Gayatri mantra - My explanation about its greatness !

The Gayatri mantra is a prayer to the supreme lord to enhance
one’s intellect  or increase one’s knowledge or bring about
enlightenment. The sanskrit language is such that, a person who
has a deeper understanding of the language can provide different
meanings for every letter or half letter.
So, the Gayatri mantra has been open to interpretation by those
who have the understanding of the language and subject. 
And it has also been misused by many. Now, anybody and everybody
interprets it the way they want (Including yours truly !) and claims that it
provides various benefits. That is a matter of conjecture or belief. Since
it is a matter of ‘belief’,  no one can ask for justification or proof.
The following are a few such “benefits”. You may add your own to the list. 
It increases learning power. 

It increases concentration.

It brings prosperity.

It gives people eternal power.

It is very useful for peace.

It is the first step to go to the way of the spiritual road.

It is correlated with God.

It strengthens the mind and improves the health condition.

It improves the rhythmic pattern of breathing.

It keeps our hearts healthy.

It protects the devotee from all the dangers and guides towards
the Divine by intuition.

It improves our family life.

It makes students score better in exams   etc etc etc etc 

I don’t subscribe to any of those benefits or effects of gayatri mantra.
As far as I am concerned,The words “om bhur bhuva, suvah,
tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dheemahi” is the way of
addrerssing the god by extolling his virtues. 

And “Dhiyo, yonah, prachodayat” Is our prayer to him to enhance
our wisdom or provide knowledge or enlighten. Thats it.  

Sri Bannanje Govindacharya explains how the words “Bhur ...to …
dheemahi” also indicate the ten avataras of lord Vishnu. There are
many such explanations.

I feel that the Gayatri is one of the great Mantras because it doesn’t
request god for money, luxuries and material benefits or extended life
and it only asks for more and more knowledge. ( of course, he may grant
it  but one has to work for it!) And in this present world and present age,
Knowledge is everything !! 

That may explain why it was considered important to perform
upanayanam to a boy and preach him “gayatri”,  just before he left for
Gurukula in search of knowledge.

The father performs upanayana (munji) and advises the boy, who is ready
to travel to gurukula seeking wisdom, to concentrate on and accumulate
more and more knowledge.
In other words “Study well”.   Hence Gayatri is a great mantra.