सर्वपापहरं देव येन विद्या प्रवर्तते । केन वा ब्रह्मविज्ञानं किं नु वा मोक्षसाधनम्
Narada said: O Lord, knower of all dharma, expert in all scriptures, I have heard the secret of the Vedas, Smritis, and Puranas from your lips.
ब्राह्मणानां गतिः केन केन वा मृत्युनाशनम् । ऐहिकामुष्मिकफलं केन वा पद्मलोचन
By what is all sin destroyed, O God, by what does knowledge arise, or by what is liberation attained?
वक्तुमर्हस्यशेषेण सर्वं निखिलमादितः । श्रीनारायण उवाच साधु साधु महाप्राज्ञ सम्यक् पृष्टं त्वयानघ
By what do Brahmins attain their goal, by what is death overcome, and by what is the fruit of this world and the next obtained, O Lotus-eyed One?
शृणु वक्ष्यामि यत्नेन गायत्र्यष्टसहस्रकम् । नाम्नां शुभानां दिव्यानां सर्वपापविनाशनम्
You should tell me everything in full from the beginning. Shri Narayana said: Excellent, excellent, O great wise one, you have asked well, O sinless one.
सृष्ट्यादौ यद्भगवता पूर्वं प्रोक्तं ब्रवीमि ते । अष्टोत्तरसहस्रस्य ऋषिर्ब्रह्मा प्रकीर्तितः
Listen, I will tell you with care the eight-thousand names of Gayatri, auspicious and divine, destroyers of all sin.
छन्दोऽनुष्टुप् तथा देवी गायत्री देवता स्मृता । हलो बीजानि तस्यैव स्वराः शक्तय ईरिताः
What was formerly spoken by the Blessed Lord at the beginning of creation, I will tell you; Brahma is declared as the seer of these eight thousand and eight names.
अङ्गन्यासकरन्यासावुच्येते मातृकाक्षरैः । अथ ध्यानं प्रवक्ष्यामि साधकानां हिताय वै
The meter is Anushtubh, and the goddess Gayatri is remembered as the deity; the consonants are its seeds, and the vowels are said to be its powers.
रक्तश्वेतहिरण्यनीलधवलैर्युक्तां त्रिनेत्रोज्ज्वलां रक्तां रक्तनवस्रजं मणिगणैर्युक्तां कुमारीमिमाम् । गायत्रीं कमलासनां करतलव्यानद्धकुण्डाम्बुजां पद्माक्षीं च वरस्रजं च दधतीं हंसाधिरूढां भजे
The rites of touching the limbs and hands are prescribed with the letters of the alphabet; now I will declare the meditation for the benefit of practitioners.
अचिन्त्यलक्षणाव्यक्ताप्यर्थमातृमहेश्वरी । अमृतार्णवमध्यस्थाप्यजिता चापराजिता
I worship this maiden Gayatri, shining with red, white, golden, and blue hues, three-eyed and radiant, red in color, adorned with fresh red garlands and jewels, seated on a lotus, holding a water-pot and lotus in her hands, lotus-eyed, wearing a beautiful garland, and mounted upon a swan.
अणिमादिगुणाधाराप्यर्कमण्डलसंस्थिता । अजराजापराधर्मा अक्षसूत्रधराधरा
She is the support of the powers beginning with aṇimā, established in the solar orb; ageless, sovereign, beyond all unrighteousness, and the bearer of the rosary and the mountain.
अकारादिक्षकारान्ताप्यरिषड्वर्गभेदिनी । अञ्जनाद्रिप्रतीकाशाप्यञ्जनाद्रिनिवासिनी
She extends from the letter 'a' to 'kṣa', destroyer of the six inner enemies; radiant as Mount Añjana, and dwelling upon Mount Añjana.
अदितिश्चाजपाविद्याप्यरविन्दनिभेक्षणा । अन्तर्बहिःस्थिताविद्याध्वंसिनी चान्तरात्मिका
She is Aditi, the knowledge of ajapā, with eyes like lotuses; present within and without, the destroyer of ignorance, and the inner soul.
अजा चाजमुखावासाप्यरविन्दनिभानना । अर्धमात्रार्थदानज्ञाप्यरिमण्डलमर्दिनी
Unborn, dwelling in the mouth of the unborn, with a face shining like a lotus; knower of the meaning of the half-syllable, crusher of the circle of enemies.
असुरघ्नीह्यमावास्याप्यलक्ष्मीघ्न्यन्त्यजार्चिता । आदिलक्ष्मीश्चादिशक्तिराकृतिश्चायतानना
Destroyer of demons, presiding over the new moon, remover of misfortune, worshipped by the outcastes; the first Lakṣmī, the primal power, the very form of creation, with a broad face.
