Let us use the magnificent beauty of Nature
to inspire us to transcend the troubles of our lives.
to inspire us to transcend the troubles of our lives.
om asato ma sad gamaya -
Meaning, discussion
ॐ असतो मा सत् गमय ।
om asato mā sad gamaya
from bad I, me to good, may I go
unhelpful helpful
may I move away from the bad & unhelpful, and towards the good and helpful
तमसो मा ज्योतिस् गमय ।
tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
from I, me to light lead me
dark
lead me away from deadening darkness of confusion, and towards light of spiritual understanding.
मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय ।
mṛtyor mā amṛtam gamaya
mortal not to eternal may I go
may I go towards the eternal happiness of Liberation, and not belong to the failings of mortal existence.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
shānti shanti shānti
peace peace peace
(inner peace, peaceful life, world peace)
from https://greenmesg.org/stotras/vedas/om_asato_ma_sadgamaya.php
om asato mā sad gamaya
from bad I, me to good, may I go
unhelpful helpful
may I move away from the bad & unhelpful, and towards the good and helpful
तमसो मा ज्योतिस् गमय ।
tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
from I, me to light lead me
dark
lead me away from deadening darkness of confusion, and towards light of spiritual understanding.
मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय ।
mṛtyor mā amṛtam gamaya
mortal not to eternal may I go
may I go towards the eternal happiness of Liberation, and not belong to the failings of mortal existence.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
shānti shanti shānti
peace peace peace
(inner peace, peaceful life, world peace)
from https://greenmesg.org/stotras/vedas/om_asato_ma_sadgamaya.php
The Song.
Kevin James Carrol offers and excellent video recording of this foundational mantra. The recording is not of one of his concerts, but a compilation of video recordings of many of his concerts. It is a good promo for Kevin and his life’s work, for it vividly portrays the wide range of venues and audiences where he has led Kirtan songs, over the last 20 years. Available on Youtube at –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGMhZFQ9iD0
You can listen to this song and buy it as single as download, and so financially support Kevin’s important contribution to kirtan, on the Bandcamp website –
https://kevinjames.bandcamp.com/track/asatoma
May these recordings also inspire much interest and support for this important mantra too.
Deva Premal also offers an audio recording of this special mantra, on her very early album “The Essence”, dated 1998. This was a few years before Kevin became a popular Kirtan leader and singer. With a similar melody. Deva and Miten’s recording is unembellished with continual repetition, in traditional chanting style. It has a short and simple instrumental interlude on guitar. Easy to learn.
Youtube has a similar recording similar to “The Essence” on -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZHu4rGE5M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGMhZFQ9iD0
You can listen to this song and buy it as single as download, and so financially support Kevin’s important contribution to kirtan, on the Bandcamp website –
https://kevinjames.bandcamp.com/track/asatoma
May these recordings also inspire much interest and support for this important mantra too.
Deva Premal also offers an audio recording of this special mantra, on her very early album “The Essence”, dated 1998. This was a few years before Kevin became a popular Kirtan leader and singer. With a similar melody. Deva and Miten’s recording is unembellished with continual repetition, in traditional chanting style. It has a short and simple instrumental interlude on guitar. Easy to learn.
Youtube has a similar recording similar to “The Essence” on -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZHu4rGE5M
The Mantra Discussed.
This is an ancient one, from the Brihada-ranyaka Upanishads (1.3.28). It captures the Goal of purification practice very succinctly.
In the context of this mantra, sat can mean the essence of spiritual practice, and so give the mantra the importance and significance that it deserves. So sat can mean climbing up the long ladder from the pits up to our true potential as enlightened human Beings. Then sat can include the necessary determination and effort making to achieve this important process, as well as enjoying and valuing our efforts and progress as we climb. And sat can mean restoring contentment, appreciation, enjoyment, clarity, and good will to the people, pursuits and possessions of our lives. In this mantra, sat is the spiritual Qualities, and sat is renewing and returning to these important Qualities or bodhyaṅga, and remembering to do so.
asat is simply the opposite of sat. For this mantra, asat can mean falling back down the long ladder into pain and problems, slowly or suddenly, and all the unconsciousness, lack of effort and determination, confusion, suffering and darkness of this fall. When asat is uppermost in our mind, then we fail to remember and renew the spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga, and we move away from them, not return to them. In the context of this mantra, asat means to feed the defilements or kilesa and make them strong, allow them to proliferate, and in asat we actually believe in the pain and problems of the defilements, and identify with them. In a warped sense, in asat the problem is our reality, and in asat we question the truthfulness of the solution to our suffering.
