International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Founder Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami

The Gāyatrī mantra, which is chanted by the duly qualified brāhmaṇas is mentioned in the Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. Because the Gāyatrī mantra is especially meant for God realization, it represents the
Supreme Lord. This mantra is meant for spiritually advanced people, and when one attains success in
chanting it, he can enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must first acquire the
qualities of the perfectly situated person, the qualities of goodness according to the laws of material
nature, in order to chant the Gāyatrī mantra. The Gāyatrī mantra is very important in Vedic civilization
and is considered to be the sound incarnation of Brahman. Brahmā is its initiator, and it is passed down
from him in disciplic succession.
Bg. 10.35 (Purport)

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

Dearest disciples of HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami Maharaj, Srila Gurudeva.

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

The contents of this document have been put together to assist Srila Gurudeva’s disciples who are
being awarded brahman initiation. Please go through the contents of this document carefully as it
contains important information relating to the chanting of the sacred Gayatri mantras. Srila Gurudeva
always advises his disciples who he is awarding second initiation to develop the qualities of a
brahmana. These qualities are mentioned below:

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ

kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness
– these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.
Bg. 18.42

Please learn this verse above and try to imbibe the qualities in your character – this will be pleasing to
Srila Gurudeva. A nice excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam is mentioned below in relation the qualities
of a brahmana:

When one is successful in chanting the Gāyatrī mantra, he can enter into the transcendental
position of the Lord. One must therefore acquire brahminical qualities or be perfectly situated
in the quality of goodness in order to chant the Gāyatrī mantra successfully and then attain to
the stage of transcendentally realizing the Lord, His name, His fame, His qualities and so on.
ŚB 1.1.1 (Purport)

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Devadeva dasa

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 Rules for Chanting Gayatri

1. Sandhyas

• The sandhyas refer to the recommended times that we chant Gayatri mantras. This is
explained by Srila Prabhupada below:
o “Therefore, the first duty in the morning is that dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-
sandhyam. We have to remember about his glories, and we have to offer our
respectful obeisances unto him three times at least in a day, or tri-sandhyam. Tri-
sandhyam means...In the morning, when the night is being passed, day is beginning,
that is first sandhyam, junction. And then when the sun is on the meridian, that is also
another junction. And when the day is passing and night is beginning, that is another
junction. So, it is the duty of the student to offer respect to the bona fide spiritual
master three times respect.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture, 27 March 1967, San
Francisco).
• Gayatri mantras are chanted 3 times a day, during these sandhyas.
o Morning: 04h00 – 06h00.
➢ Ideally, the morning Gayatri should be chanted before sunrise. Devotees
usually chant the morning Gayatri directly after Mangal-arati and before japa.
o Midday: 12h00 – 14h00.
o Evening: 18h00 – time the Lord goes to rest.
➢ Srila Gurudeva allows his disciples to chant the evening Gayatri any time after
sunset until they take rest at night.

2. The Appropriate Position

• Gayatri mantras should be chanted whilst you are sitting in a clean area.
• Gayatri mantras should not be chanted whilst you are standing up (unless you are submerged
half-way in a body of water, then you can chant standing up).
• Gayatri mantras should not be chanted whilst you are lying down.
• Gayatri mantras should not be chanted whilst you are in a moving vehicle (unless the
circumstances warrant it, then this may be permissible).
• Preferably, Gayatri mantras should not be chanted with your shoes on.

3. The Gayatri Mantras

• There are 7 mantras in total.

• Each mantra will be chanted 10 times until you have chanted all 7 mantras; this will be
considered a set of Gayatri mantras.
• Chanting Gayatri mantras – this is a silent meditation; you cannot utter the mantras loudly so
that anyone else can hear it. This statement is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada below:
o “Gāyatrī mantra is not to be chanted in the public loudly. That is not the system.” (Srila
Prabhupada Morning Walk, 12 October 1975, Durban).

Page | 1

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 o “Regarding the Gayatri Mantra, to say it silently is also chanting.” (Letter to Mandali
Bhadra, Tittenhurst, 2 November 1969).
• If you are disturbed whilst chanting your Gayatri, or you have to leave half-way or you have
to stop and speak – your Gayatri is considered broken and you will have to start chanting all
over again from the beginning.
• If you are approached by someone whilst chanting your Gayatri, kindly gesture to them
indicating that you are busy as you are unable to speak to the said person (if you speak, your
Gayatri is considered broken and you will then have to restart it).
• Please meditate on the meaning of each Gayatri mantra as you chant – the English translation
of the mantra is provided for you.

