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Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra)

Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra) in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Before study, teaching, classes or any shared work·🎵 Audio included·📜 Taittiriya & Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajur Veda)
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हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగుதமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡമലയാളംગુજરાતીবাংলাଓଡ଼ିଆਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglish

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

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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

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Saha nau avatu🔊May (the Divine) protect us both (teacher and student) together
Saha nau bhunaktu🔊May (the Divine) nourish us both together
Saha viryam karavavahai🔊May we work together with great energy
Tejasvi nau adhitam astu🔊May our study be enlightening and effective
Ma vidvishavahai🔊May 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

This page shows the complete Om Sahana Vavatu (Shanti Mantra) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.
Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.
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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