Great philosophers have always opined that Gayatri is the best mode of spiritual worship. At other places one finds variedness in the opinion of various thinkers. But as far as Gayatri is concerned everyone in unison accepts the prime importance of Gayatri worship. Over here we present the gist of the opinions of some important thinkers.

Lord Manu says - Brahmaji created the Gayatri Mantra of 3 legs which is the gist of the 3 Vedas. There is no other Mantra other than Gayatri that can purify us in totality. That individual who regularly chants the Gayatri Mantra for 3 years in a row shall definitely attain the Lord. That Dvij (twice born) who chants the Gayatri at dawn and noon attains the fruits of reading the Vedas. One attains the desired goal by just chanting the Gayatri Mantra and thus there is no need of any other spiritual practice. A man who regularly chants the Gayatri Mantra is absolved of all sins just as a snake easily discards its old skin. A Dvij (twice-born) who fails to chant the Gayatri Mantra is looked down upon by one and all.

Yogiraj Yajnavalkya says - Once the Gayatri Mantra and all the Vedas were weighed in a weighing pan. In one pan was placed the Vedas along with its 6 parts and in the other was placed Gayatri Mantra. The result seen was that the pan of Gayatri Mantra was seen to weigh more. The Upanishads are the gist of the Vedas and Gayatri Mantra is the gist of the Upanishads. Gayatri is the mother of the Vedas. She destroys our sins and there is no other Mantra apart from Gayatri in either heaven or earth that purifies one and all. There is no greater pilgrim spot other than the river Ganges, there is no greater God than Keshav and likewise there is no greater Mantra than Gayatri. Gayatri Mantra will outshine all Mantras of the past, present and future. A man who deeply understands the import of Gayatri Mantra becomes the knower, eminent scholar and pious philosopher of all Sciences. That Dvij who instead of chanting the Gayatri Mantra becomes a scholar of the Vedas will be looked down upon as a Shudra and all his other efforts will go in vain. He who does not know the deep import of the Gayatri Mantra can never be called a true Brahmin and will instead be labeled a sinner.

Rishi Parasher says - Amongst all the Suktas (hymns) and Vedic Mantras, Gayatri is the best. In comparison to the Vedas, Gayatri outshines them. A man who devotedly chants the Gayatri Mantra gets liberated and thus is purified on all fronts. Even if a man studies all the Vedas, Puranas, Itihaas etc. but does not chant the Gayatri Mantra, he will never be called a Brahmin.

Rishi Shankha says - Gayatri is like that hand which helps one lift a person who is drowning in the ocean of sins. Whether on earth or in heaven, there is nothing greater than the Gayatri Mantra. The knower of Gayatri definitely attains heaven.

Rishi Atri says - Gayatri worship is the best way to purify one's soul. Due to its great power one's taints and lowly character are purified. That person, who truly understands the Gayatri principle, attains all joys of the world.

Maharshi Vyas says - Just as the essence of a flower is honey, that of milk is clarified butter, in the same way the essence of all Vedas is Gayatri. When one worships Gayatri one-pointedly, it becomes Kamdhenu (wish fulfilling cow). The river Ganges purifies all the sins of the body and Gayatri in the form of divine Ganges purifies the soul. He who instead of worshipping Gayatri pursues other spiritual practices is definitely a fool because instead of eating delicious food of his home he is begging for stale food elsewhere. Nothing is greater than Gayatri if one wants to augment one's austerities and attain desired goals.

Rishi Bharadwaj says - Gods like Brahmaji etc. always chant the Gayatri Mantra which helps in realizing God. Because of Gayatri those who execute lowly actions are able to stop them totally. A man devoid of Gayatri worship is lower than a Shudra too.

Rishi Charak says - He who chants the Gayatri Mantra while abstaining from sexual intercourse and partaking the fruit of myrobalan attains a longer life span.

