Regarding Sandhyavandhanam and Gayatri, I made a post in some Brahmin Group where it landed up absolutely quiet like a fire cracker which has the great fortune of living under water just for a week.. I repeat it here for my own archival purposes.
The prescribed number to be chanted, for smarthas of Palakkad.. (and it must apply to all smarthas,) is 108 gayatri for praata sandhya ..morning, 32 for madhyahnikam..the noon and 64 for Sayamsandhya. in the evening . The original prescription was 108 three times a day, but some concession was given later.. And it is Sixteen Gayatris when there is aashaucham ( mournig period caused by death etc..)and such crisis situations.. This fact is recorded in all the standard texts published like those by RS Vadhyar etc...Just a passing remark..
See, in vedic parlance certain chandas have got identified with some mantras by usage. Gayatri for Savitri(the tatsavitr..), Thrishtup for" Jaatavedase Sunavaama "etc.. Such homilies are of little consequence apart from names used... I do not find much further significance in such classification..
Ultimately it is the potency of the mantra that counts. All people belonging to the clan of Raghu are Raghavas, but Rama is specially called Raaghava.. because he was the best among them.. That is only hyperbole..
