Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,12.1
॥
Devanāgarī
गायत्री वै इदम् सर्वम् भूतम् यत् इदम् किञ्च वाक् वै गायत्री वाक् वै इदम् सर्वम् भूतम् गायति च त्रायते च
Transliteration (IAST)
gāyatrī vai idam sarvam bhūtam yat idam kiñca vāk vai gāyatrī vāk vai idam sarvam bhūtam gāyati ca trāyate ca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
गायत्रीgāyatrīthe gāyatrī (gāyatrī — the sacred metre; 'she who sings and protects'); the gāyatrī metre; the Gāyatrī
वैvaiverily; indeed
इदम्idamthis; thus
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
भूतम्bhūtama creature; all that has come to be
यत्yatwhich; that which
इदम्idamthis; thus
किञ्चkiñcaanything; whatever there be
वाक्vākspeech; the word
वैvaiverily; indeed
गायत्रीgāyatrīthe gāyatrī (gāyatrī — the sacred metre; 'she who sings and protects'); the gāyatrī metre; the Gāyatrī
वाक्vākspeech; the word
वैvaiverily; indeed
इदम्idamthis; thus
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
भूतम्bhūtama creature; all that has come to be
गायतिgāyatihe sings (from √gai); he chants; sings
चcaand; as well as
त्रायतेtrāyateshe guards (from √trai); she saves; she protects
चcaand; as well as
Translation
The gāyatrī is indeed all this that exists, whatever there is. Speech is indeed the gāyatrī: for speech both sings [gāyati] all that exists and guards [trāyate] it.
Version
b92a31d50d21 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:02:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A new vidyā, that of the gāyatrī: gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtam — "the gāyatrī is all this that exists": the holiest of metres (the one in which the Sāvitrī mantra is sung!) is declared to be the very composition of the world. The ground is an etymological jewel: vāg vai gāyatrī — "speech is the gāyatrī": gāyati ca trāyate ca — "it sings and it guards": gā(yati) + trā(yate) = gāya-trī: "the Singing-Guarding one"!
The metre's name is unfolded as the formula of its power: the gāyatrī is that which saves by singing (a mantra that protects the one who sings it — its most ancient definition!). And since speech-as-gāyatrī sings and guards all that exists, the whole world is her strophe: the four verses of this vidyā will lead inward: earth → body → heart — contracting the universal Singing-Guarding one to a point in the breast.