4. Procedure for Chanting

• Preferably, you should be clean and perform acamana before you begin chanting your Gayatri.
• It is a Gaudiya Vaisnava practice for you to cover your fingers whilst chanting your Gayatri.
• Also, when chanting your Gayatri, your fingers should be together and not apart.
• For the men, whilst sitting, wrap your brahman thread 1,5 times around your right thumb.
Your thread must be taut and it cannot be around your neck. For ladies, you can proceed to
begin chanting by counting on your fingers (explained below).
• First, you begin by chanting both Srila Gurudeva’s pranam mantras, i.e.

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhakticaitanya-svamin iti namine
namami bhakti-caitanyam prabhupadanusevinam
sri-vraja-dhana-mahatmya-pradarsakam krparnavam

• Then, chant Srila Prabhupada’s full pranam mantras, i.e.

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa -sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarin

• Thereafter, you begin chanting by using your right thumb to count on your fingers.
• A diagram is inserted below to give you a visual understanding.

Page | 2

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 • After you are done chanting each mantra 10 times, recite Srila Gurudeva’s and Srila
Prabhupada’s full pranam mantras whilst offering your obeisances.

5. Missing a Gayatri

• If you are unable to chant your gayatri during the sandhyas stipulated above, you can
compensate for it later on. This will be illustrated by the use of the examples below.
• For instance, if you miss chanting your Gayatri during the morning sandhya (for whatever valid
reason), you can then chant 2 Gayatris during the noon sandhya.
• Or, you missed chanting your Gayatri during the noon sandhya, you can make up for the noon
Gayatri by chanting it together with the evening one.
• In exceptional circumstances, if you miss the morning and noon Gayatris, you can chant all 3
sets of Gayatris during the evening sandhya.
• It is an offense to miss your gayatri. If you are unable to chant your 16 rounds in a specific day,
you can carry those unfinished rounds over to the next day – this is confirmed below:
o “But if one is not even able to chant sixteen rounds, then he must make it up the next
day. He must be sure to keep his vow. If he does not strictly follow this out, then he is
sure to be negligent. That is offensive in the service of the Lord.” (The Nectar of
Devotion, Chapter 7, Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles).
• However, if you do not chant all of your Gayatris in a single day, then your Gayatris are
considered lost as you cannot make it up the next day. This situation must be avoided at all
costs. You have to ensure that you chant all your Gayatris in a single day (preferably during
the prescribed sandhyas as explained above).
• It is important to note that when you are covering up for having missed a Gayatri, you have to
chant a full set of Gayatri mantras, offer pranams, and then do the next set (as explained
above).

6. Changing Your Thread

• Only male disciples will wear brahman threads.

o “The next morning, he (Srila Prabhupada) told Gaurasundara and Govinda dāsī that
he saw no harm in offering the Gayātrī mantra to women – but they could not receive
the sacred thread.” (Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta, Volume Two, Chapter 58, A Visit to
Boston, May 1968).
• Men wear their brahman thread from the left shoulder going down to the waist on their right
side.
• Under normal circumstances, Srila Gurudeva chants on the thread first, and then he personally
puts it on to his disciples.
o All of Srila Gurudeva’s male disciples will wear a brahman thread consisting of 6
strands.
• Generally, devotees change their thread on Ekadasi, as well as major festival days, such as:
Janmastami, Gaura Purnima, Radhastami, Govardhan Puja et al.,
• Srila Gurudeva is not strict as to how often his male disciples change their thread, this is up to
the discretion of the individual devotee – however, it is advisable to always keep spare

Page | 3

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 brahmana threads in case the knots begin to open up or one of the strands snap (you cannot
chant Gayatri on torn or snapped strands).
• Therefore, considering the above, the process of discarding your old thread and putting on a
new one is as follows:
o Purify your new thread (be careful when opening your new thread as it can get tangled
very easily and it can be difficult to untangle afterwards, the best way is to hold the
two knots and then open it).
o Once you have opened and purified your new thread, put it on together with your old
thread – do not remove your old thread just yet.
o You will chant a set of Gayatri on both threads together (following the same set of
rules explained above). Both the old and new sets of thread must be twirled 1,5x
around your right thumb. Once you are done, wake up and drop your old thread down
and step out of it. Do not take your old thread off over your shoulders, you have to
step out of it by allowing it to fall down.
o Essentially, you have transferred the Gayatri mantras from your old thread to your
new one.
o This process should be followed whenever you want to change your thread.
➢ It is important to note that you can only change your brahman thread when
you are going to chant a set of Gayatri mantras. You cannot change your
thread by merely putting it on and stepping out of your old thread. You have
to transfer the mantras from the old thread to the new one.
➢ It is acceptable to wrap your thread around your neck if it is too long
(however, your thread should not be around your neck when chanting your
Gayatri). Also, don’t hang anything on your thread, such as keys or anything
else for that matter.

