Dear list members, in The Conquest of the Four Quarters, on p. 255-6, Jonathan Bader mentions Gāyatrī's curse upon the brahmins. In discussing the tradition according to which Śaṅkara is the founder of six devotional denominations, Bader writes:
> Nevertheless he [= Śaṅkara] realizes that Gāyatrī's curse upon the > brahmins [...] has now come to pass. The brahmins of old who had argued > with the goddess had indeed been born again in the kali-yuga with such > limited capacities that they were attached to one deity or another. Has anyone any suggestions as to which narrative Bader might be referring to? Since he mentions that the brahmins *argued* with Gāyatrī, I guess her curse is a reaction to a display of hubris by the brahmins. I had to think of the Padmapurāṇa episode in which *Sāvitrī*, furious after seeing the cowherdess Gāyatrī take her place as Brahmā's wife, curses deities and brahmins alike. I wonder if a similar episode is told somewhere else with a few major differences. I shall be grateful for any references, hints and comments. All the best, Gaia Pintucci
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