गुरु गायत्री मन्त्र
ॐ वृषभध्वजाय विद्महे
क्रुनिहस्ताय धीमहि ।
तन्नो गुरुः प्रचोदयात् ॥
बृहस्पति (आङ्गिरस) गायत्री
ॐ अङ्गिरसाय विद्महे
दिव्यदेहाय धीमहि ।
तन्नो जीवः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Guru Gayatri Mantra - Brihaspati Gayatri
The Guru Gayatri Mantra - the Gayatri-form prayer for meditation upon Guru Brihaspati (Jupiter), the preceptor of the gods, chanted for wisdom and Jupiter's grace.
guru gayatri mantra
om vrishabhadhvajaya vidmahe
krunihastaya dhimahi ।
tanno guruh prachodayat ॥
brihaspati (angirasa) gayatri
om angirasaya vidmahe
divyadehaya dhimahi ।
tanno jivah prachodayat ॥
Frequently asked questions about Guru Gayatri Mantra
What is a graha Gayatri?
A mantra cast in the Vedic Gayatri pattern - vidmahe, dhimahi, prachodayat - with the graha's epithets in place of Savitr's. This one names Guru as vrishabhadhvaja, bearing the bull banner, and krunihasta.
How does it differ from the beej mantra?
The beej mantra is a short seed formula for counted japa; the Gayatri form is a meditation used in havan and in a fuller graha shanti. Many keep the beej for daily japa and the Gayatri for a Thursday puja.
What is the Angirasa Gayatri given alongside?
The variant that names Brihaspati as Angirasa, of the Angiras line, and calls him divyadeha. Both forms are current; use whichever your tradition gives, and do not blend the two halves.
When is it chanted?
Thursdays and at Guru Purnima, in a count of a hundred and eight, and as the japa mantra during a Brihaspati havan with an offering at each repetition.
Does it need initiation?
No. The graha and deity Gayatris are publicly available and widely chanted; only the Vedic Gayatri itself carries the initiation debate, which the Gayatri mantra page sets out.
About the Guru Gayatri Mantra - Brihaspati Gayatri
The Guru Gayatri Mantra - the Gayatri-form prayer for meditation upon Guru Brihaspati (Jupiter), the preceptor of the gods, chanted for wisdom and Jupiter's grace.
Meaning
"We know the one whose banner bears the bull; we meditate upon the one who holds the kruni - may that Guru inspire and illumine us." The variant form meditates on Brihaspati as Angirasa, the divine-bodied son of sage Angiras, invoked as Jiva, the giver of life and wisdom.
Benefits
Chanted on Thursdays (especially 108 times during Guru dasha, Guru Chandal dosha or a weak Jupiter) to steady the intellect, deepen faith and judgement, and gain Jupiter's blessings of wisdom, teachers, marriage, children and fortune.
Word by Word Meaning
The first form runs: Vrishabha-dhvajaya vidmahe - "we know the one whose banner (dhvaja) bears the bull (vrishabha)"; kruni-hastaya dhimahi - "we meditate on the one who holds the kruni in his hand"; tanno Guruh prachodayat - "may that Guru impel us." The second, the Angirasa Gayatri, runs: Angirasaya vidmahe - "we know the son of Angiras," Brihaspati's lineage name; divya-dehaya dhimahi - "we meditate on the divine-bodied one"; tanno Jivah prachodayat - "may Jiva impel us" - Jiva, "the life-giver," being Jupiter's ancient name.
Like every Gayatri-pattern mantra it moves in three steps - knowing, meditating, being inspired - so a single repetition is itself a miniature meditation on Jupiter's wisdom.
How to Chant
Chant on Thursday mornings, facing north-east, 11, 21 or 108 times; softly or mentally rather than aloud, as with all Gayatri forms. Yellow flowers, turmeric and a Thursday fast are the traditional accompaniments. The Gayatri combines naturally with the Guru beej mantra - the Gayatri recited three times to invoke and settle the mind, the beej mantra carried on the mala for the count.
When Astrology Prescribes It
Astrologers give the Guru Gayatri alongside the beej mantra during Guru dasha, for a weak or combust Jupiter, and especially where the chart shows delay in marriage or children or a loss of direction and faith - Jupiter's domains. It suits those who prefer a meditative, prayer-like practice to seed-syllable japa. Teachers, counsellors and students of scripture keep it as a daily mantra in any case, since Brihaspati is their natural patron.
In the Vedic imagination Brihaspati is the purohita of the gods - the one who knows the right word at the right moment - and his Gayatri is therefore also chanted before important counsel: advising a child, mediating a family dispute, giving testimony, teaching a first class. A short practice before such moments - three repetitions with a steady breath - is a tradition many households keep without ever calling it sadhana. Thursday fasting, yellow charity and respect to elders complete Jupiter's gentle regimen.
The Guru Gayatri Mantra - Brihaspati Gayatri above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with - switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.
A mantra is a compact formula for japa, not a long hymn. Forty-verse hymns live under Chalisa; lamp-songs under Aarti; longer stotras under Stotram. Browse every formula on the Mantra index. Count repetitions with the online japa mala counter.
