Introduction
Savitri, more properly Savitr or Savitar, is a Vedic solar deity whose name means "the impeller" or "the stimulator". He is the sun as the source of life, energy and inspiration, especially at sunrise and sunset. He is best known as the deity of the Gayatri mantra, the most sacred verse of the Vedas.
The Adityas are the sons of Aditi. The Rigveda names six (Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuna, Daksha and Amsha in hymn 2.27), and later texts list eight or twelve. In the Puranas, the twelve Adityas correspond to the twelve months of the year, and each rides in the sun's chariot in its month. The lists vary.
Family
- Father: Kashyapa
- Mother: Aditi
- Siblings: Vishnu, Surya, Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhata, Amsha, Pushan, Tvashtri, Garuda, Aruna
In the Rigveda
About eleven hymns are addressed to Savitar. He is a golden-limbed god, with golden hands, who drives a golden chariot drawn by shining horses. At his impulse, the gods and all creatures move, and at his time they rest. He is the giver of immortality to the gods and of long life to humans. He awakens the world at dawn and sends it to sleep in the evening.
The Gayatri mantra
The Gayatri mantra, from Rigveda 3.62.10, attributed to the sage Vishwamitra, is addressed to Savitar:
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
It is usually understood as a prayer to meditate on the excellent light of the divine Savitar, so that he might inspire our thoughts. It is chanted at dawn, noon and dusk in the daily worship of many Hindus (Sandhyavandana), and is the central mantra in the sacred thread ceremony (Upanayana).
Savitri and Surya
In later tradition, Savitri is often treated as an aspect of Surya, the sun god, and he is counted as one of the twelve Adityas. Sometimes Savitri is described as the sun before sunrise, and Surya as the sun in the sky.
Not to be confused with
Savitri, the princess in the Mahabharata who saved her husband Satyavan from Yama, is a different figure who shares the name in the feminine form. Savitri is also the name of a goddess, the wife of Brahma in some texts.
Meaning
Savitar represents the sun's power to stimulate life and thought. The Gayatri mantra is understood as a prayer for wisdom.