Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu - Meaning, Benefits, History

Chant in Sanskrit | English transliteration | Meaning | Benefits | History

This is a mantra of global love and peace. It is chanted with the intention to make everyone in the world happy.

Chant in English transliteration

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

Meaning of the chant

Lokah means the world, any world or realm or universe. Its meaning is not restricted to our planet earth. Loka is the origin of the word location.

Samastah means the “whole” or “the entire”. Here, it describes the word loka or world.

Sukhino is from the word sukha or sukhin, which means joy or happiness.

Bhavantu means “may everyone.” Here, this word is forceful and intense, not to be taken lightly. It functions more as a command than a request.

The meaning of the chant is: May harmony and happiness be for all worlds. May all beings in the world be happy. May all beings experience happiness and harmony

This mantra is the most popular among people who practice yoga or meditation. It can be sung right at the end of a session or at the beginning of a class. It can motivate you to have thoughts of benevolence and kindness; it may also fill the heart with love and joy.

Many people who recite this mantra together and understand its full meaning may feel connected to each other at a transcendental level. Some people also feel its healing energy. By reciting this mantra every day, you may consciously evoke feelings of love and happiness, which gradually become part of everyday life. It is believed that this mantra allows you to pursue your own free will to seek out happiness in life. To become enlightened, practitioners often need to take responsibility for their actions; so, this mantra may help in accepting mistakes.

History of the chant

The original source of the mantra is still unknown, but it is considered to be part of Sanskrit shlokas. The only written proof of this mantra is found in stone inscriptions of the Sangama Dynasty which dates between 1336 and 1485 AD.

Important information about the chant

This mantra may help in our spiritual evolution. It has the potential to cast love to everyone and everything around us. It is often recited to end meditation or yoga sessions and to put the mind at ease. A very popular western proverb comes very close to the meaning of this mantra: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” However, this mantra is far more powerful and impactful. The inherent meaning of the mantra says that we are all one and we share the same planet. The woes and troubles of mankind make us one and connect us as we all experience the same problems in life. So, it teaches us to show compassion and kindness to everyone and everything.