Vishnu Gayatri Mantra

Who Bhagwan Vishnu is

Vishnu is the preserver in the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — creator, preserver and dissolver. His task is sustaining cosmic order (dharma), and whenever dharma declines he descends as an avatar to restore it; Ram and Krishna are the most widely worshipped of his avatars. He is pictured resting on the serpent Shesha in the cosmic ocean, or standing four-armed with the conch (shankha), discus (chakra), mace (gada) and lotus (padma). His consort is Lakshmi, his vehicle is Garuda, and his abode is Vaikuntha. Thursday and Ekadashi are his days.

What the mantra means

This Vishnu Gayatri is one of the Gayatri mantras of the Mahanarayana Upanishad, and follows the three-part pattern of the classical Gayatri Mantra:

• Om Narayanaya Vidmahe — we know Narayana, the one who rests in the causal waters at the origin of creation,
• Vasudevaya Dhimahi — we meditate on Vasudeva, the one who dwells in and pervades all beings;
• Tanno Vishnuh Prachodayat — may that Vishnu inspire and illuminate us.

So the mantra names Vishnu first as the source of creation and then as the one present in everything, before asking him to light up the chanter's understanding.

How to do the jaap

1. Day and time: Thursday and Ekadashi are especially favoured; early morning after bathing is the usual time.
2. Seat and direction: A clean yellow or white asana facing east, before an image of Vishnu or Lakshmi-Narayan.
3. Offerings: Tulsi leaves (essential in Vishnu worship), yellow flowers, a ghee lamp, and something sweet such as panchamrit or gram-flour laddoos.
4. Mala: A tulsi mala of 108 beads is traditional.
5. Count: 11, 21 or 108 repetitions daily, or one mala every Thursday.
6. Close: Follow with the aarti Om Jai Jagdish Hare. See also Thursday Vishnu Bhakti.

Benefits traditionally associated with it

• Peace, stability and protection for the family — Vishnu is the sustainer.
• Clarity and right judgement, which every Gayatri asks for.
• Prosperity and harmony at home, since Lakshmi accompanies Vishnu wherever he is worshipped.
• Relief during a weak or troubled Jupiter (Guru), with whom Thursday worship of Vishnu is linked.
• Growth in devotion and a steadier, more dharmic life.

Why people do it

People chant the Vishnu Gayatri as part of Thursday and Ekadashi worship, when they want stability and protection in a period of change, or as a compact daily prayer to the preserver of the world. It suits householders especially well: its concerns — order, protection, sustenance — are the concerns of running a home. Those who already chant the classical Gayatri often add it as their Vishnu practice in the same familiar form.