When we view asat from this perspective, it points towards a failing that is all too common in this mortal human existence and life. Which leads us to the themes of the third line of our mantra ….
Line 3 talks about mortality (mṛtyu) and immortality (amṛta).
The enlightened state is often presented as the undying, as being eternal. When we can perceive the enlightened state as being permanent, then we know it is always there. It never dies, nor fails, nor disintegrates, just because we have fallen into another slump, yet again. It is always waiting for us, calling out to us. This perception, that happiness is still available to us, is the first step in the healing process. The first step out of suffering.
Unfortunately, the enlightened state is all too often obscured from us by defilements or kilesa. Indeed, this is the main role of defilements, to cut us off from eternal happiness. And defilements will arise, sooner or later, to do their work, whether we will this or no. That is their nature, since beginningless beginning, for all mortal human beings (mṛtyu).
So let us reflect on this dynamic of our experience as mortal human Beings (mṛtyu). Let us start moving towards (gamaya) the true (sat) happiness of amṛta. Let us move away from this lower state of darkness (tamaso) and away from our un-true (asato) or lower self.
Line 2 talks about deadening defilements (tamas) and spiritual enlightenment (jyotis). tamas robs us of vital energy, and leaves us depleted. So tamas includes despair and feeling defeated, unfair harsh criticism and judgement of people and pursuits, derogatory cynicism, apathy and dullness, hopelessness and depression. If tamas is allowed to persist too often for too long, it leads to the beginning of serious disease like cancer.
One way to get out of tamas is to get active, mentally or physically. This also includes those healing processes where we allow the body to move as it needs, and so includes belly shaking laughter with yawning, and also convulsive sobbing. Or just deliberate vigorous shaking of our body. The intuitive healing response to tamas is a short bout of hot violent anger when alone.
However, our problem might be caused more by agitating defilements that cause needless worries and mental noise. Such stimulating defilements will destroy our peace and contentment, and block our access to true healing. They are called rajas. So we can sometimes substitute the word rajaso for tamaso, depending on whether our troubles are characterised by too much energy instead or not enough energy.
By contrast, jyotis is light. In Nature, this is the light of the Sun, who sends Her life giving rays to all life and all people, whether we know them and like them or not. So jyotis is unconditional. In spiritual terms, jyotis illuminates our Path thru life. jyotis also includes the radiant energy we have when we are completely filled with the spiritual Qualities or bodhyaṅga, so they may radiate from our heart and from our Being.
However, the first word in lines 1, 2 and 3 is in the ablative case thus -
- asato means from the bad, from the unhelpful
- tamas means from deadening defilements
- mṛtyor means from the limitations of mortal life, or
- mṛtyor means belonging to this mortal life (see below)
Combined with the last word gamaya = moving or leading, we get the following interpretation -
- asato … gamaya = moving away from the bad and unhelpful
- tamaso … gamaya = moving away from deadening defilements
- mṛtyor … gamaya = moving away from the limitations of mortal life.
Additional Interpretations.
For these three words, asat tamas mṛtyu, the ablative declension is also the same as the genitive declension. In addition, the word mā can mean both ‘me’ and ‘not.’ This gives additional meaning to our mantra, thus -
- asato mā means “not belonging to the bad and unhelpful”
- tamaso mā means “not belonging to deadening darkness of confusion”
- mṛtyor mā means “not belong to the failings of mortal existence”
(My writeup on the triambakam mantra further explores the meaning of –
mrityor maa amritam. Perhaps for your next visit to this website …)
Translational Note.
The ablative and genitive forms of these three words asat tamas mṛtyu are actually asataḥ tamasaḥ mṛtyoḥ. These are changed into asato tamaso mṛtor when we recite the mantra. The final ḥ is too subtle to be discerned when a group is reciting the mantra, even in modern days where the leader is miced. Furthermore, it strains the vocal chords if one tries to make it noticeable.
SO the word ending is changed into a more recitation friendly form of asato tamaso mṛtor. Similarly, jyotis and amṛta are changed into jyotir and amṛtam when we recite the mantra. This improves the sound of the mantra. jyotis and amṛta are in the accusative case.
