Gāyatrī Sahasranāma in the Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Gāyatrī is the most sacred mantra of the Vedas, and she is also honoured as a Devī, the divine mother. The Gāyatrī Sahasranāma is the collection of her thousand names. Skanda 12 (Book 12) of the Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa gives the full Gāyatrī Sahasranāma in Chapter 6.

Around it are chapters on the Gāyatrī Kavaca (an “armour” of protective mantras, Chapter 3), the Gāyatrī Hṛdaya (“heart of Gāyatrī”, Chapter 4) and the Gāyatrī Stotra (hymn of praise, Chapter 5). The Sahasranāma is one of the most important texts of the Śākta tradition (those who honour the Devī as supreme) in this Purāṇa. It identifies Gāyatrī with the Mūla Prakṛti Parāśakti, the root power of all nature, and presents her as the ruling Devī of the Vedas and of all creation.

Gāyatrī as Parāśakti

All through Skanda 12, the Devī Bhāgavata teaches that Gāyatrī Devī is not only a Vedic mantra or the presiding deity of the Sāvitrī mantra. She is the supreme Parāśakti herself, in her form as mother of the Vedas. Chapter 1 opens with an inquiry into Gāyatrī’s true nature (Gāyatrī-vicāraṇa) and teaches that:

• Gāyatrī is the mother of the Vedas; the Vedas themselves came forth from her
• She is at once Brāhmī (the śakti or power of Brahmā), Vaishṇavī (the śakti of Vishṇu) and Raudrī (the śakti of Śiva); each deva of the Trimūrti receives his power from her
• She is both the Parāśakti with qualities (saguṇa) and Brahman beyond all qualities (nirguṇa)
• Each of the twenty-four letters of the Gāyatrī mantra carries its own śakti, as explained in Chapter 2 (Gāyatrī Varṇa-śakti)

The Gāyatrī Kavaca

The Gāyatrī Kavaca (Chapter 3) is a complete kavaca, a text of protective mantras worn like armour. In it, different names of Gāyatrī are given the task of protecting particular parts of the body from particular dangers. It follows the classic kavaca pattern: śirorakshā (protection of the head), netrarakshā (protection of the eyes), and so on through all the limbs and vital points. Its opening says that a person who wears the Gāyatrī Kavaca cannot be harmed by any evil force, nāgas (serpent beings), piśācas (harmful spirits) or dangerous people.

The Gāyatrī Hṛdaya

The Gāyatrī Hṛdaya (Chapter 4) gives the dhāraṇā, the form of Gāyatrī for focused meditation. This is her dhyāna śloka (meditation verse). In it she is pictured with five faces (pañcamukha) and ten arms, seated on a red lotus, shining like the rising sun. She holds lotus flowers, an akshamālā (prayer beads) and a kamaṇḍalu (water pot), and with her main hands she makes the abhaya mudrā (gesture of fearlessness) and the varada mudrā (gesture of giving boons). Each face has a different colour and rules one of the five elements. The Hṛdaya is recited in order to feel Gāyatrī’s presence in the heart.

The Gāyatrī Stotra

Chapter 5 gives the Gāyatrī Stotra, a long hymn of praise in verse that lists her many forms and works. The Stotra identifies her with Sarasvatī, Lakshmī, Durgā, Bhuvaneśvarī and every other form of the Devī, declaring that all of them are forms of the one Gāyatrī Devī.

The Gāyatrī Sahasranāma

Chapter 6 holds the thousand names of Gāyatrī. The Sahasranāma follows the traditional pattern, set within a frame that includes its phalaśruti (statement of fruits): Brahmā tells the thousand names to Nārada and declares their benefits. The names cover the whole range of Gāyatrī’s qualities: as Vedamātā (mother of the Vedas), as Sāvitrī, as Tripurasundarī, as Śākambharī, as Durgā, as Mahālakshmī and in hundreds of other particular forms and roles.

The phalaśruti says that chanting the Sahasranāma every day:

• Gives the puṇya (merit) of performing all four Vedas
• Frees the one who chants from rebirth in lower forms
• Grants all worldly prosperity and also spiritual liberation
• Is equal to a full puraścaraṇa (a complete preparatory course of chanting) of the Gāyatrī mantra

Sources

• Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 12 (Book 12), Chapters 1–6