ऋचो यजूंषि सामानीत्यष्टावक्शराणि; अष्टाक्शरं ह वा एकं गायत्र्यै पदम्; एतदु हैवास्या एतत्; स यावतीयं त्रयी विद्या तावद्ध जयति योऽस्या एतदेवं पदं वेद ॥ २ ॥
ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmānītyaṣṭāvakśarāṇi; aṣṭākśaraṃ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryai padam; etadu haivāsyā etat; sa yāvatīyaṃ trayī vidyā tāvaddha jayati yo’syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda || 2 ||
2. ‘Ṛcaḥ,’ ‘Yajūmṣi’ and ‘Sāmāni’ make eight syllables, and the second foot of the Gāyatrī has eight syllables. So the above three Vedas constitute the second foot of the Gāyatrī. He who knows the second foot of the Gāyatrī to be such wins as much as that treasury of knowledge, the three Vedas, has to confer.
Similarly ‘Ṛcaḥ,’ ‘Yajūmṣi,’ and, ‘Sāmāni,’ the syllables of the names of that treasury of knowledge, the three Vedas, are also eight in number, and the second foot of the Gāyatri has likewise eight syllables. So the above three Vedas, Ṛc, Yajus and Sāman, constitute the second foot of the Gāyatrī, just because both have eight syllables. He who knows the second foot of the Gāyatrī to he such, consisting of the three Vedas, wins as much as that treasury of knowledge, the three Vedas, has to confer as result.