7. Discarding Old Brahman Threads

• Your old brahman threads can be burned.

• Your old brahman threads, however, should not be thrown away into the trash – it should be
treated with respect.
• Ideally, you can cut it up into pieces and place it in a body of water or place it into the earth
(buried).

8. Unclean Activities

• Your brahman thread should always be kept pure and it should never be allowed to become
contaminated.
• Should your thread ever become contaminated, you will then need to put on a new thread
following the process above with regard to changing your thread.
• You also cannot chant your Gayatri in unclean places such as crematoriums or funerals.
• You can wash your thread daily when you have a bath, however, it must always remain on
your body at all times. Your thread must never be removed from your body under any
circumstance.

Page | 4

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 • When going to the toilet to pass water or stool, ensure that your brahman thread is wrapped
1,5x around your right ear. Your thread will also remain wrapped around your ear whilst you
are having a bath.
• For ladies, you do not have to worry about any of the above. However, all ladies will continue
to chant all of their Gayatris even during their menstrual cycles.
• Your right ear is considered pure, it can never become contaminated since Gayatri mantras
are received aurally through the right ear – it is said that all holy tirthas will now reside in your
right ear.
o “Play the tape of me chanting Gayatri into the right ears of the second initiates and
teach them how to count on their finger divisions.” (Letter to Makhanlal – Calcutta, 15
January 1976).
o “The brahmana initiate may be allowed to hear the Gayatri mantra from the tape
recording through the right ear.” (Letter to Sukadeva – Mayapur, 5 February 1976).
o “After the yajna, the gayatri mantra should be played into the right ear of the devotee
who is taking brahmana initiation.” (Letter to Narayana - Los Angeles, 4 June 1976).

9. Service

• The awarding of the Gayatri mantras permits one to worship installed deities.
• Srila Gurudeva is of the stance that he will award his disciples second initiation provided that
they agree to take on regular deity service at their local ISKCON temple within their respective
yatras.
• Therefore, by your accepting of the sacred Gayatri mantras from Srila Gurudeva; it entails your
agreeing to that you will be engaged in regular deity services at your local ISKCON temple.
• Essentially, Gayatri mantras are mainly for deity worship. Second initiation is awarded to the
more serious practitioners of Krishna consciousness; however, first initiation is sufficient for
you to go back home back to Godhead. This is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada below:
o “Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Then, as he practices, becomes more purified,
then second initiation. Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī-mantra. But the first initiation, according to
Jīva Gosvāmī, that is sufficient. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that is sufficient. But still,
to purify them more, the second initiation, Gāyatrī, is given.” (Room Conversation with
Sanskrit Professor – 13 August 1973, Paris).
o “He (Professor Matthews) asked whether the Gāyatrī mantra was more important
than the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Prabhupāda replied that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra was
sufficient in itself for delivering the disciple back to Godhead; nevertheless, the Gāyatrī
mantra would increase the Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the disciple.” (Śrīla Prabhupāda-
līlāmṛta, Volume Two, Chapter 58, A Visit to Boston, May 1968).

Page | 5

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

10. Srila Prabhupada on the Gayatri Mantras

➢ Gayatri mantra should be given to the advanced students. Unless one is strictly following the
first initiation process and following the regulative principles, one should not be
recommended for the Gayatri mantra.
Letter to: Yamuna, Gurudasa
Dated: April 16, 1970
Location: Los Angeles

➢ Gayatri mantra means it is chanted by a qualified Brahmin. A devotee of Krishna is understood

to have surpassed the stage of becoming qualified Brahmin, so Gayatri mantra can be chanted
by qualified Brahmin, and the meaning of Gayatri mantra is Gayat—Gayat means sin, and tri
means deliverance. Gayatri. And mantra, man—means mind, tra means deliverance. So, the
things chanting which one is delivered from the mental platform is called Gayatri mantra, or
mantra. So, all mantras are like that, but this is the meaning of Gayatri mantra.
Letter to: Syama
Dated: Oct. 21, 1968
Location: Seattle

➢ The word mantra means “that which delivers one from the material world.” Only the dvijas
(the brāhmaṇas) and the devas (the demigods) can be delivered from material existence by
the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever is spoken by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is a mantra and is suitable for delivering the conditioned souls from
mental speculation. The conditioned souls are engaged in a struggle for existence (manaḥ
ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati). Deliverance from this struggle constitutes the highest
benefit, but unless one gets a mantra from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, deliverance
is impossible. The beginning mantra is the Gāyatrī mantra. Therefore, after purification, when
one is qualified to become a brāhmaṇa (dvija), he is offered the Gāyatrī mantra. Simply by
chanting the Gāyatrī mantra, one can be delivered. This mantra, however, is suitable only for
the brāhmaṇas and demigods.
ŚB 8.6.15 (Purport)

