Good Night / शुभरात्रिः

I got some feedback from my teenage daughter to my last two Good morning blogs – it made me happy as it meant she was reading them!! (Yay!!)

She said – In order to have a Good morning, it is important to have had a good night’s sleep first!

Unfortunately, insomnia is a big problem plaguing the younger generation today. We were probably lucky not to have so many distractions and so much competition and stress in our growing up years.

Interestingly, right back in the Vedic period too, people realized the importance of sleep for rejuvenation of the body and the mind and the निद्रा-देवी (Nidra Devi / Goddess of Sleep) finds mention right from the ऋग्वेदः / Rigveda – the first and the oldest Veda.

As an option to endlessly scrolling on some device trying to entice sleep or counting sheep (if any of you still do that!!), you may consider these two mantras –

For a peaceful sleep without any nightmares, chant :

रामं स्कन्दं हनूमन्तं वैनतेयं वृकोदरम् । शयने यः स्मरेन्नित्यं दुःस्वप्नस्तस्य नश्यति ।।

goodnight

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It means –

रामं स्कन्दं हनूमन्तं वैनतेयं वृकोदरम् - Rama, Kartikeya, Hanuman, Garuda, Bheem शयने यः स्मरेत् नित्यम्*               - one who remembers them regularly while sleeping

दुःस्वप्नः तस्य नश्यति*  ।            - does not have any nightmares.

As you end your day and retire to bed, contemplate on these five – Rama, Skanda (Kartikeya, Murugan, Subramanyam), Hanuman, Garuda (Vainateya, Eagle) and Bheem (of the Pandavas) – who are epitomes of strength, valour and courage. It is believed that they will drive away bad dreams so that your sleep is peaceful.

As I mentioned earlier, our ancestors worshipped निद्रा-देवी /Nidra Devi – as a form of Goddess – who resided in all and helped living beings to sleep through the night and rejuvenate themselves. To invoke that Goddess every night, you chant -

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु निद्रारूपेण संस्थिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमोनमः ।।

nidradevi

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It means –

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु  - The Goddess who’s situated in all living beings

निद्रारूपेण संस्थिता - in the form of sleep

नमः तस्यै नमः तस्यै नमः तस्यै नमोनमः - I pay obeisance to her thrice

The Goddess resides in all of us in the form of “Sleep” and "Sleep" is also a यज्ञ-कर्म / righteous ritual (offering) to help the body rest and heal and to prepare itself for doing good deeds the next day.

Don’t consider sleep to be something external to oneself, but that which is inherently present in us all and which comes naturally when the body needs to rest.

In many cultures, something is said or done thrice in order to underscore its importance or initiate quick action or to work towards its completion.

One may recite either or both shlokas once or repeatedly till one falls asleep. Apart from calming the mind through repetition, Samskrita pronunciation also helps in having good vibrations in the body.

Wishing that निद्रा-देवी /Nidra Devi always bestows her blessings on you all!

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*संधि-विग्रहः / Sandhi Vigraha - Two words joined in shloka have been separated.

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