What is Om Shanti? The mantra, desire for peace, how to chant, in yoga and more!

In the practice of meditation, it is common to use mantras – which are sounds, syllables or words, said aloud to concentrate the mind and favor the meditator’s connection with his inner self, with other individuals and with the universe, as well as reaching certain specific results.

One such mantra is Om Shanti, which has its origins in Hinduism and has been adopted by Buddhist and Jain traditions. He is attributed the power to bring serenity to those who chant it and to favor peace in the universe.

In this article, we will deal with the origins and use of Om Shanti, including in yoga, and the role that mantras play in achieving our goals, especially in achieving inner peace, incorruptible and undisturbed, and in the search for spiritual enlightenment. Check out!

Linked to inner peace and widely used in the practice of yoga, Om Shanti is one of the best known mantras. We will examine its meaning, its origins, the powers it has and how it should be chanted to produce its beneficial effects in our lives. Follow!

The Om Shanti mantra originated in Sanskrit, one of the many languages ​​that have coexisted in the Indian subcontinent since time immemorial.

One of the peculiarities of this language is that, over time, it ceased to be used in the performance of everyday activities: its use was restricted to the celebration of spiritual ceremonies and the transmission of philosophical and spiritual knowledge that were codified in works written in it. by the sages of antiquity.

The Upanishads, important Hindu scriptures, are examples of works that were written in Sanskrit.

There is no literal translation of Om into English. According to Mandukya Upanishad, one of the Upanishads, the syllable OM is all there is and encompasses in itself the past, present and future. Considered the primordial sound of the universe, it symbolizes the cyclic alternation between death and rebirth, destruction and creation.

Due to the senses that this sound evokes, we could freely translate Om as “reality” or “universe”, since it represents all aspects of our reality, good or bad, peaceful or stormy, happy or sad.

Shanti, in Sanskrit, refers to inner peace, a state of serenity and balance in which intellect and emotions are in harmony and which resists even adversity because its foundations are in the soul, not in the body.

One of the goals of meditation is to grow spiritually to the point where you can let go of material concerns and achieve the undisturbed peace represented by Shanti.

According to the meanings of Om and Shanti presented above, we could translate Om Shanti as “universal peace” and understand the mantra as an expression of the incorporation of peace into our reality.

According to the practices that make use of it, the Om Shanti mantra favors the connection with the divine and serves as a form of protection against the adversities of the material plane, while at the same time it strengthens the meditator inside to face them without his tranquility be disturbed.

Incorporating the Om Shanti mantra into your daily meditation practice makes it easier to achieve its goals, including spiritual development. The use of mantras favors the concentration of the meditator’s attention and energy, making it easier for him to reach higher levels of consciousness. The use of Om Shanti specifically promotes serenity in the face of problems and negative circumstances that are so common in the universe.

To chant a mantra, it is preferable to seek a quiet environment where there is little chance of interruptions and interference. Sit on the floor, close your eyes and keep your legs crossed.

As for your hands, you can bring them together and raise them to chest height, or leave them palms up, each resting on one knee and index and thumb together. In the indicated position, start the meditation and try to connect with the divine and with your interior. After you have done the above, repeat the Om Shanti mantra at least three times in the same tone.

The “o” of Om is open and must be prolonged. The word “om” should resonate through the body of the person chanting it. The “a” in shanti should be a bit long and is pronounced like the letter “a” in the English word “father”, but if you can’t pronounce it that way, the “a” in “fa” is a suitable substitute.

Don’t worry about the exact pronunciation of these sounds, as intonation and concentration are much more important than that.

One of the most common ways to use the Om Shanti mantra in meditation is by chanting the sound Om and following it from the word Shanti three times: Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. This form of the Om Shanti mantra represents the desire for peace threefold: expressed in the mind, expressed in the word, and expressed in the body.

The use of the form Om Shanti Shanti Shanti is also used, especially in the practice of Yoga, to deal with the sources of disturbances which, like clouds of mosquitoes, surround us wherever we are, confuse us, exasperate us and they distract us, blocking or diverting the quest for enlightenment.