➢ Therefore, Śrīla Vyāsadeva gives the reader a chance to gradually develop in spiritual
realization before actually relishing the essence of the pastimes of the Lord. Thus, at the
beginning Vyāsadeva purposefully invokes the Gāyatrī mantra with the word dhīmahi. The
Gāyatrī mantra is especially meant for spiritually advanced people. When one attains success
in chanting the Gāyatrī mantra, he can enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. But
in order to chant the Gāyatrī mantra successfully, one must first acquire the brahminical
qualities and become perfectly situated in the mode of goodness. From that point one can
begin to transcendentally realize the Lord – His name, His fame, His qualities, etc.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Chapter Twenty-three
Why Study the Vedānta-sūtra?

Page | 6

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

➢ Then Gāyatrī, mother of the Vedas, being made manifest, i.e. imparted, by the divine sound
of the flute of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, entered into the lotus mouth of Brahmā, born from himself, through
his eight ear-holes. The lotus-born Brahmā having received the Gāyatrī, sprung from the flute-
song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, attained the status of the twice-born, having been initiated by the supreme
primal preceptor, Godhead Himself.
Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.27

➢ The vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is the origin of the Vedic hymns. Lord Brahmā, who is seated on
a lotus flower, heard the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute and was thereby initiated by the
Gāyatrī mantra.
CC Madhya 8.138 (Purport)

➢ Nārāyaṇa sits on His lotus flower within the sun. By reciting this mantra, every living entity
should take shelter of Nārāyaṇa just as the sun rises. According to modern scientists, the
material world rests on the sun’s effulgence. Due to the sunshine, all planets are rotating and
vegetables are growing. We also have information that the moonshine helps vegetables and
herbs grow. Actually, Nārāyaṇa within the sun is maintaining the entire universe; therefore
Nārāyaṇa should be worshiped by the Gāyatrī mantra.
ŚB 5.7.14 (Purport)

➢ One can develop loving devotional intelligence by perfectly chanting the Brahma-gāyatrī
mantra awarded at the moment of brāhmaṇa initiation. By clear intelligence, one becomes
naturally and spontaneously disinterested in the rewards offered by mental speculation and
fruitive activities and takes full shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
ŚB 11.16.44 (Purport)

➢ By chanting the Gāyatrī mantra just after rising early in the morning, one worships the sun-
god.
ŚB 5.1.31 (Purport)

➢ In his own planet, Lord Brahmā, with the inhabitants of that planet, worships the form of Lord
Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, by the mantra of eighteen syllables, (the 6th Gayatri mantra). Those who are
initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and who chant the Gāyatrī mantra three times a day
know this aṣṭādaśākṣara (eighteen-syllable) mantra. The inhabitants of Brahmaloka and the
planets below Brahmaloka worship Lord Govinda by meditating with this mantra. There is no
difference between meditating and chanting, but in the present age meditation is not possible
on this planet. Therefore, loud chanting of a mantra like the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, with
soft chanting of the aṣṭādaśākṣara, the mantra of eighteen syllables, is recommended.
CC Ādi 5.221 (Purport)

➢ The Vedic hymn known as Kāma-gāyatrī describes the face of Kṛṣṇa as the king of all moons.
In metaphorical language, there are many different full moons, but they are all one in Kṛṣṇa.
There is the full moon of His face, the full moons of His cheeks, the full moon of the
sandalwood-pulp spot on His forehead, which is a half-moon, and the beautiful full moons of

Page | 7

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 His fingernails and toenails. In this way there are twenty-four and a half moons, and Kṛṣṇa is
the central figure of all of them.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Chapter Ten
The Beauty of Kṛṣṇa

➢ Kāma-gāyatrī is the highest of all the Gāyatrīs, because the meditation and prayer contained
in it are full of the perfect transcendental sportive activities which are not to be found in any
other Gāyatrī. In this Gāyatrī, the realization of the transcendental pastimes of Śrī Gopījana-
vallabha after perfect meditation and the prayer for the attainment of the transcendental
god of love are indicated.
Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.27 (Purport)

➢ The Kāma-gāyatrī mantra is just like a Vedic hymn, but it is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Himself. There is no difference between the Kāma-gāyatrī and Kṛṣṇa. The mantra
depicted in letters is also Kṛṣṇa, and the mantra rises just like the moon. This Kāma-gāyatrī
simply does not belong to this material world.
CC Madhya 8.138 (Purport)

Page | 8

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami

 Page | 9

Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Bhakti Caitanya Swami @Bhaktichaitanyaswami