Shanti Mantra – Lyrics, Meaning and Benefits (Peace Mantra)

Lyrics:

Om sarveshaam swastir bhavatu
Sarveshaam shantir bhavatu
Sarveshaam poornam bhavatu
Sarveshaam mangalam bhavatu
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niraamayaah
Sarve bhadraani pashyantu
Maakaschit duhkha bhaag bhavet.

Peace mantra translation:

Auspiciousness be unto all; peace be unto all;
fullness be unto all; prosperity be unto all.
May all be happy!
May all be free from disabilities!
May all look to the good of others!
May none suffer from sorrow!

This mantra is a prayer for Peace (Shanti, means calm, tranquility, peace, fulfillment, or stillness in Sanskrit).

This is the “sarveshaam mantra” and may be used to invoke harmony, peace, calm, and tranquility in the environment in which puja or prayers are recited.

There are more peace mantras in Hindu tradition and are found at the beginning of some topics in Upanishads.

This Shanti mantra is also a method of pacifying the mind of the student and creates a serene and peaceful atmosphere around him.

Shanti mantra meaning and explanation on syllables:

Bhavantu – translates as ”May it so happen.”
Sarve – translates as „That everyone.”
Sukhinah – translates as ”receives happiness.”
Santu – translates as ”Let them all be saint-like.
Niraamayaah – translates as ”And be without disease and in good health.”
Pashyantu – translates as ”Let them see with their own eyes.”
Bhadaraani – translates as ”The goodness of life.”
Maa – translates as ”And let them not.”
Kashchidh – translates as ”Contemplate in their conscious mind.”
Dukh – translates as ”Any sorrow-inducing.”
Bhavet – translates as ”Thoughts while they remain beneficiaries.”
Bhaag – translates as ”Of good fortune.”

READ MORE: Vajra Guru Mantra of Guru Padmasambhava

Benefits of Chanting Shanti Mantra:

Practicing this mantra daily with sincere intention dissolves obstacles in three realms: Adhi-Bhautikam (Physical), Adhi-Daivikam (Divine), and Adhyatmikam (Internal). Obstacles from these realms are believed to be totally pacified.

Peaceful Shanti Mantras like this one, always end with three utterances of the word. Therefore, the reason for uttering three times is for pacifying and removing obstacles in three realms “Physical”, “Divine,” and “Internal.”

These are also called “Tapa-Traya,” or three classes of troubles.

Adhi-Bhautikam literally means “disturbances that come from the world.” That means anything stemming from the world around us – mosquitoes, barking dogs, noisy neighbors, the phone ringing, family arguments.

We have some control over this 2nd category of disturbances. We can use mosquito repellent, we can call the police on our neighbors, we can turn off the phone, we can leave the place altogether, etc. So this Shanti means, “O God, may we be protected from the people and surroundings.”

Adhi-Daivikam literally means “mental disturbances that come from God” – things that are utterly beyond our control: earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis, etc. We absolutely have no control over these types of disturbances. So when we say the first Shanti, we are praying, “O God, may we be protected from these types of obstacles that are beyond our control.”

The 3rd type of disturbance is the most powerful and, at the same time, the only one over which we have total control. Adhyatmikam means “disturbances stemming from the Self.”

For one who is still identified with the ego, the people, places, and things of this world stimulate one of two reactions in the mind – attachment or aversion. Whether we physically see someone we consider our enemy as we walk down the street or remember him during meditation, the mental turbulence that results is the same. Lust, anger, jealousy, sorrow, hatred destroy our peace.

During any type of meditation, pleasant memories also distract us. Hearing the sound of a jet plane flying overhead may mentally carry us off to a fabulous holiday we once took. Only after 10 minutes of daydreaming do we realize we have lost focus on our object of meditation.

So, the third Shanti is the most important one, because even if we are free from outside disturbances, if the inner realm is not calm we will never know peace.

Other powerful mantras include – Buddha Shakyamuni Mantra – Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Soha, Great Compassion Mantra (Da Bei Zhou), Medicine Buddha Mantra (Bhaisajyaguru), and White Tara Mantra (Cintachakra).

Reference

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/prayer-for-peace