गायत्री gāyatrī

S گايتري गायत्री gāyatrī , s.f. Name of a Vedic metre of twenty-four syllables (generally arranged as a triplet of three divisions of eight syllables each); a hymn composed in this metre; — a sacred verse from the Rig-veda to be recited mentally by every Brāhman at his morning and evening devotions (the Gāyatrī verse is personified as a goddess, the wife of Brahmā, and mother of the four Vedas, and also of the first three classes of Hindūs in their capacity of twice-born: there is but one Gāyatrī of the Vedas; but according to the system of the Tāntrikas there are a number of mystical verses called by that name, and each deity has one in particular: the repetition of the Gāyatrī is considered necessary to salvation).