shanti-mantraasato-ma-sadgamayaupanishadpavamana-mantra

असतो मा सद्गमय

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Daily; at the start of study, meditation or prayer·🎵 Audio included·📜 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant

Origin & Story

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28 · Traditional (Upanishadic) · Vedic / Upanishadic

The Pavamana Mantra, 'Asato Ma Sadgamaya', is found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, among the oldest of the Upanishads. In three sublime lines it sets out the entire aspiration of the spiritual seeker — to be led from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. For its beauty and depth it has become one of the most cherished prayers of Hinduism, recited the world over.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages hold this prayer to be the very voice of the soul's longing — that beneath every human desire lies this one cry to pass from illusion to truth, darkness to light, and death to the deathless; to chant it sincerely is to turn the whole being toward the eternal.

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The Mantra

ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om asato ma sadgamaya Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya Mrityorma amritam gamaya Om shantih shantih shantih

Meaning:Lead me from the unreal to the real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality. Om peace, peace, peace.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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असतो मा सद्गमय🔊Asato ma sadgamayaLead me from the unreal (untruth) to the real (truth)

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय🔊Tamaso ma jyotirgamayaLead me from darkness to light

मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय🔊Mrityorma amritam gamayaLead me from death to immortality

शान्तिः🔊ShantihPeace (chanted three times for complete peace)

Benefits of Chanting असतो मा सद्गमय

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One of the most ancient and revered prayers of the Upanishads (the Pavamana Mantra, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28) — a prayer for the journey from ignorance to enlightenment.

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Recited for the seeker's progress from untruth to truth, darkness to light, and death to immortality — the very goal of spiritual life.

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Chanted for inner peace, clarity and the dispelling of ignorance, at the start of study, meditation and prayer.

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A universal prayer, beloved across traditions for its sublime expression of the human longing for the eternal.

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Recited daily and at the close of prayers with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.

How to Chant असतो मा सद्गमय

Repetitions1times

Best TimeDaily; at the start of study, meditation or prayer

FaceEast or any

Recite slowly and meditatively, dwelling on the movement of the soul from the unreal to the real, darkness to light, and death to immortality. It is chanted at the beginning of spiritual study and meditation, and closed with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.

Frequently Asked Questions

It means: 'Lead me from the unreal to the real; from darkness to light; from death to immortality.' It is an ancient Upanishadic prayer for the soul's journey from ignorance and mortality to truth, enlightenment and the eternal.

It is from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28), one of the oldest Upanishads, and is known as the Pavamana Mantra. It is among the most famous and beloved prayers in all of Hindu scripture.

It is chanted daily and especially at the start of spiritual study, meditation and prayer, as a prayer for the dispelling of ignorance and the movement toward truth and light. It is closed with 'Om Shanti Shanti Shanti'.

From the unreal to the real (asat to sat) means from illusion to truth; from darkness to light (tamas to jyoti) means from ignorance to knowledge; from death to immortality (mrityu to amrita) means from the mortal to the eternal Self. Together they describe the whole goal of the spiritual path.