The significance of Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu... Has this sweet melody ever caressed your ears and your mind? It is the lokah mantra, the mantra of universal peace and joy.
It is used especially in group meditations, to promote the harmony of the collective. Discover with us the meaning of Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu...
The mantra of universal harmony
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is a Sanskrit mantra often sung at the end of a yoga session or meditation. It is presented as follows:
Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu literally means "May everyone, everywhere in the world, be happy". It can be recited or sung especially after a meditation on universal peace. It can also be translated as follows: "May all beings, in all worlds, be free and at peace". This version includes the addition of the idea of freedom, as well as a more universal conception of existence.
This mantra is thought to be thousands of years old, although it is not found in the Vedas, the founding sacred texts of Hindu philosophy. A surprising fact given that the vedas usually describe popular mantras. It is therefore thought to be part of a Shanti mantra, a mantra of peace.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is sometimes heard at the end of a puja, a thousand-year-old ceremony of purification and offering to a deity. In more recent spiritual customs, this beautiful formula also resounds on the occasion of the kirtan or group chant. With it, the power of a whole, of a community, can in a meditation context unfold to support a happier and more harmonious world.
The significance of Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
There is another, more general meaning of the mantra Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu: "May the whole Universe be forever filled with peace, joy, love and light." Each component of the mantra can be translated as follows:
• Lokah means "the world" in the broadest sense, i.e. it can refer to our planet as well as to other universes and other planes. In fact, the Sanskrit word lokah can be related to the word "location", and therefore refers well to the many places and nooks and crannies of the Universe,
• Samastah means "the whole" or "the whole". We are therefore addressing the whole world(s),
• Sukhino comes from the Sanskrit word sukha or sukhin, which means "joy" or "bliss",
• Bhavantu can be translated as "That all beings". This word is the verb in the general formula. It takes the imperative form, to emphasize the strength of the whole mantra.
Thus, Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is to be recited or sung to promote collective peace. The most exciting thing about this mantra is that, thanks to its linguistic plurality, it can be applied to the many layers of existence.
You will be able to use it to nourish the peace and harmony of a group of people in the same room, as well as the peace and harmony of the whole world, or even the whole Universe and its many planes of existence...
How to use the mantra Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu?
To take full advantage of the vibratory force of this mantra, it is important to pronounce it correctly! In addition to referring to the video that we are attaching to this article, please follow the following tips.
Pronounce the "o's" in a relatively prolonged manner, making it last. The "a's" are a little shorter except for the last "a" of Lokah and "Samastah". Similarly, the "i" is short. The "u's" are pronounced like the "or" sound, and are also prolonged. In addition, the "h" in "Bhavantu" must be heard, expiring markedly on the syllable "bha". Finally, the "an" in "Bhavantu" is open, as in the first name Anne.
As mentioned above, recite this mantra as an offering to universal peace, ideally at the end of a meditation or yoga session.
