A Prayer for Enlightenment
This beautiful mantra was put up by Anonymous (Sian?) on 28th May 2021 as a comment on my old post of 28th May 2012 titled - “Advaita from First Principles (II): Why EVERYTHING has to be Predestined!”. Anon had helpfully given the meaning as:
“Let the whole world and all beings be at peace and happy”.
On the net, in a more elaborate way, we find this famous mantra explained thus:
“May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness, and to that freedom for all.”
However, as I had mentioned in the comments put up on the Predestination post, the mantra is not just a prayer for universal peace and happiness. At a deeper level, like many of the more ancient “mangal mantras”, it is also a prayer for Self-realization.
Let us see how …
The Background of the Mantra
Traditionally these lines are found towards the end of this short hymn:
Om svasti prajabhya paripalayantam
Nyayena margena mahim mahishah
Gobrahmanebhya shubamasthu nityam
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu
Om shantih, shantih, shantih.
Om, Let subjects (people) be well looked after
Let the Rulers of Earth rule on the right path
Let the cows and Brahmins be always auspicious (do well)
Let all beings/worlds be happy/peaceful
Om, Let there be peace, peace, peace.
Some refer to this hymn as the “Svasti mantra”. Some Yoga schools have adopted it as their signature hymn (“Ashtanga Yoga closing hymn”). But as mentioned earlier this is just one of several so called “mangal mantras”, “mantras for universal good”, that can be used on any occasion, religious or otherwise. Typically mangal mantras are a collection of scattered lines not necessarily making up a comprehensive hymn which can be found as such in a particular scriptural text. In fact, the words “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” are not traceable back to any text at all. But given the beautiful Vedic Sanskrit and the especially sublime message being conveyed, some scholars believe that it may be a remnant from the original single Veda which was lost; a mantra which could easily have been incorporated into the Rg Veda itself.
A Deeper Meaning
The secret of the mantra is hidden in the word “sukhino”. In derived usage, and in modern times, it means “to be happy” or “to be peaceful”. In original Vedic usage, the meaning is more complex and deeper. The Sanskrit root “kha” which broadly means “cavity” or “hollow”, in the Rg Veda specifically refers to “the space (hole) at the centre of a chariot wheel through which the axle runs”. The root “Su” broadly means “good”. Thus “sukha” becomes “a perfect hole in size and shape such that the wheel turns smoothly and freely on its (fixed) axle”; i.e. without any squeaks or noises, with a pleasing, purring sound, enabling the wheel to do its function of locomotion smoothly and speedily, thus bringing happiness and contentment to the user and to all around.
Conversely, with “Du” meaning “torment / affliction / distress”, or simply “bad”, “du-kha” becomes “a bad hole in size or shape with causes the wheel to screech and get stuck etc.”; i.e. cause irritation and displeasure, sadness and despair in that the wheel cannot do its appointed function smoothly. We can see how in later times, with the value of the chariot diminishing and going out of the hearts and minds of people, the antonyms “sukha” and “dukha” came to simply mean “happiness” and “sadness”.
But back in the era the mantra is from, “sukhino” did not primarily mean “to be happy” or “to be peaceful”. It meant “to perfectly run”; “to perfectly run both in a practical and aesthetic sense, like a whizzing chariot wheel rotating effortlessly at high speeds”.
Note that the word “bhavantu” gives a sense of strong forcefulness to the whole phrase in the sense of definitely “let it be so”.
More Deeper Meanings …
Also built into the phrase Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu is an intangible sense of “with respect to me”. In fact, this is built into many Vedic mantras which are otherwise commonly taken as being solely generic prayers for the overall wellbeing of everyone.
As an example, “Om shantih, shantih, shantih”, which sometimes appears at the end of Sanskrit shlokas (and in our hymn above), because of this generic slant is usually understood just as “Let there be peace in the world”, or “Let there be peace for all” (repeated three times). Which is of course correct enough in a superficial sense. But realistically, can the World be ever peaceful or quiet or silent? Has the World ever in anyone’s memory, or in recorded history for that matter, been peaceful and happy for everyone? At any point of time some people are happy, some are sad, some are neither. Surely there should be more to this mantra from the great Upanishads, than such a forlorn prayer asking for an impossibility! Note that the mantra itself does not clarify as to whom the “shanti” should accrue. The mind simply jumps on to the obvious, seen World as the candidate. But at a deeper level, once we bring in the intangible sense of “for me” built into such ancient mangal mantras, the deluded mind itself becomes the beneficiary for the petition. So “shanti” is primarily being prayed for by the “ego-I” with respect to itself. When the “ego-I” is peaceful and quiet, then the World too may appear as peaceful and quiet. Thus in its subtle sense the mantra means:
“Om (with Thy holy utterance / with Divine Grace) let my mind become quiet / silent / peaceful”.