Similarly, the dictionary spelling sat is replaced by the kirtan spelling sad, in the traditional form of our mantra. I myself can see no good reason to change the pronunciation from the unvoiced ‘t’ to the voiced ‘d’, and I personally prefer to recite the first line with ‘sat’ not ‘sad.’ Furthermore, in English ‘sad’ is a feature of asat, not sat. In sat we are truly happy.
This changing of word endings is called Sandi, and long and complicated rules govern Sandi. I know nothing of these rules.
Meaning of sat.
sat = sad is the opening theme for our mantra. What does it mean?
sat is more commonly translated as ‘real, true, knowledge.’ This is likely to be more confusing than clarifying. Does sat mean the true solution, or the true problem? Does sat mean the real cause of the problem, or the real cause of the solution?
When the defilements assail us and we are caught up in problems and solutions seem far away, then the problems are definitely real, more true to our situation than solutions. Our mantra can then be of great help, yet only if it guides us away from these very real problems, that are truly causing much pain for us.
For these reasons, I have translated sat as ‘good and helpful’. This is based on the following dictionary meanings of sat -
These interpretations of sat can be summarised as ‘good, helpful’. But the dictionary interpretation of sat extends further, to include –
These additional meanings of sat suggest it has deeper spiritual meaning than just good and helpful in daily life. It suggests that if we can immerse ourselves in what is good and helpful for our spiritual practice, then we can begin to see the essence of spiritual enlightenment, that has the true and last benefit. This leads to yet more dictionary interpretation of this short and simple word sat, thus –
When we approach the meanings of sat from this angle, then the more common interpretation of sat = ‘true, real’ can make more sense. It can be helpful to explore what the themes of ‘truth and reality’ mean in Eastern Spirituality. I offer a brief presentation thus -
The unreal (asat) and the real (sat) can refer to our True Nature. When the defilements assail us, and we are caught in suffering, we can reflect -
Similarly, when we feel comfortable, at ease, confident, clear headed, when forgiveness and tolerance comes easy to us and it’s easy to share good things, we can look back to those times when we were not so well established. With the same reflection.
Another good discussion about sat as ‘true, real’ from the Hindu perspective is available at -
https://www.amritapuri.org/3731/asatoma.aum
sat is more commonly translated as ‘real, true, knowledge.’ This is likely to be more confusing than clarifying. Does sat mean the true solution, or the true problem? Does sat mean the real cause of the problem, or the real cause of the solution?
When the defilements assail us and we are caught up in problems and solutions seem far away, then the problems are definitely real, more true to our situation than solutions. Our mantra can then be of great help, yet only if it guides us away from these very real problems, that are truly causing much pain for us.
For these reasons, I have translated sat as ‘good and helpful’. This is based on the following dictionary meanings of sat -
- good, right, wise, venerable, and people like this
- virtuous, chaste, noble, worthy, high, respectable, honest
- handsome, beautiful
- right, proper, best, excellent
These interpretations of sat can be summarised as ‘good, helpful’. But the dictionary interpretation of sat extends further, to include –
- existing, occurring, happening, lasting or enduring, and also
- essence, the true being or really existent
These additional meanings of sat suggest it has deeper spiritual meaning than just good and helpful in daily life. It suggests that if we can immerse ourselves in what is good and helpful for our spiritual practice, then we can begin to see the essence of spiritual enlightenment, that has the true and last benefit. This leads to yet more dictionary interpretation of this short and simple word sat, thus –
- excellent, supreme, saintly, sanctified, transcendental
When we approach the meanings of sat from this angle, then the more common interpretation of sat = ‘true, real’ can make more sense. It can be helpful to explore what the themes of ‘truth and reality’ mean in Eastern Spirituality. I offer a brief presentation thus -
The unreal (asat) and the real (sat) can refer to our True Nature. When the defilements assail us, and we are caught in suffering, we can reflect -
- “Is this pain really my True Nature? Is this really me to be in suffering?”
- “And if I think that this painful person is truly me, where will this lead me = gamaya?”
- “Am I being caught in something lower, in my lower self or ego?”
Similarly, when we feel comfortable, at ease, confident, clear headed, when forgiveness and tolerance comes easy to us and it’s easy to share good things, we can look back to those times when we were not so well established. With the same reflection.
Another good discussion about sat as ‘true, real’ from the Hindu perspective is available at -
https://www.amritapuri.org/3731/asatoma.aum
Reconsidered and rewritten in Sep – Oct 2024, with updated information from Green Message and Wikipedia on translation.
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