Vedic / Upanishadic
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते | पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते || ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ||
Om Purnamadah
Om Purnamadah Purnamidam | Purnat Purnam Udachyate | Purnasya Purnam Adaya | Purnam Evavashishyate || Om Shanti Shanti Shanti ||
"That is whole, this is whole — from wholeness, wholeness arises"
Word by Word
- Om
- the primordial sound, the seed vibration of all creation
- Purnam
- full, whole, complete, infinite
- Adah
- that — the unmanifest Absolute
- Idam
- this — the manifest world
- Purnat
- from wholeness
- Udachyate
- arises, comes forth
- Purnasya
- of wholeness
- Adaya
- having taken
- Eva
- alone, indeed
- Avashishyate
- remains
- Shanti
- peace
Full Translation
This shanti (peace) mantra declares that the Absolute is complete and whole, that the manifest world arising from it is equally whole, and that when wholeness is taken from wholeness, wholeness alone remains. It is a meditation on the paradox that infinity cannot be diminished — everything is already full, lacking nothing.
Pronunciation Tips
om POOR-nam-ah-dah POOR-nam-ee-dam — the "u" in purnam is a long "oo"; chanted slowly and evenly, often concluding with three rounds of "om shanti"