The prayer is asking for the mind to subside, to die. In deeper terms, “Om shantih, shantih, shantih” is a prayer for Self-realization.
Hence the seemingly simple “Om shantih, shantih, shantih” encapsulates a double prayer to Isvara. In technical terms, one is at the vyavaharika level – for peace and happiness for everyone and the world; and the second, at the pratibhasika level, is for one’s mind or “ego-I” to quieten and extinguish. We may remember that at the vyavaharika level we are still in the World of Duality, of subjects and objects; we take the World as existing separately outside, and independently of us. And at the pratibhasika level we know that the World is our own creation and within us; that we are in the realm of the eka-jiva and dristi-srishti. The “ego-I” then knows that the World is not designed to give lasting happiness from the objects that are seen, but as an obstacle course for the manifested eka-jiva, to test the spiritual character and capabilities of the “ego-I” to the limit.
[Note: More on the nature of the World and the Advaita technical terms vyavaharika, pratibhasika, eka-jiva and dristi-srishti can be found in my previous post “The World is Perfect”].
Back to Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
I have gone into some detail for the relatively simple “Om shantih, shantih, shantih” as with this as the backdrop, hopefully, the explanation for our much more complex “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” becomes easier, and more palatable to absorb. Because herein, the shift in meaning is quite dramatic once the deeper aspects are introduced.
Analogous to “Om shantih, shantih, shantih”, the basic vyavaharika level meaning for “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” as, “Let the whole world and all beings be at peace and happy”, treats the World as external to the jiva, with multifarious and independent entities populating it. At this level the supplicant finds fault in the World in that some entities are sad and agitated, and that there are various and multiple sad events in the World. The petitioner is praying to the Lord that such entities find happiness too and join the other already happy ones, and for all the sad events to become happy ones.
At the deeper level however, with the root meaning of “sukhino” taken as “to run perfectly” instead of the derived “to be happy”, and the sense of “with respect to me” introduced, we may restate the meaning for this great mantra as:
“Let the entire World [encompassing all objects, entities, events, and actions] be known [by me] as working perfectly”.
Now, at the pratibhasika level, the petitioner prays to “know” the World as functioning perfectly as it is, like an effortlessly spinning wheel, whizzing at high speed. The supplicant does NOT find any fault with the World anymore. Now no object has to change its modus operandi to make its working perfect and thus provide happiness. Nor do all entities have to be happy – they could all well be very sad. Nor does the supplicant seek that a particular event should not happen, or happen differently, as only then will happiness and peace prevail. Now, happiness and peace are not dependent on the World and the objects / events within it, but are the intrinsic quality of Consciousness. Now the petitioner prays to “know” the World as all tickety-boo, as it is.
It may be clear that “know” is used with respect to the mantra in the sense of actualization, of direct experience as exemplified by the technical term “anubhuti”. The supplicant already has the theoretical knowledge, but is now praying for its actualization, which is only possible in the state of Self-realization. In effect, the mantra asks for Enlightenment, for the World to be seen as the Self itself, or as Brahman.
And thus, at a deeper level, “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” is also a prayer for Self-realization.
In Conclusion
To finish off, let me just highlight the complementarity between this post and the previous one “The World is Perfect” of 11th January 2020. Therein I had started with Sri Bhagavan’s blunt words:
“God is perfection. His work also is perfection” [Talk 272].
We may appreciate now that at the deeper level, how much the mantra “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” exemplifies these words. In effect the mantra is exactly echoing Sri Bhagavan in that everything around us is already perfect as it is, we just have to change our outlook and actualize the fact.
Folks, whilst browsing around I was pleasantly surprised to find several wonderful, live renditions on Youtube of this mantra. In some clips the lead singer starts by giving the basic meaning of the words. As the chanting goes on, we can see that the audience is visibly moved as they reflect on the lofty, noble prayer in beautiful Sanskrit. It leaves one with a fuzzy, warm feeling of goodness, in that we have prayed for the wellbeing of not just oneself, but of everyone in the World. And thus, even at the basic, literal level, the mantra is quite magical.
But I am hoping now, dear reader, that when you hear this great mantra on Youtube or elsewhere, and are moved by the beautiful Sanskrit asking for happiness for all, you may remember that at the same time we are also praying for the Lord to grant us the ultimate prize of all – Self-realization!
