Why Gayatri Mantra is the king of all mantra?

Question

The Gayatri Mantra is called king of all Mantra. Chanting Gayatri Mantra every knowledge can be achieved.

Why is Gayatri Mantra so important? Who was the Gayatri Mantra given to first?

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

Answer 1

Mother Gayatri is the GODDESS of knowledge and virtues. This mantra is specifically meant for Thapas (तपस; the highest of Tantras) as it increases the heat in the body burning up all muck at the physical level.

Who gave Gayatri Mantra?

Sage Vishwamitra when he composed Rigveda, he put this mantra in it.

Rig Veda 3.62.10 and Yajur Veda 36.3

Now there is no official record about how Vishwamitra got this mantra in Hindu scriptures.

Answer 2

Gayatri is called the mother of Vedas (or Vedamata). So, just like the mother is always the most superior, so is the Gayatri mantra among all the Vedic mantras. Therefore, this superiority is not like that of a king but it is like the superiority of the mother.

Quoting from the book Hindu Dharma by Paramacharya:

"Whoever sings is protected, " that is "Gayatri". "Gayantam trayate yasmat Gayatri' tyabhidhiyate."

"Sings" is not used here in the sense of singing a song. It means intoning or chanting (the mantra) with affection and devotion. People who chant the Gayatri in this manner are protected. While speaking about this mantra the Vedas use these words : "Gayatrim Chandasam mata". "Chandas" means the Vedas. So Gayatri is the mother of all Vedic mantras (that is the Vedas proclaim them so). It has twenty-four aksaras (letters or syllables) and three feet, each foot of eight syllables. That is why the mantra is called "Tripada Gayatri". Each foot is the essence of a Veda. Thus Gayatri is the essence of Rgveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda. The Atharvaveda has its own Gayatri. To receive instruction in it you must have a second upanayana.

We find a quote of Rishi Yajnavalkya regarding Gayatri being Veda Janani or the mother of Vedas in page4 of this PDF:

Gayatri veda janani gayatri papa nashini|
Gayatraya astu param nasti divi cheha na pavanam ||

Shri Yogavalkya Maharishi declares that Shri Gayatri is the mother of all Vedas (in other words, the essence of all Vedas) and is the destroyer of all sins; there is nothing beyond Shri Gayatri in both Bhu loka and Deva loka

Another quote from Kurma Purana is also cited:

Gayatri veda janani gayatri loka pavani|
Na gayatrayah param japyam etat vigyana uchyate ||

The above sloka from Kurma Puranam, while emphasizing that Shri Gayatri Devi is the mother of all Vedas, declares beyond doubt that Shri Gayatri purifies and sanctifies the Universe and there is no other Mantra that is beyond Gaytri Mantram and it indeed is Vigyanam.

So, Gayatri mantra's supremacy comes from the fact that it is the mother of all Vedic mantras.

Answer 3

In Ramayana it was mentioned that at dawn, Sri Rama and Lakshmana recited the Supreme Hymn at the behest of Sage Viswamitra.

तस्य ऋषेः परम उदारम् वचः श्रुत्वा नृप नरोत्तमौ | स्नात्वा कृत उदकौ वीरौ जेपतुः परमम् जपम् || १-२३-३

On hearing the benign words of the sage those valorous and best ones among men got up, bathed,and on offering water oblation they mediated upon the supreme hymn.

Though it was mentioned as Supreme Hymn, we can take it as Gayatri mantra, as it was recited at twilight.

Vishvamitra was credited with authoring the 3rd Mandala of Rigveda, in which the Gayatri mantra was included.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishvamitra

However, it is not clearly mentioned whether this Viswamitra was the same Viswamitra, who was mentioned in the Bala Kanda of Ramayana.

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Now, the question part - Why is Gayatri Mantra so important?

1. The Gāyatrī is dedicated to Savitr, a Vedic Sun deity. This is one aspect. That was why recitation of this mantra used to be done by facing the Sun.

2. Another aspect is that in Vedic era, the inner meaning of the epithets like Indra, Agni, Surya, etc, used to denote the various forms of one Almighty God.

If we delve deep into SPIRITUALITY, we can find mention of experiencing ABSOLUTE BLISS or limitless light in the final stages, by sages like Sri Ramana Maharshi.

So the inner meaning of Sun or Surya is ABSOLUTE BLISS or limitless light, if properly understood.

The recitation of Savitr mantra, which was formed in Gayatri metre in proper way will lead to ABSOLUTE BLISS or limitless light.

That is why it is SUPREME matra, as described by Sage Valmiki in Ramayana.