Talk:Commentary on Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad: Śānti Mantra

By Vishal Agarwal

Traditionally, the study of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad is commenced with this mantra from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 5.1.1 (= Mādhyandina Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 14.8.1).

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते । पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

IAST (with full diacritical markings):

oṃ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate | pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate || oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||

Translation:

Om. That (Brahman) is infinite. This (the universe) is infinite. From the Infinite arises the infinite. When the infinite is taken from the Infinite, the Infinite alone remains.

Purport:

The human mind is accustomed to grasping objects that are finite. The universe, however, is infinite, and it has emerged from the infinite Brahman. Yet, the manifestation of this infinite creation does not diminish Brahman in any way. Brahman remains complete, whole, and infinite. The limitations of space and time do not apply to Brahman.

By definition, the infinite remains infinite, regardless of how much is drawn from it. Brahman is not separate from the universe; rather, the universe is encompassed within Brahman, while Brahman transcends even the totality of the universe.

The purpose of the Śānti Mantra is to pray for the removal of all obstacles to the successful and complete study of the Upaniṣad. The Upaniṣads associated with the four Vedas employ distinct Śānti Mantras, each derived from its respective textual corpus.