Om Shanti Shanti Shanti / ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

I am sure you would have heard this sentence often - ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः / Om Shanti Shanti Shanti – usually after a shloka or a prayer, or at the end of a spiritual class or session, or maybe in a yoga or pranayama session.

Have you wondered why do we recite it, or why is it chanted thrice?

Well, let us first talk about शान्ति मंत्र / Shanti Mantras.

Shanti Mantras are, simply stated, prayers for peace. They have been quoted in the उपनिषद / Upanishads. One of the types of texts in the Veda Vangmay (वाङ्गमय) / Vedic Literature, Upanishads are late-Vedic and post-Vedic dissertations on the traditions, rites and rituals put forth in the Vedas. There are different Shanti Mantras in different Upanishads.

As the name states, a Shanti Mantra is expected to bring peace to and calm the mind of the reciter and the environment around her/him. It is suggested to chant Shanti Mantras in the morning between 6-8am.

If you chant a Shanti Mantra repeatedly for a certain duration, say 10-15 minutes, during a specific time (preferably between 6-8am) and at a particular place daily, you are sure to experience calmer disposition, more focus, better retention of information through the day.

There isn’t any great miracle in it, actually. If you begin the day by focusing on good thoughts, reciting shlokas that have good impact on body as well as mind (we have already seen why in an earlier blog post), you will be better poised to handle the ups and downs you may encounter in the day.

When your mind is calm, your focus is better. When your focus is better, you study better, retain more, and at the end of the day, you feel more content, confident and satisfied. The next day, you start off with a calmer mind…and so on.. It becomes a virtuous cycle. This is applicable at any stage and age in life.

As we are on the topic of learning and retention, let us look at this Shanti Mantra from the तैत्तिरीय / Taittiriya and कठ / Katha Upanishads.

ॐ सह नाववतु। सह नौभुनक्तु। सह वीर्यंकरवावहै। तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु माविद्विषाव है। ॐ शान्तिःशान्तिःशान्तिः।।

This Mantra is usually recited at the beginning of any learning session. This is a special shloka dedicated to strengthen the bond between the student and the teacher and make the study session more fruitful.

The teacher and the student together pray that –

ॐ सह नौ अवतु । Om, May He (The Lord) protect us both.

सह नौ भुनक्तु । May He nourish us both

सह वीर्यं करवावहै । May we both work together with great energy

तेजस्विः नौ अधीतम् अस्तु । May our studies be enlightening and filled with brilliance (of understanding)

मा विद्विषावहै । May (our studies) not give rise to any hostilities

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः । Om Peace! Peace! Peace!

Why is "Shanti / शान्तिः" uttered thrice at the end?

That is because we seek peace, calmness and removing of obstacles – in three spheres, namely

1. अधिभौतिक / Adhi-Bhautik / Physical – the external world – disturbance caused by the conspicuous world - people, animal kingdom, nature, etc.

2. अधिदैविक / Adhi-Daivik / Divine – the extra-sensory world – disturbance caused by the inconspicuous world - demons, demi-gods, spirits, etc.

3. अध्यात्मिक / Adhyaatmik (Adhi-Aatmik) / Internal – one’s own body and mind – physical attributes and emotions that may be causing or may cause disturbance like diseases and afflictions, laziness, absentmindedness, etc.

Interestingly, as the world we seek peace for becomes subtler, from physical to divine to internal, the word Shanti is also uttered in reducing volume.

Wishing you all Shanti in the तप त्रयः / Tapa-Trayas - अधि भौतिक, अधि दैविक and अध्यात्मिक!

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।।