आदित्यपदवीचाराप्यादित्यपरिसेविता । आचार्यावर्तनाचाराप्यादिमूर्तिनिवासिनी
She moves upon the path of the sun, attended by the sun, her conduct is the revolution of the teacher, dwelling in the primal form.
आग्नेयी चामरी चाद्या चाराध्या चासनस्थिता । आधारनिलयाधारा चाकाशान्तनिवासिनी
She is of the fire element, the first, the one to be worshipped, seated upon her seat; the foundation of all, abiding in the expanse of space.
आद्याक्षरसमायुक्ता चान्तराकाशरूपिणी । आदित्यमण्डलगता चान्तरध्वान्तनाशिनी
United with the primal syllable, of the form of the inner sky; abiding in the solar orb, destroyer of inner darkness.
इन्दिरा चेष्टदा चेष्टा चेन्दीवरनिभेक्षणा । इरावती चेन्द्रपदा चेन्द्राणी चेन्दुरूपिणी
She is Indirā, bestower of activity, the act itself, with eyes like blue lotuses; Irāvatī, of the path of the moon, queen of the gods, of the form of the moon.
इक्षुकोदण्डसंयुक्ता चेषुसन्धानकारिणी । इन्द्रनीलसमाकारा चेडापिङ्गलरूपिणी
She is joined with the sugarcane bow, the one who sets the arrow; of the form of blue sapphire, and with a tawny form.
इन्द्राक्षी चेश्वरी देवी चेहात्रयविवर्जिता । उमा चोषा ह्युडुनिभा उर्वारुकफलानना
She is Indrākṣī, the sovereign goddess, free from the three worlds; Umā, the dawn, shining like the moon, with a face like the fruit of the cucumber.
उडुप्रभा चोडुमती ह्युडुपा ह्युडुमध्यगा । ऊर्ध्वं चाप्यूर्ध्वकेशी चाप्यूर्ध्वाधोगतिभेदिनी
She is radiant as the moon, of lunar mind, the one who drinks the moon, abiding in the midst of the moon; upward and with upward-flowing hair, breaking the distinction of upward and downward movement.
ऊर्ध्वबाहुप्रिया चोर्मिमालावाग्ग्रन्थदायिनी । ऋतं चर्षिर्ऋतुमती ऋषिदेवनमस्कृता
Beloved of those with uplifted arms, giver of the garland of waves and the knot of speech; truth, sage, endowed with truth, worshipped by seers and gods.
ऋग्वेदा ऋणहर्त्री च ऋषिमण्डलचारिणी । ऋद्धिदा ऋजुमार्गस्था ऋजुधर्मा ऋतुप्रदा
She is the Ṛgveda, remover of debts, moving among the circles of seers; giver of prosperity, established on the straight path, of upright conduct, bestower of seasons.
ऋग्वेदनिलया ऋज्वी लुप्तधर्मप्रवर्तिनी । लूतारिवरसम्भूता लूतादिविषहारिणी
Abiding in the Ṛgveda, straightforward, promoter of lost righteousness; born from the best of spiders, destroyer of the poison of spiders and the like.
एकाक्षरा चैकमात्रा चैका चैकैकनिष्ठिता । ऐन्द्री ह्यैरावतारूढा चैहिकामुष्मिकप्रदा
She is the single syllable, the single measure, the one, established in each one; the power of Indra, mounted on Airāvata, giver of this-worldly and other-worldly rewards.
ओङ्कारा ह्योषधी चोता चोतप्रोतनिवासिनी । और्वा ह्यौषधसम्पन्ना औपासनफलप्रदा
She is the syllable Oṃ, the herbs, the one who is both warp and woof, abiding in the woven; Aurvā, endowed with medicinal plants, giver of the fruits of worship.
अण्डमध्यस्थिता देवी चाःकारमनुरूपिणी । कात्यायनी कालरात्रिः कामाक्षी कामसुन्दरी
The Goddess who dwells within the cosmic egg, taking a form suited to the letter 'kā', is known as Kātyāyanī, Kālarātri, Kāmākṣī, and Kāmasundarī.
कमला कामिनी कान्ता कामदा कालकण्ठिनी । करिकुम्भस्तनभरा करवीरसुवासिनी
She is Kamalā, the beloved, the charming one, the giver of desires, dark-throated, with breasts like elephant's temples, and adorned with the fragrance of oleander flowers.
कल्याणी कुण्डलवती कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासिनी । कुरुविन्ददलाकारा कुण्डली कुमुदालया
She is auspicious, adorned with earrings, residing in Kurukshetra, resembling the red gem kuruvinda, coiled like a serpent, and dwelling in the lotus.
कालजिह्वा करालास्या कालिका कालरूपिणी । कमनीयगुणा कान्तिः कलाधारा कुमुद्वती
She has a black tongue, a fierce mouth, is Kālikā, embodying time, possessing delightful qualities, radiant, the source of arts, and lotus-like.