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Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra)

ॐ सह नाववतु

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Before study, teaching, classes or any shared work·🎵 Audio included·📜 Taittiriya & Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajur Veda)
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📜 Complete Lyrics📖 Word-by-Word Meaning✨ Benefits & How to Chant

Origin & Story

Taittiriya & Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajur Veda) · Traditional (Upanishadic) · Vedic / Upanishadic

Om Sahana Vavatu is the Shanti Mantra that opens the study of several Upanishads. In it, teacher and student pray together that the Divine protect and nourish them both, that they strive with shared vigour, that their study be luminous, and that they never fall into discord. It enshrines the sacred bond of the guru-shishya relationship and the ideal of harmonious learning.

✦ As told in scripture

It is said that knowledge truly flowers only where there is harmony, and this mantra — chanted by teacher and pupil as one — invokes exactly that: a bond free of rivalry in which both are protected, nourished and enlightened together; it has opened the study of the Upanishads for millennia.

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The Mantra

ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om saha navavatu saha nau bhunaktu Saha viryam karavavahai Tejasvi navadhitamastu ma vidvishavahai Om shantih shantih shantih

Meaning:Om. May the Divine protect us both (teacher and student); may it nourish us both; may we work together with great vigour; may our study be illuminating; may we never hate one another. Om peace, peace, peace.

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

सह नौ अवतु🔊Saha nau avatuMay (the Divine) protect us both (teacher and student) together
सह नौ भुनक्तु🔊Saha nau bhunaktuMay (the Divine) nourish us both together
सह वीर्यं करवावहै🔊Saha viryam karavavahaiMay we work together with great energy
तेजस्वि नौ अधीतम् अस्तु🔊Tejasvi nau adhitam astuMay our study be enlightening and effective
मा विद्विषावहै🔊Ma vidvishavahaiMay we never hate (or quarrel with) each other

Benefits of Chanting Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra)

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A beloved Upanishadic Shanti Mantra (from the Taittiriya and Katha Upanishads), traditionally chanted by teacher and student together before study.

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Recited for harmony, mutual respect and protection between guru and disciple, and between all who work or learn together.

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Chanted at the start of classes, study, lectures and group endeavours to invoke blessings, energy and freedom from conflict.

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Cultivates the spirit of working together without rivalry or ill-will — a prayer for collaborative harmony.

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Recited daily by students and seekers, closing with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.

How to Chant Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra)

Repetitions1times
Best TimeBefore study, teaching, classes or any shared work
FaceEast or any

Teacher and students (or collaborators) recite it together before beginning study or work, praying for mutual protection, nourishment, vigour, effective learning and freedom from discord. Close with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.

Frequently Asked Questions

It means: 'May the Divine protect us both, nourish us both; may we work together with vigour; may our study be illuminating; may we never hate each other.' It is a peace mantra for teacher and student (and all who learn or work together), praying for harmony and effective learning.
It is a Shanti Mantra found in the Taittiriya Upanishad and the Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajur Veda). It is one of the most widely recited peace invocations, traditionally chanted before the study of the Upanishads.
It is traditionally chanted by teacher and student together at the start of study, and is recited before classes, lectures, and any shared learning or work to invoke harmony, energy and blessings. It closes with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.
'Ma Vidvishavahai' prays that teacher and student — and all who work together — never fall into rivalry, resentment or ill-will. It recognises that learning and shared effort flourish only in mutual respect and harmony, and so asks for protection from discord.

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