The Shanti Mantras or "Peace

s" or Pancha Shanti are

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

prayers for

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

( Shanti) found in

Upanishads The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...

. Generally they are recited at the beginning and end of religious rituals and discourses. Shanti Mantras are invoked in the beginning of some topics of

. They are supposed to calm the mind of the reciter and environment around him/her. Reciting them is also believed to be removing any obstacles for the task being started. Shanti Mantras always end with the sacred syllable Om (''Auṃ'') and three utterances of the word "Shanti" which means "Peace". The reason for uttering three times is for calming and removing obstacles in the three realms: * Physical or ''Adhi-Bhautika'' realm can be source of obstacles coming from external world, such as from wild animals, people, natural calamities etc. * Divine or ''Adhi-Daivika'' realm can be source of obstacles coming from extra-sensory world of spirits, ghosts, deities, and demigods. * Internal or ''Adhyaatmika'' realm is source of obstacles arising out of one's own body and mind, such as pain, diseases, laziness, and absent-mindedness. These are called "Tapa-Traya" or three classes of obstacles. When Shanti mantras are recited, obstacles from these realms are believed to be pacified. These are the Shanti Mantras from the different

and other sources.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

''The translation and meaning of the Mantra can be understood when the context in which the Mantra is quoted in the Upanishad is known. Prior understanding of
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
is essential for translation and explanation of these Mantra. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explains Consciousness and it in this context that this Shanti Mantra needs to be understood.''

Taittiriya Upanishad

* Reciter = the one who is currently reciting this mantra. Identifying oneself here as "the reciter", and not as "I", is a sign of self-realization, of transcending beyond self and ego being dissolved.

Taittiriya Upanishad

Kena and Chandogya Upanishads

Aitareya Upanishad

Mundaka, Māndukya and Prashna Upanishads

Vedas

There are various other Shanti Mantras from the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

, of which some of the notable ones are:

References

External links

* Commentary by Swami Dayananda Saraswati on Purnamadah(pdf fil

{{Hindudharma Hindu mantras Religion and peace

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Taittiriya Upanishad

Taittiriya Upanishad

Kena and Chandogya Upanishads

Aitareya Upanishad

Mundaka, Māndukya and Prashna Upanishads

Vedas

See also

References

Further reading

External links