rudra-gAyatrI

Source: TW

The only “sAvitrI-form” gAyatrI found in the RV saMhitA is the sAvitrI of viShvAmitra. Same is true for the taittirIya-saMhitA. In the kaTha-saMhitA it is the grammatically peculiar rudra-gAyatrI. In the maitrAyaNIya the rudra-gAyatrI serves as locus for a long late interpolation. This interpolation is homologous to what appears to be a similar interpolation in the taittirIya-AraNyaka. But the taittirIya-AraNyaka preserved a distinct, grammatically peculiar sAvitrI-form rudra-gAyatrI. This leads to the speculation that the first sAvitrI-form gAyatrI to be conceived was likely the rudra-gAyatrI among group of early shaiva, perhaps associated with the performers of the vrAtya rituals.