Naradji says - Gayatri is Bhakti (devotion) manifest. Wherever there is Gayatri - manifest devotion, there none should doubt the presence of Narayan (God).

Vasisthaji says - Even those who are weak- minded, or live a degraded life or have an unsteady intellect, attain a high status due to Gayatri worship. Most definitely he will attain a high spiritual status after death. Those who worship Gayatri with a pure resolve and in a steadfast manner attain the wisdom of the soul.

Generally all other Rishis too have the same opinion about the importance of Gayatri worship as mentioned above. Great spiritual and philosophical Seers of this century have accepted the importance of Gayatri worship. This is very much similar to the opinion of the great Rishis/thinkers of the past. Amongst contemporary thinkers following are the names of those who have the same view regarding the importance of Gayatri.

Mahatma Gandhi says - Chanting the Gayatri Mantra incessantly is very useful to cure diseases and attaining high spiritual growth. When Gayatri is chanted with a steady psyche and a serene heart, it helps in overcoming dire situations and trying times.

Lokmanya Tilak says - Merely via political aggression we cannot overcome the shackles of bondage in various fields undergone by Indians. For that, the inner soul of each Indian needs to be lit up and thus he/she will realize what is true and what is false. The Gayatri Mantra harbors a pious sentiment that every individual, after giving up the path of lowliness, gets inspired to follow the path of righteousness.

Mahatma Madanmohan Malviyaji had said - Amongst the many jewels handed down to us by the Rishis, is the most valuable jewel called Gayatri. Gayatri worship purifies our intellect. The Lord's divine light radiates in our soul. Due to this light, infinite individuals have crossed this ocean of bondage of the material world. Via Gayatri worship our devotion becomes more intense towards God. Along with this we gain material benefits too. Gayatri worship is most necessary for Brahmins. That Brahmin who fails to chant the Gayatri Mantra is committing the sin of not executing his righteous duty.

The great poet-thinker Rabindranath Tagore says - That Mantra that has awakened India as a nation is so easy that one can chant it in one single breath. This Mantra is the Gayatri Mantra. There can be no opposition on the front of logic or no difference of opinion or any obstruction as far as chanting this extremely pure Mantra is concerned.

At many places Yogi Aurobindo has directed people to chant the Gayatri Mantra. He maintains that Gayatri has such a power which helps us attain desired goals. He has advised so many of his followers to take up Gayatri Mantra chanting as part of their spiritual practices.

Swami Ramkrishna Paramhans' message is - I always tell people that there is no need for spiritual practices for longer periods of time. Instead try this short spiritual practice of Gayatri worship. By chanting the Gayatri Mantra, you attain great spiritual goals. No doubt that this Mantra is very small but its Divine Power is infinite.

Swami Vivekanand says - One should ask for only great things from a King rather than ask for petty gains. In the same way one should ask for only a pure intellect from the Almighty Lord instead of perishable material comforts. Whenever God is happy with his devotee, he gives this devotee a pure intellect. Via a pure intellect one walks on the path of righteousness and thus one attains all kinds of joys. When a man follows the path of truth, he automatically attains all joys. Gayatri is a Mantra of a pure intellect. Thus amongst all Mantras, Gayatri is a crest jewel.

Jagadguru Shankaracharya says - Man is incapable of singing the greatness of Gayatri Mantra. The intellect is so important that nothing comes near it as far as its value is concerned. It is Gayatri worship that activates a pure intellect so as to attain God. Gayatri is the Primordial Mantra. This Gayatri Mantra has specifically manifested so as to destroy falsehood and establish truth.

Swami Ramtirth says - The biggest task in the world is to attain God. Gayatri helps in converting a desire based intellect into a desire less divine intellect. Only a pure intellect can attain God. Gayatri proclaims that one's intellect should be so taintless that it gives more importance to God realization than material gains.

Maharshi Raman says - Within Yogic Sciences, Mantra Science is of utmost value. Mantra power gives one immense success. Gayatri is such a Mantra which gives both material and spiritual gains.

