Sri Ayyappa Gayatri Nyasa

The Gayatri

The first two lines are the Ayyappa Gayatri: Bhutadhipaya vidmahe Mahadevaya dhimahi tanno Shasta prachodayat. We know him as the lord of the bhutas, we meditate on him as the great god, and we ask that Shasta stir our understanding. Shasta means the one who governs and keeps order, the name under which Ayyappa is worshipped in many Kerala shrines. The mantra follows the familiar three-part Gayatri pattern of vidmahe, dhimahi and prachodayat.

What the nyasa does

Nyasa means placing parts of a mantra on the body, touching each spot with the fingers of the right hand while saying the matching word. Here the order runs from the top down: Bhutanathaya namah on the head, vidmahe on the forehead, Bhavaputraya namah on the face, dhimahi on the throat, tannah at the navel, Shasta on the thighs and prachodayat on the feet. The mantra is laid down the body one word at a time.

Two of the placements do not use Gayatri words at all. Bhutanatha, lord of the bhutas, sits on the head, and Bhavaputra, son of Bhava or Shiva, sits on the face. The text then ends with sarvangeshu, spreading the complete Gayatri over the whole body.

When it is used

The purpose is to prepare the body before Gayatri japa. Swamis observing the Mandala vratam before Sabarimala often do it each morning and then chant the Gayatri. The text does not name its source.