The Mystery of Gayatri — Beyond Gender, the Essence of Light The name “Gayatri” carries layers of profound meaning — it is both a metre (chandas) and a mantra, both a sound vibration and a goddess. In the Vedic vision, Gayatri first appears as a metre — a pattern of 24 syllables through which the wisdom of the Ṛṣis is expressed. Each Vedic metre, or chandas, has a presiding deity, known as Chandas Devata, and the Gayatri metre is said to be illuminated by Savita, the Solar principle. Hence, in i