य॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि । धी॒म॒हीति॑ धीमहि ।
dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi dhīmahi dē̠vasya̍ dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi । dhī̠ma̠hīti̍ dhīmahi ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of "devasya dhimahi... dhimahi devasya... devasya dhimahi... dhimahiti dhimahi." This segment meditates on the divine effulgence (bharga) of the Deva (Savitri).
धियो॒ यो यो धियो॒ धियो॒ यो नो॑ नो॒ यो धियो॒ धियो॒ योनः॑ ॥
dhiyō̠ yō yō dhiyō̠ dhiyō̠ yō nō̍ nō̠ yō dhiyō̠ dhiyō̠ yōna̍ḥ ॥
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of "dhiyo yo... yo dhiyo... dhiyo yo nah... nah yo dhiyo... dhiyo yo nah." This segment invokes the divine to inspire (prachodayat) our intellects (dhiyah).
यो 0नो॑ नो॒ यो योनः॑ प्रचो॒दया᳚त्प्रचो॒दया᳚न्नो॒ यो योनः॑ प्रचो॒दया᳚त् ।
yō 0nō̍ nō̠ yō yōna̍ḥ prachō̠dayā̎tprachō̠dayā̎nnō̠ yō yōna̍ḥ prachō̠dayā̎t ।
Ghana patha recitation — forward-and-reverse pattern of "yo nah... nah yo... yo nah prachodayat... prachodayat nah yo..." The repeated interweaving of the prayer for illumination (prachodayat) intensifies the mantra's potency.
नः॒ प्र॒चो॒दया᳚-त्प्रचो॒दया᳚न्नो नः प्रचो॒दया᳚त् । प्र॒चो॒दया॒दिति॑ प्र-चो॒दया᳚त् ।
na̠ḥ pra̠chō̠dayā̎-tprachō̠dayā̎nnō naḥ prachō̠dayā̎t । pra̠chō̠dayā̠diti̍ pra-chō̠dayā̎t ।
Ghana patha recitation — concluding forward-and-reverse pattern "nah prachodayat... prachodayat nah... nah prachodayat... prachodayat." The Ghana recitation ends with the full prayer: May the divine light guide and inspire our thoughts and actions.
ओ-म्भूः । ओ-म्भुवः । ओग्ं सुवः । ओ-म्महः । ओ-ञ्जनः । ओ-न्तपः । ओग्ं स॒त्यम् ।
ओ-न्तथ्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे᳚ण्यं॒ भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि ।
धियो॒ यो नः॑ प्रचोदया᳚त् ॥
ओमापो॒ ज्योती॒ रसो॒-ऽमृत॒-म्ब्रह्म॒ भू-र्भुव॒-स्सुव॒रोम् ॥
ō-mbhūḥ । ō-mbhuvaḥ । ōgṃ suvaḥ । ō-mmahaḥ । ō-ñjanaḥ । ō-ntapaḥ । ōgṃ sa̠tyam ।
ō-ntathsa̍vi̠turvarē̎ṇyaṃ̠ bhargō̍ dē̠vasya̍ dhīmahi ।
dhiyō̠ yō na̍ḥ prachōdayā̎t ॥
ōmāpō̠ jyōtī̠ rasō̠-'mṛta̠-mbrahma̠ bhū-rbhuva̠-ssuva̠rōm ॥
Om Bhuh. Om Bhuvah. Om Suvah. Om Mahah. Om Janah. Om Tapah. Om Satyam. Om — we meditate on the adorable divine radiance of Savitri; may it inspire our intellects. Om — water, light, essence, immortality, Brahman; earth, atmosphere, heaven — Om.