Gayatri Mantra

A particular verse from the Rg Veda
(3.62.10), the oldest Hindu religious text;
this verse is written in the poetic meter
named gayatri, hence its name. The
verse itself is an invocation to the sun
and can be translated “let us meditate
on the sun, most excellent of all the
deities, may he inspire our minds.”
Reciting the Gayatri mantra is part of the
morning and evening worship (sandhya) prescribed for every “twice-born”
man who has received the adolescent
religious initiation known as the “second birth.” An important part of this initiation is the transmission of this
mantra to the young man. Although the
Gayatri must be recited every day, it
should not be recited over water; in
earlier times this was one reason why
many orthodox Hindus were reluctant
to travel abroad.