Swami Shivanand says - By chanting the Gayatri Mantra between 3.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m. everyday (Brahma-Mahurat), one's psyche is purified and the heart becomes sacred. The body overcomes diseases, the character becomes pure, one attains far-sightedness because the intellect becomes subtle and one's memory sharpens. Under trying circumstances the power of Gayatri Mantra comes to your aid. As a result, one realizes that all-pervading soul (God).

The famous spiritualist of South India T. Subbarao says - Gayatri is nothing but the divine nature of Savita Narayan (God). Because it is the primordial energy it is called Gayatri. In the Bhagwad Geeta it is described as "Aditya Varna". Gayatri worship is the very first leg of Yoga.

Shri Karpatri says - Those who have necessary spiritual capability should chant the Gayatri Mantra very regularly. It is the Dvija's (twice born) righteous duty to chant the Gayatri Mantra.

Swami Vidyanand who gave great discourses on the Geeta says - Gayatri purifies our intellect. There is no greater benefit than purification of the intellect and hence Gayatri is the Mother of one of the greatest benefits.

Shri Radhakrishna says - If we delve deep into this great prayer Gayatri, we will realize how greatly beneficial it is. Gayatri is a great prayer that helps in producing the very foundation of life.

The great Arya Samaji Mahatma Sarvadanand says - The Aryans have always worshipped God via the Gayatri Mantra. Rishi Dayanand too by following this path of the Aryans had ordained his followers to deeply study the Vedas and chant the Gayatri daily at sunrise, noon and dusk. Because of this one's psyche and intellect gets purified and thus one's life and actions are beneficial not only for that individual but also society at large. To the extent, one has faith in this sacred action, to that extent one's spiritual ignorance, sorrows etc. are destroyed. Those spiritual seekers who devotedly chant the Gayatri Mantra for them, it becomes the boat which aids them in crossing this ocean of sorrow (material world devoid of spirituality) and thus is a path to attain God.

The founder of Arya Samaj, Maharshi Dayanand was an ardent follower of Gayatri. Swamiji while speaking to Rajasahib of Gwalior said Gayatri Purascharan (a type of congregational worship) is more important than a discourse of Bhagwat for 7 days. He had taught the correct mode of chanting Gayatri to Sacchidanand, Hiralal Rawal, Ghodalsinh etc of Jaipur. While he was in Multan, Swamiji taught them all, the right manner in which to chant the Gayatri Mantra and proclaimed that this is the greatest of all Mantras. The root of all the 4 Vedas is this Guru Mantra. Right from primordial times all Rishis have taken recourse to chanting this Mantra. In many regions, Swamiji had conducted Gayatri worship programs in which about 40 scholarly Brahmins participated. This Gayatri Mantra chanting continued for 15 days.

A senior member of Theosophical Society Prof. R. Srinivas says - In Indian spiritual philosophy, Gayatri is said to be the most potent Mantra. Its meaning too is very widespread and deep. This Mantra has many meanings and its influence varies from person to person because of their varied psyche. It has the power to concentrate the visible/high/low via mysterious nerve fibres. When a man of apt spiritual credentials correctly chants the Gayatri Mantra knowing fully well its deep import and meaning and by concentrating his heart and mind, he establishes a bond with the great consciousness hidden in the visible sun. Such a person may chant the Gayatri Mantra anywhere, yet there is a cosmic spiritual influence on him self and his surroundings. This very influence is a great spiritual blessing. As a result our ancestors have eulogized the Gayatri Mantra for its extraordinary power.

In this manner we have with us the valuable opinion of innumerable great men of the present century. On delving deep into these opinions, we are forced to conclude that Gayatri worship is not some blind faith or tradition but behind it is the potent power of perceptible principles that advances our soul. All those who have endeavored to imbibe this great Gayatri Power have benefited in the truest sense of the term. Gayatri worship never goes in vain.