'shanti, shAnti, shAnti:' - The Refrain of Peace

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

You might have noticed that whenever Vedic chanteurs or

'ghanapAtin-s' begin their chants they preface their recitation

with a brief invocation called "shAnti-pATam".

 

For example, before the famous 'purusha-suktam' of the Rg Veda is

chanted one will first hear the invocation of 'tacchamyO rAvriNamahE,

gAtum yagnyAyA..."etc. Similarly before we proceed with reciting the

'sIkshAvalli' in the Taittiriya-upanishad we first chant the

invocation "shamno mitra-sham varuNa:..." etc. Again, before we begin

the 'katOpanishad' we are taught to begin with the preliminary chant

of "sahanAvavatu sahanow bhunaktu...etc".

 

In every Vedic recitation there is always a prefatory chanting of

what is called a 'shAnti-pATam'. This 'shAnti-pATam' is repeated at

the end also. You will notice that the 'shAnti-pATam' chant, both in

the beginning and the end, tapers off to the resonating chant of

"shAnti, shANti, shAnti:" meaning "Let Peace ever prevail" and this

is recited thrice in a most emphatic manner.

 

We must inquire into the reason why all Vedic chanting is prefaced by

this 'shAnti-pATam'. It is not without significance.

 

All religions lay down that the purpose of human life is to realize

divine purpose. Religions help in that endeavour. The Vedas tell us

however that nobody can practice religion outside an environment

conducive to 'shAnti' or peace. Such peace is three-fold... 'shAnti',

'shAnti' and 'shAnti'...

 

(1) In the first case of 'shAnti', what is conveyed is that one

becomes truly religious-minded only after one has learnt to be at

peace with oneself. We cannot be angry with ourselves, or be filled

with self-hate or guilt, and at the same time hope to contemplate

upon the glories of God. Anger and contemplation are diametric

opposites.

 

(2) In the second instance of 'shAnti', the Veda say we must be at

peace with our fellow-men. In the world we live today, we may not

have compelling causes that make us love our fellow-men. In fact, we

find it increasingly difficult these days, and for an ever increasing

number of reasons, to be able to "love thy neighbour". Unfortunately,

it is the Law of Nature that one cannot accomplish both things at

once -- i.e. being able to hate the neigbour and pursue religious end

as well. If we are all the time at war with each other -- especially

at "religious war" with each other as we increasingly seem to be

these days everywhere in the world -- from Palestine to Kabul, and

from New York to Baghdad to Pyongyang -- we will be left with simply

no time in life to practice our religion.

 

In the 'shAnti-pATam' beginning with 'sahanAvavatu...' the chant

prays for peace to prevail between even the Master ('guru') and the

('sishyA') disciple. It makes us wonder why the Vedas presume

ill-will to crop up between even such close partners in religious

pursuit as a 'guru' and his 'sishyA'. The Vedas do so because they

know in their wisdom that in the history of mankind it is not

infrequent to find even 'gurus' and 'sishyAs' falling out and going

to savage war with each other. And when they do, the Vedas wisely

remind us, the warring master and disciple can no longer say they are

engaged in the pursuit of religious end.

 

(3) In the third instance of 'shAnti', the Vedas teach us that if we

are to be regarded as being religious, we have to be first at peace

with the world at large. We cannot practice religion in a world with

which we are in deep and fundamental disharmony. If we go on

destroying the forests of this world, how can we expect to go into

them to engage in contemplation? If we turn the temples, mosques and

churches of

this world into arenas of secular conflict, how can we enter into

them and offer worship? If we wish the hills and the rivers of this

world to be our main destinations of pilgrimage, how can we afford to

turn them into war-zones and fortresses?

 

By prefacing the Vedas with the 'shAnti-pATam', the Vedic religion

hence clearly teaches us that we must learn to be peaceful before we

can learn to be religious. And that there is no such thing as a

"religious war" or a "holy war". If anything is holy, it cannot be

war; and if it is war, it cannot be holy.

 

In the troubled times in which we live today, and in this insane

world

into which we all seem to be waking up every morning, where can we

find, I often ask myself, where can we find the true source of

comfort and balm for our minds and souls? Surely it is in the

universal chant of 'shANti,shANti, shANti:' that echoes at both ends

of the eternal Vedas.

 

Regards,

 

Sudarshan

 

 

 

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