Mantra: Lokah Samastah Sukhinoh Bhavantu
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु
Lokah Samastah Sukhinoh Bhavantu
May all beings everywhere be happy, peaceful, and free from suffering
Sanskrit words
Lokah- the worlds, all domains or locations, realms
Samastah- all together, connected as a whole
Sukhinoh- centered in joy, happiness, freed from suffering
Bhav- the Divine mood in unified existence
Antu- may it be so, may they be/ become
I have long been a creator of playlists. I used to make mix tapes by sitting near the radio, waiting for songs to come on, and hitting record. I took advantage of those double-decker boomboxes to make copies I could share.
I used to run with a walkman and later (kind of miraculously) with a portable cd player (I would test the smoothness of my gait by how much the cd skipped). My life was rocked when digital music came out and I could carry thousands of songs on a tiny ipod. For a while I had (and still do, somewhat) an inner conflict about digital music and streaming — but that’s another post.
Fast forward to today where my Spotify Daylist has become somewhat of a morning oracle.
This morning, when a version of the mantra Lokah Samastah Sukhinoh Bhavantu was playing, I was thinking about how it serves as an important reminder and call to action while asking myself, “Why don’t I offer this chant at the end of my classes every single time?”
This mantra reminds us what we are actually doing in practice — distilled down to simple, powerful words, carried forward for thousands of years, long before music was ever recorded.
At its simplest, we usually translate this mantra to: May all beings experience joy, peace, and ease. Growing up in church, translations of the scriptures played a huge role in my life. As a toddler and new speaker all around, my Mom had me memorize Bible verses in the King James Version which (ifkyk — also an entirely separate post) is a literal mouthful. Imagine Shakespearean language full of “thou’s” and “thee’s” — “Thou preparest a table before me...”
Translation of ancient languages makes a big difference, and Lokah Samastah is no exception. Each word carries meaning on its own, but also shifts depending on the phrase, the culture, the era. Scholars throughout time have devoted their lives to meaning-making through derivatives of language. There are many arguments and divides on how original languages are translated into modern understanding — as you can (but probably don’t have to) imagine.
Chanting this mantra gives us the opportunity for self-reflection. More than the abstract and somewhat vague wish of “thoughts and prayers,” directed towards some individual or group “out there,” we are given an opportunity to reflect on what we personally contribute to our loved ones, our communities, and the world.
By contributing, I don’t just mean financially or in the ways we choose to offer outwards in tangible, trackable ways, but also more in the “you are responsible for the energy you bring to a room” kind of way.
In the mantra, the word Samastah refers to those sharing a space. That is a physical location, but also world and realms which includes the energetic frequencies we carry (which are less esoteric now that frequencies are being measured and studied by scientists). With or without instruments, many of us are already sensitive to this: as human beings, we feel each other. Whether conscious of it or not, our thoughts, words, and actions are felt by others. This is humbling — if our words are kind but we’re inwardly resentful, people can tell.
It’s a reminder of what we are doing here. We are living. We are alive. We have this incredible gift of wisdom passed down over thousands of years through Yoga — a technology that addresses our physical bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our energetic connection to each other, the opportunity to align with the most true, honest and authentic core of our Selves, and of course, to the Divine.
There is an inferred part of the mantra that calls us to action: May my thoughts, words, and actions contribute to this happiness, joy, and peace for all.
This call to action, this re-membering, this profound reminder that this moment matters, this interaction matters, your own thoughts make a difference in the spaces you’re in. Beginning with the level of thoughts, turning to words, and leading to actions.
Within the Yoga practice we are given an opportunity to re-familiarize with ourselves. When we approach what we find with compassion and understanding, we start to trust. Trust is a Nervous System state that requires feelings of safety. In practice, moving through postures with breath and attention, each moment gives us a micro-moment to turn inward. Like many have said before, “Yoga is not a workout, it’s a work-in.” We do the work to turn inward and not shy away; to build a compassionate familiarity with all the facets of ourselves.
To feel safe at the level of the Nervous System is to acknowledge the truth of what is in this moment — to accept what we see and all we are practicing with today, right now — and then have the strength to soften and meet it. Through this softer approach we are given an opportunity to welcome the aspects of ourselves that we were hiding or didn’t see, back to the whole.
Whether conscious or subconscious, we carry those levels of familiarity, safety, and trust with us everywhere we go. We can create ripples of acceptance, permission, and transformation simply by being there and doing the work ourselves. We don’t need to proselytize or become vocal carriers of a message (although we might). Our presence alone will create opening.
This is what we feel from the people we encounter every day — the integration (or lack of) of parts of the whole. This is what people feel when they are around us too. When we encounter someone who is aligned and authentic, we notice it. It is what creates effortless magnetism. Someone who has this doesn’t have to put so much energy into marketing themselves. People find them because their energetic field is like a lighthouse.
This morning, as the mantra played, I realized — in some miracle of Grace — I’ve been placed as a link in this chain. My work is to let it live inside me, to stay porous, so the message keeps moving.
So, why haven’t I continued sharing this mantra? I think I forgot it was mine to share. I think I’ve been looking outward, responding to the needs I see, rather than beginning by turning on my own light first. It feels urgent now to remember this mantra and to share. When we turn our attention towards tending this practice within, aligned action finds its natural path forward and outwards.
These Letters have been a response to re-turning my practice inward and I trust this practice to guide me forward. I hope that this is resonating with you and that it serves as an ignition to your light too. It’s kind of the same as with mixtapes and playlists — it’s much more fun and meaningful when you share. May this practice bring you joy, peace, and ease.
Here are links to Lokah Samastah versions on Spotify:
A Devotional and Repetitive Version for Meditation #1 Deva Premal
A Devotional and Repetitive Version for Meditation #2 Krishna Das
A Restorative and Relaxing Version