Ideally, the expression of triple peace can give us serenity so that the mind does not become clouded, lucidity so that we can distinguish reality from illusions, and wisdom so that we can separate what is relevant from what is not.

One of the reasons for using the Om Shanti Shanti Shanti mantra in Yoga is to deal with the three universal conflicts, also called the three conflicts that prevail in the universe, which we will become familiar with later on. Check out more about this subject in the topics below!

Chanting the OM mantra has a very calming effect on the mind. Doing it before practicing Yoga contributes to establishing the individual’s connection with himself that is sought in this activity, intensifying and prolonging the beneficial effects achieved in it.

Om Shanti is often used in Yoga as a greeting expressing the wish that the interlocutor enjoy peace.

In the practice of Yoga, the mantra Om Shanti can also be chanted. In this case, it is common to use the form Om Shanti Shanti Shanti for the purpose of dealing with the three types of conflicts that prevail in the universe, each of which is prevented or neutralized by the chanting of a shanti.

The three conflicts prevailing in the universe are called Adhi-Daivikam, Adhi-Bhautikam and Adhyatmikam. These terms designate three categories of sources of disturbances to the peace which must be overcome for spiritual enlightenment to take place.

Achieving enlightenment is an end favored by incorporating the Om Shanti mantra into one’s meditation practice.

Adhi-daivikam is conflict over which we cannot have control. It refers to disturbing phenomena that seem to be decided in a divine plan, superior to ours, and evade our efforts to foresee or avoid them. Examples of them are accidents, illnesses, storms, etc.

The word shanti is chanted for the first time with the aim of evoking liberation from the disturbances caused by phenomena of this type.

Adhi-bhautikam is the conflict caused by objects and individuals external to us, that is, by elements of the material world that surrounds us and over which we have some measure of control: arguments, annoying sounds, etc. The word shanti is chanted a second time in order to evoke freedom from the disturbances caused by the world around us.

Adhyatmikam is conflict originating within ourselves, from our attachment or ego, which gives rise to fear, envy, hatred and other negative feelings. The third time, the word shanti is chanted to evoke release from the disturbances caused by attachment and ego and their replacement with non-attachment, humility, compassion, peace and love.

As we have seen, mantras can be used as an aid in the practice of meditation. Now we will discuss in more detail their nature and the benefits they bring. Check out!

Mantras are sounds (syllables, words, sets of words, etc.) to which spiritual powers are attributed. The activity of chanting them helps the meditator to concentrate and gives rise to specific energetic vibrations that help him raise his consciousness to higher levels. Each chant also has its specific effects.

According to the Vedas, a body of Hindu scriptures of which the Upanishads are a part, mantras were not created or discovered by human ingenuity, but were assimilated from a higher plane by advanced practitioners of meditation.

The word mantra originates from Sanskrit and is composed of the root “man”, which has the meaning of mind, and the ending “tra”, which has the meanings of “instrument” and “wisdom”.

According to the etymology presented above, mantras can therefore be understood as instruments for preserving the mind in the face of negative factors and for the pursuit of wisdom and enlightenment.

In general, mantras come from Sanskrit, whose sounds produce energy vibrations related to what they name. While mantras may have translatable meanings into modern languages ​​such as English, the subtlety of their energetic nature makes translation efforts difficult.

Due to the difficulties of translating from Sanskrit, it is not uncommon for the same language to have several interpretations of the same word from that language, sometimes giving rise to doubts and misunderstandings.

Moreover, the most fundamental and profound meaning of these words transcends the meaning they receive in modern languages. The connection to this more fundamental meaning must be made through the soul of the seeker of wisdom.

Mantras, as we said, produce energetic vibrations. They influence the energy and mind of those who chant them, which allows the meditator to connect with his interior and ascend to higher states of consciousness. They also have a calming effect on the nervous system and help to focus the mind.

Based on the effects of the mantras mentioned above, we can list some of the benefits of incorporating them into daily practice, such as promoting tranquility, strengthening emotional balance, sharpening attention and increasing…