Sanskrit Times – Episode 2

Today I am going to write the verses being chanted during the Hindu wedding ceremonies in India. This part is called as “Saptapadi” literally means “Seven Steps”. The couple is asked to walk around the “Holy Fire” seven times – which is the necessary part in any Hindu ritual.

Each of this verse is chanted one-by-one and only when the couple has finished taking this vow, they are declared as married. So, let’s see the Sanskrit verses and their translated meaning in English.

iṣā ekapadī bhava iti prathamam
ūrje dvipadī bhava iti dvitīyam
vratāya tripadī bhava iti tṛtīyam
māyo bhavāya catuśpadī bhava iti caturtham
paśubhyā paṃcapadī bhava iti paṃcamam
rāyaspoṣāya ṣaṭpadī bhava iti ṣaṣṭam
hotrebhyaḥ saptapadī bhava iti saptamam

With this first step, we provide for and support each other
With this second step, we will be resilient and strong in body, mind and spirit
With this third step, we will share all worldly possessions
With this fourth step, we will live in harmony offering constant love to one another
With this fifth step, we will have a family and nurture them together
With the sixth step, we will enjoy the fruits of all seasons
With this seventh step, we will always remain friends and cherish each other

My favorite “steps” are the fourth, the sixth and the seventh – of course, I love this ritual very much overall and it excites me every time I read or listen.

What about yours?

Thank you for reading!

Sanskrit Times – Episode 1

As I am learning new Sanskrit words, I sometimes feel inspired to share some of the ancient scripts. I will post them titled “Sanskrit Times” implying my quality time with Sanskrit.

Today, I read the following verse, took from the Vows being chanted during the Wedding Ceremony in India.

oṃ asato mā sadgamaya
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya
mṛtyormā amṛtaṃ gamaya
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

The English translation by Shunori Ramanathan is as follows:

Lead me from the unreal to the real
From the darkness to the light
From death to immortality
Let there be peace, peace, peace

Namasté!

The Sanskrit Effect

I am a Tamil native speaker who didn’t show much interest in learning Sanskrit until recently. One way of my meditation is to play Sanskrit Mantras and give all my attention to the words (Concentrative Meditation) as I listen to them. I naturally got pulled into the beauty of this language – which seems to have certain positive effects on me psychologically. As a practice, I started learning new words and read certain verses from the ancient script Bhagavad Gita as a part of my internal journey/transformation.

I recently came across a study – that proved certain effects on the brain of the traditional Sanskrit scholars (N = 21) from India compared to non-Sanskrit scholars (N = 21) through structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In particular, it has been shown a massive grey matter density and an increase in cortical thickness in Language, Memory, and Visual Systems of the brain for the Sanskrit practitioners.

I am not quite surprised with these results as I believe that recitation/self-affirmation is a powerful method to change the way your mind works, especially when you are depressed/anxious. However, I think this effect doesn’t depend on the language itself.

For a detailed scientific read: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1053811915006382?token=0B87A87E1666D5B5E2A9A2A04BD086FBD4818462CB6EAA5AE2F8FEB69CCBE5BD270BA19737E2881379AF2375343CEA1B