Om shanti om meaning

Om shanti om is a short phrase made of two Sanskrit words: om, the syllable that begins and ends many chants, and shanti, peace. Put together, it is a wish for peace, set inside om on both sides like a frame.

It is easy to say, easy to remember and used in several quite different ways, from the end of a yoga class to the title of a Hindi film.

What does each word mean?

Om is the best known syllable in Indian religion. The Mandukya Upanishad explains it as three sounds, a, u and m, followed by silence, and links them to waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the state beyond them. It is chanted to open and close Hindu prayers and is also used in Buddhist and Jain chants. The page on what om means covers its history.

Shanti comes from the root sham, to be calm. It means peace, not only the absence of conflict but a settled, quiet mind. In careful chanting it is said shantih, with a light breath at the end. More on the word is on the page about shanti and the threefold peace chant.

So the phrase reads, word for word: om, peace, om.

How is it different from om shanti shanti shanti?

The longer form, om shanti shanti shanti, is the traditional close of the shanti mantras, the peace chants recited before and after study of the Upanishads. Shanti is said three times, often explained as peace from troubles within, from the world around, and from forces beyond anyone’s control.

Om shanti om is a shorter, looser form. It is not taken from a particular text. Instead of repeating shanti, it places om at both ends, which gives the phrase a natural rise and return when it is sung. In practice people use both to mean much the same thing: may there be peace.

Is om shanti om a greeting?

For some people, yes. Members of the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement that began in Sindh in the 1930s, greet each other with om shanti, which in their teaching is a reminder that the self is a peaceful soul. Elsewhere in India the words appear in prayers and on cards rather than in everyday hellos, where namaste, the bow with the palms together is far more common.

Why is Om Shanti Om also a film title?

Om Shanti Om is a 2007 Hindi film directed by Farah Khan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in her first Hindi film role. Its story turns on rebirth, an idea explained on the page about samsara, the cycle of rebirth. The title nods to “Om Shanti Om”, a popular song from the 1980 film Karz, which also tells a story of rebirth.

So when you search the phrase, you will find both the chant and the film. They share the words, not the purpose.

How do you chant om shanti om?

Sit comfortably with your hands resting on your thighs. Take a full breath in through the nose. On the exhale, chant om, letting the sound move from an open a through u to a closed hum. Breathe in again and say shanti, softly. On the next exhale, chant om once more and let it fade into silence.

Repeat it three times if you like, then sit quietly for a few breaths. If you prefer not to chant aloud, saying it silently, or simply listening while others chant, is entirely fine.

How does it show up in a modern yoga class?

Most classes that chant at the end use om shanti shanti shanti, sometimes followed by namaste. Some teachers prefer om shanti om because it is short and easy for a room of beginners to sing together. Classes with a devotional flavour may also chant om namah shivaya, a bow to Shiva, before it. Either way, it marks the end of practice and gives everyone a moment of quiet before they stand up and go back to the day.