Shanti Mantras

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The Shanti Mantras, or Pancha Shanti mantras, are Hindu prayers for peace (shanti) found in the Upanishads. Generally, they are recited at the beginning and end of religious rituals and discourses.

Shanti Mantras are invoked in the beginning of some topics of the Upanishads. They are believed to calm the mind and the environment of the reciter.

Shanti Mantras always end with the sacred syllable om (auṃ) and three utterances of the word "shanti", which means "peace". The reason for the three utterances is regarded to be for the removal of obstacles in the following three realms:

  • The physical or ādhibhautika realm can be a source of obstacles coming from the external world, such as from wild animals, people, natural calamities.
  • The divine or ādhidaivika realm can be a source of obstacles coming from the extra-sensory world of spirits, ghosts, deities and demigods.
  • The internal or ādhyātmika realm is a source of obstacles arising out of one's own body and mind, such as pain, diseases, laziness and absent-mindedness.

These are called tāpatraya, or the three classes of obstacles.

These are the Shanti Mantras from the different Upanishads and other sources.