Universal Peace & Harmony Peace Invocation
A Rigveda prayer to hear what is good, see what is good and live a full life, often chanted as a peace invocation before study.
Sanskrit
भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
The Rigveda is traditionally chanted with pitch marks. The text here is given without them. “Tuṣṭuvāṃsas” is written joined to the words after it in Devanagari.
Transliteration (IAST)
bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devā bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhir yajatrāḥ |
sthirair aṅgais tuṣṭuvāṃsas tanūbhir vy aśema devahitaṃ yad āyuḥ ||
Meaning
O gods, may we hear what is good with our ears. O worshipful ones, may we see what is good with our eyes. May we, praising you with steady limbs and strong bodies, enjoy the life that is set for us by the gods.
Source / Textual Reference
Rigveda 1.89.8 (Mandala 1, Sukta 89, verse 8)
Text compared with Sanskrit Wikisource (accented text, accents removed here) and Wisdomlib, which list the seer as Gotama Rahugana and the deities as the Vishvedevas. The same verse is also used as an opening invocation in some Upanishads.
Traditional Significance
This verse is from a Rigveda hymn to the Vishvedevas, “all the gods”. It became a well-loved peace prayer and is used as an opening invocation in the Upanishads of the Atharvaveda, such as the Mundaka Upanishad. It asks for good hearing, good seeing, a healthy body and a full life of praise.
It is a prayer for a good life. It does not promise any particular length of life.
Traditional Practice
It is chanted before study or at the start of a gathering, usually closed with the threefold “śāntiḥ” (peace). No fixed time or number of repetitions is prescribed.
Related Content
- Sahana Vavatu, a peace invocation of the Taittiriya Upanishad
- Purnamadah Purnamidam
- Aa No Bhadrah Kratavo Yantu Vishvatah, verse 1 of the same hymn
- Sam Gacchadhvam, a Rigveda verse on harmony