The Shanti Mantras, or Pancha Shanti mantras, are

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

prayers for peace ('' shanti'') found in the

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

. 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 the Upanishads. They are believed to calm the mind and the environment of the reciter. Shanti Mantras always end with the sacred syllable '' om'' (''auṃ'') and three utterances of the word "''shanti''", which means "peace". The reason for the three utterances is regarded to be for the removal of obstacles in the following three realms: * The physical or ''ādhibhautika'' realm can be a source of obstacles coming from the external world, such as from wild animals, people, natural calamities. * The divine or ''ādhidaivika'' realm can be a source of obstacles coming from the extra-sensory world of spirits, ghosts, deities and demigods. * The internal or ''ādhyātmika'' realm is a source of obstacles arising out of one's own body and mind, such as pain, diseases, laziness and absent-mindedness. These are called ''tāpatraya'', or the three classes of obstacles. These are the Shanti Mantras from the different Upanishads and other sources.

Isha and 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'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...
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 and Katha Upanishad

Kena and Chandogya Upanishads

Aitareya Upanishad

Mundaka, Māndukya and Prashna Upanishads

Vedas

There are various other Shanti Mantras from the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

, of which some of the notable ones are:

References

* Mantra Pushpam, Text in Sanskrit, compiled by Swami Devarupananda, Published by Ramakrishna Math, Khar, Mumbai, India. * Brihadaranyaka Upanishad with the Commentary of Shankaracharya, Translated by Swami Madhavananda, Published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, India. ISBN No : 81-7505-102-7 * Eight Upanishads (Vol. 1) with the Commentary of Shankaracharya, Translated by Swami Gambhirananda, Published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, India. ISBN No : 81-7505-016-0 * Eight Upanishads (Vol. 2) with the Commentary of Shankaracharya, Translated by Swami Gambhirananda, Published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, India. ISBN No : 81-7505-017-9
Vedanta Spiritual Library, 108 Upanishads.
* "The Principal Upanishads" by

Swami Sivananda Swami Sivananda Saraswati (; 8 September 1887 – 14 July 1963), also called Swami Sivananda, was a Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru, a Hinduism, Hindu spiritual teacher, and a proponent of ''Vedanta''. Sivananda was born in Pattamadai, in the Ti ...

, The

Divine Life Society The Divine Life Society (DLS) is a Hinduism, Hindu spiritual organization and an ashram, founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936, at Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh, India. The Society has branches around the world, with its headquarters in Rishi ...

Publications, Uttaranchal, Himalayas, INDIA.

External links

* Commentary by

Swami Dayananda Saraswati Dayanand Saraswati () born Mool Shankar Tiwari (12 February 1824 – 30 October 1883), was a Hindu philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of Hinduism. His book '' Satyarth Prakash'' has remained one of th ...

on Purnamadah(pdf fil

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