Gayatri Avahanam (Ayatu Varada Devi) — Benefits & How to Chant
गायत्री आवाहनम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Gayatri Avahanam (Ayatu Varada Devi)
The prescribed invocation (avahana) before Gayatri Japa in Sandhyavandana
Welcomes the Goddess Gayatri, mother of the Vedas, into the worship and the heart
Glorifies Gayatri as ojas, strength, radiance and the whole universe
Invokes her three forms
Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati — for the three Sandhyas
Prepares and consecrates the mind before the powerful Gayatri Mantra repetition
Believed to bestow wisdom, vitality and the grace of the Vedamata
How to Chant Gayatri Avahanam (Ayatu Varada Devi)
Instructions
After Achamana, Pranayama and the Sankalpa for Japa, sit facing east (dawn) or as prescribed for the Sandhya. With folded hands and a calm mind, recite the Avahana, meditating on the radiant Goddess Gayatri seated before you. At 'Gayatrim-Avahayami…' make the gesture of invocation (avahana mudra) inviting her presence. Then proceed to the Gayatri Mantra Japa (108 or a chosen count) on a rudraksha or tulsi mala.
Spiritual Significance
The tradition holds that the Gayatri, called Vedamata, is the mother who gives the twice-born his spiritual birth; the Manusmriti praises her as the most purifying of all, and sages declare that one who invokes and meditates upon her daily is freed from sin and illumined by the light of Savitr. Whoever sincerely welcomes the Goddess before Japa is said to feel her living presence in the heart.
Origin & History
Source: Sandhyavandana / Gayatri Japa ritual (Vedic Avahana verses; the second passage from the Yajurveda tradition)
Author: Unknown (Vedic ritual tradition)
In the daily Sandhyavandana, the Gayatri Japa is not begun abruptly: the Goddess is first invoked and welcomed. The opening verse, 'Ayatu Varada Devi', calls Gayatri — the boon-granting Devi, imperishable and equal to Brahman, mother of all metres — to come and accept the worshipper's prayer. The following passage, drawn from the Yajurveda, exalts her as ojas, strength, radiance and the very universe, and closes by invoking her threefold form as Gayatri, Savitri and Sarasvati. Only then does the seeker take up the great Gayatri Mantra.