PRAY FOR PEACE

SWAMI SRIDURGANANDA explores the importance of peace invocations

Morning, for us, usually breaks with an inner prayer to known and unknown divinity — ‘O Lord! Please lead me from unreal to real, guide me from darkness to light, and take me from mortality to immortality.’

We keep to similar emotion while getting involved in formal or informal occupations. We, very often, remember in our hearts the presiding deity with a pure mind, so that we can carry on our respective work with a constant remembrance of god.

At school, our lessons began with a prayer. At the playground also, we collectively or individually implored God for a successful outcome devoid of any strife. Even before taking meals, many of us invoke the unknown or chosen deity, so that whatever we partake of is transformed into pure blood, marrow, bone and flesh without any contamination.

While giving shape to soft bamboos by putting hay and string for making images of gods and goddesses, at the very outset, we invoke gods with a simple ritual, so that images thus taking shape become lively, beautiful and like a deity to us.

During olden days, before starting to write any work of classical literature or scripture, authors recited an auspicious invocation popularly called Mangalacharan. Recitation of this verse is deemed to be an auspicious act by the author who prays for successful completion of the text. This sistachara, tradition, has been carried out by almost all ancient, and even some modern authors, as they begin to write a book. According to the traditional belief, sistachara or mangala was offered by authors to the Lord of the universe, before they commenced writing.

One such Mangalacharan, auspicious invocatory work, is Tarka Samgraha Dipika by Annambhatta; it is the most popular introductory work on the Nyaya-Vaiseshika system of Indian philosophy. The author invokes his deity and offers salutations to his preceptor to help him complete the work, unhindered. It says, Nidhaya hridi visvesam vidhaya guruvandanam/ Balanam sukhabodhaya kriyate tarkasamgraha — ‘Enshrining the Lord of the universe in the alter of my heart with due reverence to my preceptor, the treaty, Tarka Samgraha is being written by me for easy comprehension of the beginner.’

Even in the Vedic period, when the Upanishads were taught by sages to their disciples, similar invocations were recited, both by the teacher and the students. These were popularly called Sistachara Anumita, auspicious peace chanting.
In the Katha Upanishad, the teacher and the students recite together:

Aum saha nau avatu
Saha nau bhunaktu
Saha viryam karwavavahai

Tejaswa nau adhi tama astu maa
vidvissaavahai
Aum shanti, shanti, shanty

This means ‘May the all-pervading, all-blissful Self, the soul of our souls protect us all — preceptor and the students. May, He guide us all towards desired knowledge. May what we all study reveal the truth. May, we all cherish no ill feeling towards each other. Aum, peace…peace…peace.

The uniqueness of such collective and sincere peace chanting, the beauty of our Vedic culture, is not only for the betterment of a handful earnest seekers of eternal knowledge, but also for the divine dispensation to bless society as a whole. Sarada Devi had said, “The grace of God is the one thing that is needful. One should pray for the grace of God.”

This traditional approach for remembering the Lord before everything we do, or think of doing, is passed on from the older generation to the younger, modern generation. ■