About this reading
Read Asato Ma, Saha Navavatu, Purnamadah and Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah. These universal prayers are not a single-deity name list.
This is a prayer collection. The explanations below are concise reading aids, rather than a complete word-by-word translation. Recitation traditions can differ.
Original text and meaning
1. असतो मा
असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ॥
Roman reading: asato mā sadgamaya .
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya .
mṛtyormā amṛtaṃ gamaya .
Meaning: A prayer to be led from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality.
2. सह नाववतु
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Roman reading: Oṃ saha nāvavatu . saha nau bhunaktu .
saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai .
tejasvi nāvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai .
Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ .
Meaning: May teacher and student both be protected and nourished, work with strength together, study with clarity, and remain free of mutual hostility.
3. पूर्णमदः
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Roman reading: Oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇātpūrṇamudacyate .
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate .
Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ .
Meaning: That is whole; this is whole. Wholeness arises from wholeness, and wholeness remains even when wholeness is taken from it.
4. सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ॥
Roman reading: sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ .
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥkhabhāgbhavet .
Meaning: May all be happy and well, may all see what is good, and may no one suffer: a wish for everyone’s welfare.
Reading and repetition
- Read the text slowly and understand its meaning first. You may begin with one name or one prayer.
- Sit comfortably and repeat at a natural pace. Clear, attentive reading matters more than a count; no number is prescribed for every reader.
- Roman text is a reading aid. It does not encode Vedic pitch accents or replace instruction in your recitation tradition. Follow appropriate guidance for a formal ritual.
- The accompanying artwork is a symbolic devotional depiction. Use it to connect the name being read with its subject.
Text reference
Consult the Sanskrit text reference
The collection uses selected names and short traditional texts. The explanations and reading guidance above were written for this collection.
