AUM

AUM SHANTIH SHANTIH SHANTIH

By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM

Man prays for peace. Peace helps him achieve perfection. With peace of mind, body and soul, man has a sense of fulfillment. Absence of peace leads to non-fulfillment that in turn gives rise to strife of sorts at individual, social, national and international levels. With a view to doing away with strife that divides and creates cleavages in social fabric, let us pray for peace. Peace of the inner self will motivate a man to strive for global peace translating into absolute absence of strife.

The seventeenth mantra of thirty-sixth chapter of the Yajurveda is popularly hailed as the `shantih-path’. This ved mantra motives a man to harmonise himself with the atmosphere in general and achieve peace. Absence of harmony spells disharmony and that is a precursor of agony. Disharmony causes pain whereas harmony makes life free from pain. An individual should get with the environment. It is attainable through Yoga. It is through Yoga that the mind gels with body and eventually Jeevatma or soul gels with Parmatma or God. It leads to peace par excellence. That blessed state through Abhyas or constant practice and Vairagya or renunciation. Says Yogeshwar Krishna to Arjun: ``Abhyasen tu Kaunteya, Vairagyena cha grihyete.’’ Shri mad bhagwatgita,6,35

A mantra from the Atharvaved lays down some guidelines to attain peace of mind and eventually that of the soul.:

Imani Yani Panchendriyani Manah Shashthani Me Hridi Brahmana Sanshitani
Yairev Sasrije Ghoram Tairev Shantirastu Nah

                                                                                    Atharvaved,19. 9. 5.

The five Indriyas and their sixth companion, Manah which are the root cause of restlessness and resultant lack of peace in my heart,can be purified and sublimated by exercising wisdom.Thus sublimated,the six elements mentioned heretofore will give rise to Peace and nothing but Peace shall prevail.

The Vedic Dharma lays great emphasis on purification of body and mind leading to purification of soul.The concept of five Indriyas and their rightful use or the misuse leads to peace of mind or causes unrest in mind.It is the wisdom of the individual that helps in guiding the Indriyas to remain on the right path.The five Indriyas are : eyes,ears,nose,tongue and skin.These five senses help an individual in acquisition of awareness of what is going on around him or her.The Indriyas and the Manah combine together to decide whether to act or not to act.If and when these five senses and the Manah (it has no appropriate equivalent in English ) run riot, the train of life is derailed.So,it is Brahmana or Vivek ( wisdom) that plays a leading role in keeping our five sensory organs of the body and Manah ( a synthesis of heart and mind ) on the right track.Remaining on track, the right track, indeed means smooth working and peaceful existence..Failure to do so may be disastrous.Experience shows that more often than not,villains in human society are products of  a derailed life.Like the rogue elephant in the herd,a villain in the society creates more of his ilk and prays; may my tribe ever increase.They believe in the game of numbers and make an endeavour to outnumber those who lead peaceful and orderly lives.It is here that rishis and saints step in and motivate men and women to remain on rails.When saints succeed peace prevails.

With a view to bringing about peace and prosperity in human society,saints and seers pray for one and all.Indeed a special characteristic of the Vedic Dharma is that it shows the right path to all human beings without any discrimination.The human society move on smoothly when peace prevails for all sections of the society and not only for groups.A Vedic prayer is never parochial and encompasses all and sundry,,both the high and low.The Aryan community prayer sung at the end of the Yajna is for Peace,Prosperity,Health and Happiness for one and all and,therefore,there will be no sorrow or grief. It runs thus :

     Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah;

     Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu Ma Kashchid Dukh Bhagbhavet.

Over a period of time it has acquired force of tradition to say aloud Aum Shantih  Shantih  Shantih at the end pf a prayer on all occasions even if it was not there in the original text.

One may ask why does the word Shantih come thrice at the end of a prayer for peace. Once is enough, isn’t it? To quote Kapil Rishi  and Sankhya Sutra : Man must get rid of three kinds of miseries or dukh to attain peace. These are classified as Adhyatmik, Aadhi Daivik and Aadhi Bhautik. The Aadyatmik dukh is generated within us and by us, example, anger, greed, infatuation, recurring doubts, infidelity etc. The Aadhi Daivik dukh is generally generated by Prakriti or non-vibrant matter example earthquake, excessive rain or lack of it, a major fire, global freeze or global warming. Lastly Aadhi Bhautik dukh is caused by fellow human beings, wild or domestic animals and other living beings. Some of the examples are world wars, regional wars, nuclear wars, dacoity or robbery, an encounter with a man-eater, pest or locust invasion etc. With a view to keeping these three kinds of miseries, man fortifies his mind with a Vedic prayer of myriad means to face them and beat them. So let us say Aum Shantih, Shantih, Shantih. May God bestow upon us spiritual peace, may worldly elements and super natural elements be at peace with us.

Is that all to gel with environment?  Of course, there is more to it in the mantra. Let us recite the Ved Mantra:

``Aum dyauh Shantirantariksham shantih prithvi
Shantirapah Shantiroshadhaya shantih. Vanaspatayah
Shantir vishvedevah shantirbrahma shantih Sarvam
Shantih Shantireva Shantih Sa Ma Shantiredhi.

A free rendering into English will run thus:

 The celestial bodies in the firmament exist in harmony; harmony permeates space, earth waters, herbals and foliage, bounties of nature, divine knowledge, one and all around: harmony and harmony: O God may that harmony (Peace) be a part of my personality.

 Indeed this Ved Mantra is divine and made for humans. The peaceniks and environmentalists will find here whatever they wish for. The mantra has eleven short sentences – ten complete in themselves but the eleventh one about man seeking peace relies on the previous ten. When the celestial bodies, the elements of nature and the Brahm Jnyan are harmony personified, why is man bereft of it? He craves for peace or Shantih but it eludes him. Why? It sets us thinking.

 Mind is the man. It is in the mind that man finds both Shanti and Ashanti leading to heaven or hell. Man has to train his mind through Yoga and bring in harmony. The Ved Mantra beckons and leads the way. Man has to follow the Vedic path that helps attain perfect peace. 

 What is the most appropriate time to recite the Ved Mantra on peace and harmony? Well, anytime of the day or night will be fine. When you are at peace with yourself and with your maker, please do recite to fortify yourself for any eventuality in future. If you are in an agitated state of mind it would be the most opportune moment to recite the mantra and it will help you compose yourself. 

Should the anger have the better of you; let your spouse or friend lend a helping hand by initiating recitation. The mantra’s melody will make your mood melodious. The Shanti path has the Vedic charm to bring you back from the Hara-kiri path and put you on the path to prosperity of body, mind and spirit. Let us all recite together, in unison again and again: AUM SHANTIH SHANTIH SHANTIH.