Om Saha Nāvavatu - the teacher and student
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ saha nāvavatu | saha nau bhunaktu | saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai | tejasvi nāvadhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Meaning
Om. May He protect us both (teacher and student) together; may He nourish us both together; may we work together with great energy; may our study be vigorous and effective; may we not hate one another. Om, peace, peace, peace. The shared prayer of guru and shishya before study.
Source - Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.1, and the opening of the Brahmānanda Valli) and the Kaṭha Upaniṣad; a peace invocation of the Krishna Yajur Veda.
Asato Mā Sad Gamaya - lead me from the unreal to the real
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ asato mā sad gamaya | tamaso mā jyotir gamaya | mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Meaning
Om. Lead me from the unreal to the real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality. Om, peace, peace, peace. A prayer to be carried from ignorance and mortality to truth, light and the deathless.
Source - Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.3.28) - part of the Pavamāna Mantras of the Śukla Yajur Veda.
Om Pūrṇamadaḥ Pūrṇamidam - that is whole, this is whole
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate | pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate || oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Meaning
Om. That (the absolute) is whole and full; this (the manifest world) is whole and full; from the whole, the whole comes forth. Taking the whole from the whole, the whole alone remains. A statement that the infinite is undiminished even as the infinite proceeds from it.
Source - The śānti-pāṭha (peace invocation) of the Īśa Upaniṣad (Śukla Yajur Veda); the same verse also opens the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ - may all be happy
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ | sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkha-bhāg bhavet | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Meaning
Om. May all be happy; may all be free from illness; may all see what is auspicious; may no one suffer. The most beloved Hindu prayer for the welfare of every being - a prayer that excludes no one.
Source - A widely recited maṅgala (well-wishing) verse of the tradition, often associated with the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad and the Garuḍa Purāṇa; among the best-known peace prayers.
Lokāḥ Samastāḥ Sukhino Bhavantu - may all the worlds be happy
ॐ लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ॥
oṃ lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu ||
Meaning
Om. May all the worlds (all the realms and all beings within them) be happy and at peace. A single-line benediction, vast in reach, often chanted to close a practice or sealing the merit of an act for the good of all.
Source - A traditional maṅgala-mantra; frequently appended as a closing prayer in pūjā, kīrtan and yoga practice.
Om Sarveṣāṃ Svastir Bhavatu - well-being for all
ॐ स्वस्ति प्रजाभ्यः परिपालयन्तां न्यायेन मार्गेण महीं महीशाः ।
गोब्राह्मणेभ्यः शुभमस्तु नित्यं लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ॥
oṃ svasti prajābhyaḥ paripālayantāṃ nyāyena mārgeṇa mahīṃ mahīśāḥ | go-brāhmaṇebhyaḥ śubham astu nityaṃ lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu ||
Meaning
Om. May there be well-being for all people. May those who govern protect the earth justly, by the path of righteousness. May there always be good fortune for the cow and the learned, and may all the worlds be happy. A classic prayer for the order and welfare of society.
Source - A traditional svasti-vācana (benediction); recited as a public peace prayer for the welfare of the people and the land.
Tvameva Mātā ca Pitā Tvameva - you are mother and father
त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणं त्वमेव त्वमेव सर्वं मम देव देव ॥
tvam eva mātā ca pitā tvam eva tvam eva bandhuś ca sakhā tvam eva | tvam eva vidyā draviṇaṃ tvam eva tvam eva sarvaṃ mama deva deva ||
Meaning
You alone are my mother and my father; you alone are my kinsman and my friend; you alone are knowledge and wealth; you alone are my all, O God of gods. A complete surrender - placing every relationship and every refuge in the Divine.
Source - From the Pāṇḍava Gītā (also called the Prapanna Gītā); one of the most widely recited verses of self-surrender (prapatti).
Om Tryambakaṃ - the Mahā Mṛtyuñjaya (great death-conquering) mantra
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥
oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam | urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt ||
Meaning
Om. We worship the three-eyed one (Rudra-Shiva), the fragrant, the increaser of nourishment. As the ripe cucumber is freed from its stalk, may we be freed from death - but not from immortality. A great prayer for healing, protection and release from the fear of death.
Source - Ṛg Veda 7.59.12 (also in the Yajur Veda); the Mahā Mṛtyuñjaya, central to Rudra worship. See the full context under Rudrābhiṣeka and the mantra anthology.
Om Bhadraṃ Karṇebhiḥ - may we hear what is auspicious
ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवाः भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
oṃ bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhir yajatrāḥ | sthirair aṅgais tuṣṭuvāṃsas tanūbhir vyaśema devahitaṃ yad āyuḥ | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Meaning
Om. O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious; O worshipful ones, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious. May we, praising you with steady limbs and bodies, enjoy the full span of life that is granted by the gods. A prayer for sound senses, health and a complete life.
Source - The śānti-pāṭha of the Muṇḍaka, Praśna and Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣads (Atharva Veda); originally Ṛg Veda 1.89.8.
Ādhibhautika - peace from the world around us
Peace from disturbances caused by other beings and the outer world - other people, animals, accidents, the obstacles of one's surroundings.
Ādhidaivika - peace from the powers beyond our control
Peace from disturbances of fate and nature - the elements, the weather, earthquakes, floods, the unseen forces traditionally attributed to the devas.
Ādhyātmika - peace within oneself
Peace from disturbances arising in one's own body and mind - illness, pain, and the restlessness of thought and emotion. The third and innermost peace.
Traditional commentators (notably Śaṅkara) explain the threefold repetition in exactly this way: the first śānti calms the outer world, the second the forces beyond us, and the third the self - so that nothing in any of the three realms may obstruct the seeker.
Educational overview. Transliteration follows IAST; the meanings are faithful explanatory renderings of these well-known verses, not a single canonical translation. Recitation, accent (svara) and usage vary between śākhās and family traditions - follow the guidance of one's own teacher and lineage.
