Verse
The Savitri verse of Rigveda 3.62.10, commonly called the Gayatri Mantra, presented as an unaccented reading text with source and meaning.
Devanagari
Text and meaning checked against the cited sources.
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि।
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥
IAST transliteration
Text and meaning checked against the cited sources.
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi |
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ||
English translation
Text and meaning checked against the cited sources.
We contemplate the desirable radiance of the god Savitr; may he impel our thoughts.
DurgaShakti editorial rendering of Rigveda 3.62.10. “Thoughts” can also be explained as understanding or inspired insight.
Savitri, Gayatri and the displayed text
The verse addresses Savitr, a Vedic deity whose name is connected with impelling or enlivening. Gayatri is the name of the metre; Savitri identifies the verse through that deity. In later religious settings Gayatri is also personified as a Goddess. Those later associations should be distinguished from the grammatical addressee of this Rigvedic verse.
Meaning and recitation
The movement of the verse is from contemplation of divine radiance to a request for the stirring of thought or understanding. Ralph T. H. Griffith’s nineteenth-century translation renders the final idea in terms of stimulated prayers. The English wording here is an editorial explanation, with the source translation linked for comparison.
The familiar prefacing syllables belong to its liturgical presentation and are not included in the displayed Rigvedic verse. The Scriptures guide places the Rigveda within Shruti; the Mantras guide explains the distinction between a readable transliteration and instruction in a transmitted practice.
Source and attribution
Scriptural attribution
Source locator checked; consult the references and notes for its scope.
Rigveda 3.62.10, the Savitri verse. The displayed verse omits the later liturgical prefacing formula beginning with Om and the vyahritis.
The Rigvedic hymn is traditionally associated with Vishvamitra. The verse addresses Savitr. Its title Gayatri also names its Vedic metre and should not erase that textual identification.
Associated devotional context
Savitr; later liturgical and devotional associations with Gayatri
Traditional context
A Rigvedic verse received in Vedic and later Hindu recitation, including sandhya traditions. Its textual occurrence is distinct from the instructions of a particular recitational lineage.
Practice context and variations
This is a source-based reading presentation, not an initiation or a prescription of repetition counts. Follow the teaching of your own community for ritual or lineage-specific recitation.
Pronunciation notes
This is an unaccented reading display. IAST does not show the Vedic pitch accents or teach the metrical recitation. Printed and chanted forms may handle vareṇyam differently; consult a trained teacher for Vedic chanting.
Sources and references
- Primary / scriptural: Rigveda 3.62.10, Ralph T. H. Griffith translation (1896) View reference
- Traditional / commentarial: Shri Chitrapur Math, Sandhyavandanam: Sanskrit text and traditional liturgical context (comparison, not a universal practice rule) View reference
