In Hinduism, Gayatri represents the Vedamata, the mother-goddess of the four Vedas as well as the first mantra which was composed in the Gayatri Chanda or meter. Maa Gayatri is the amalgamation of the divine powers of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. She is the Shakti of the trinity known as Gayatri, the embodiment of Rig Veda with Brahma, Savitri, the goddess of Yajurveda with Vishnu, and Saraswati, the goddess of Samaveda with Rudra-Shiva. Besides the trinity, Gayatri is also described as the consort of Savitr, a form of Surya, the solar deity.
The process of Gayatri’s transformation from a mantra to an almighty goddess with a multiplicity of equally powerful male counterparts can be understood from a myth mentioned in the Hindu Vedic texts. According to this story, when invoked by the Devas (gods) the Gayatri meter transformed into a magnificent golden bird or Suparna and brought the Soma, the elixir of immortality to the Devalok (home of gods). What this Vedic account highlight is the powers of Gayatri, her ability to grant the boon of immortality as the manifestation of the potent Gayatri mantra. The survival of the Gayatri mantra as arguably one of the most popular mantras in the modern Hindu household says a lot about the might of the Veda Mata. In this large bronze Swamimalai sculpture, goddess Gayatri is shown as a beautiful young woman, sitting in the Lalitasana (posture of imperial ease) on a lotus seat placed on a square, two-tiered platform. Her multiple heads are adorned by regal crowns, while the main head has the crescent moon placed over the Kiritamukuta. A set of bejewelled Ratna Kundala hang from Devi’s ears, jewelled strings sit over her fine shoulders, and armlets in the shape of peacock feathers decorate her arms. A number of necklaces can be seen on the goddess’s torso, with a long necklace falling over her rounded breasts that are held together by an embellished kuchabandha or breast band. A thin Channvira highlights the delicate shape of her waist, followed by an embossed Kayabandha (waistband). Devi Gayatri wears a fine dhoti that clings to her shapely legs and is decorated with a variety of floral motifs all over. The Shakti or power of the Trinity and manifestation of the Gayatri mantra, Devi holds the ayudhas (weapons) belonging to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva in her 10 hands. From left to right, she carries a Gada (mace), kapala (skull cap), a lotus, Chakra (discus), Shankha (conch), Ankush (goad), Kasa (whip), and a Japa mala (rosary). Her main hands decorated with auspicious signs are raised in the Abhaya and Varada mudra (the gestures of fearlessness and dissemination of boons respectively). A magnificent Prabhavali, the divine aura surrounds the bronze murti, graced by the presence of the mythical Kirtimukha- the face of glory, showing the demon eating its own tail. Prabhavali over the goddess signifies the eating away of one’s own existence and the ego that originates from it in order to reach the highest knowledge and attain moksha. An incarnation of the combined powers of the Trideva and Tridevis- Sarasvati, Lakshmi, and Parvati, Gayatri is equal to Mahadevi or Durga, the visible form of Prakriti, the female energy that runs the world. The mother-goddess whose name cleanses the soul of all its sins and guides her on the path of illumination, appears divinely meditative in this bronze idol, a reminder of Devi’s benevolence that is omnipresent.
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