May 5, 2015
Welcome, welcome, welcome! I’m really excited to have you on board and I wanted to make this video to set the stage for the learning in this course.
This video is an invocation to the Divine and it’s an invocation to begin the learning. The invitation here is for yourself to be relaxed, be comfortable and, if it helps, perhaps to even close your eyes and tune yourself into the level of vibration that we’re going to create in this course.
So whenever you’re ready, the invitation is to rest and relax. Take a few moments now to get comfortable and ensure that your spine is straight. You are also welcome to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
| Transliteration | Sanskrit |
|---|---|
| ॐ saha nāvavatu | ॐ सह नाववतु। |
| saha nau bhunaktu | सह नौ भुनक्तु। |
| saha vīryaṁ karavāvahai | सह वीर्यं करवावहै। |
| tejasvi nāvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai | तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै। |
| ॐ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ | ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥ |
The invocation that we just chanted comes from the Yajurveda from the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. This invocation is traditionally done before any sort of learning takes place. Here is the meaning of this invocation:
Lines 1 & 2
First of all, we’re going to invoke the Divine Presence to bring protection for those of us gathered here as a group. Secondly, the Divine is invoked to provide nourishment for the mind because the learning that we’re going to engage in will require intelligence.
Lines 3 & 4
The third line invokes the Divine to allow us to work with energy and vigour. And the fourth line invokes the Divine so that that energy and vigour does not lead to combative, intellectual forces.
So we ask for nourishment for the mental capacity to grow in a sattvic manner. We ask for energy and vigour to engage in the learning. Furthermore, we ask for harmonious interactions between the speaker and the group, between the group and the group as well as between the group and the speaker.
ॐ śānti, śānti, śānti
The word “śānti”means peace. First we invoke peace for ourselves. Secondly we invoke peace within our environment which can also be broadened to include our household, our community, our city and our country. The third invocation of śānti is for peace in a macrocosmic structure which connects us back to the Divine Essence.
I hope this has been helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments, please share them with the community. Take care and I’ll see you in the next video.