PRAISING THE GODDESS GAYATRI 261
Nevertheless he says yet another prayer to her:
1
Divine wife of Narayana! preserve me from any pain in my head, face, tongue, nose, nostrils, ears, shoulders,
thighs, feet, and in any part of my body
;
'
from pain day and night!
He thus sings the gayatrVs praises: preserve me
1
You are quick-witted; you are enlightenment itself; are eternal; you are not subject to human passions; you you are almighty you are purity itself
;; you are the refuge and salvation of mankind you are omniscient
;;
you are the mother of all the Vedas, of which you are the emblem you are also the emblem of prayer. It is to
; you that all sacrifices must be offered; all earthly blessings are at your disposal; in an instant you can destroy everything. Happiness and misery, joy and sorrow, hope and fear are in your hands everything is dependent on; you. All men pray to you, and at the same time your fascinations cast a spell over them. You fulfil all their desires, and overwhelm them with benefits; to you they owe success in all their undertakings; you put away their sins
; you make them happy you are present in all three
; worlds
; you have three bodies and three faces, and the
'
numeral three is of your very essence!
He who thus sings the gayatri ' s praises will receive his
reward; all his sins will be forgiven.
'
Casting his eyes on liquefied butter, he says: O butter! you are the light; by your power everything shines; you are the friend of the gods; you form part of the sacrifices that are offered to them, you are the essence of these
' sacrifices!
'
Then, addressing the gayatri anew, he says: You can be divided into two, three, and four parts; nothing can
'
equal your brilliancy; I offer you puja! He adds
:
' goddess, who dwell on the mountains of the North, you are known to Brahma! Go now whither you will, you are the sacrificer of the sacrifice. It is you who offer
it, it is you who receive it. It is you who regulate the
offerings, it is you who make them, it is you who receive them you have yielded the north-east to Siva, and you
; have taken up your abode in the north-west. If we
enjoy light, it is you to whom we owe it, to you who have