35 - Worship of Gayatri 

Hari Said: 

1. I shall expound the Nyåsa, etc. and the metre of Gayatri; Viśhvāmitra is the sage; Savitri1 is the deity.

1. Literally means the 'generator'. It is a solar deity and many hymns are addressed to him in the Rugveda.  

2. It has Brahma for its head, Rudra for its tuft, it is stationed in Vişhnu's heart. The application is its eye. It is Sagotra (of the same family) with Katyayana2. 

2. A great sage. The Vårttikas are ascribed to him. (CDHM P. 154; CSL p. 57). 

3. It must be known as having three worlds for its feet. It has the bowels of the earth for its base. Knowing it thus Gayatri is to be repeated one million two hundred thousand times. 

4. It has three feet of eight syllables each or four feet of six syllables for Japa (repetition); it is three-footed and for worship it is four-footed. 

5. In Nyasa japa, Dhyana (contemplation), Agnikarya (sacred rites in fire) and Archana (worship) the devotee shall employ Gayatri always. It dispels all sins. 

6-7. The devotee shall assign the outline to the toes, insteps, calves, knees, thighs, private parts, scrotum, blood vessel, navel, belly, the nipples, the heart, throat, lips, mouth, palate, the shoulders, eyes, eyebrows, forehead, the four quarters and the head. I shall tell you the colours. 

8-10. The sapphire colour, the colour of fire, yellow, deep black, tawny, white, lightning colour, silvery white, dark, crimson, darkblue, white, yellow, grey, ruby colour, conch colour, grey red as wine, sun colour, similar to the colour of the moon and white as the lustre of conch-shell. 

11. Whatever the devotee touches with his hand and whatever he sees with his eyes it becomes pure. They know nothing superior to Gayatri.