By Vidya R.

As our thoughts go out to the victims of the terrible events in Japan and elsewhere in the world, our Sanskrit expert Vidya digs up and explains this a wonderful mantra that wishes for unconditional goodwill to all of humanity.

 

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An oft-repeated śānti mantra is

सर्वेषां स्वस्तिर्भवतु   सर्वेषां शान्तिर्भवतु |     सर्वेषां पूर्णंभवतु  सर्वेषां मङ्गलंभवतु ||
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः    सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः|     सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु     मा कश्चिद् दुःखभाग्भवेत् ||

sarvēṣāṁ svastirbhavatu    sarvēṣāṁ śāntirbhavatu
sarvēṣāṁ pūrṇaṁbhavatu    sarvēṣāṁ maṅgalaṁbhavatu  |
sarvē bhavantu sukhinaḥ   sarvē santu nirāmayāḥ

sarvē bhadrāṇi paśyantu      mā kaścid duḥkhabhāgbhavēt ||
sarvēṣāṁ svastiḥ bhavatu sarvēṣāṁ śāntiḥ bhavatu
sarvēṣāṁ pūrṇaṁ bhavatu sarvēṣāṁ maṅgalaṁ bhavatu |
sarvē bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarvē  santu nirāmayāḥ
sarvē bhadrāṇi    paśyantu    mā   kaścit   duḥkhabhāk    bhavēt ||

sarvēṣāṁ – Everyone’s; svastiḥ – Well-being;   bhavatu – Let it be (so);
sarvēṣāṁ – Everyone’s;   śāntiḥ – Peace;    bhavatu – Let it be (so);
sarvēṣāṁ – Everyone’s;  pūrṇaṁ – Fulfillment;    bhavatu – Let it be (so);
sarvēṣāṁ – Everyone’s;  maṅgalaṁ – Prosperity;      bhavatu – Let it be (so);
sarvē – All;   bhavantu – Let them be;  sukhinaḥ – Comfortable (in all respects);
sarvē – All;   santu – Let them be;   nirāmayāḥ – Free from ill-health;
sarvē – All;   bhadrāṇi –  Beatitude;   paśyantu – Let them see;
mā – Never;  kaścit – Not a one;  duḥkhabhāk – A sad person;   bhavēt – (May) be

Let All Be Well,    Let All Have Peace.
Let All Be Fulfilled,     Let All be Prosperous.

Let All Be Comfortable,   Let All Be Disease-free.
Lett All See Beatitude,   May No One Be Sad.

This is truly a Universal Prayer.  No pre-conditions.  No eligibility requirements.  No conditional applicability.  And, this is the prayer one is taught (at least, I was taught and I know a fair number of Indians (Bhāratīyas) who know this) to utter at the end of any prayer session – small, big, long, short, personal, community, …

May the benedictions of the prayer prevail the world over!

The above is likely a combination of 2 verses, from 2 different sources.  When the origin of this current form is traced / located, I will update this post.

 

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About the Author: Vidya R. is a renewable energy consultant based in the New England Area. She is also passionate about Sanskrit and voulunteers as a Samkrit teacher for Samskrita Bharati. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it