सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ
A prayer wishing happiness, health and freedom from suffering for everyone.
Traditional · exact origin uncertain
No chant recording yet for this verse. Tap a line below to hear the device voice read it, or open the chant lesson for an AI practice chant.
Chant lesson: metre, syllables & practiceText & meaning
About this text
A widely recited peace prayer. Its exact scriptural origin is uncertain; it should not be assigned to a specific Upanishad without evidence. The closing śānti refrain is a common recitation convention.
Study notes
The recurring wish
सर्वे (sarve, ‘all’) opens the first three petitions. भवन्तु and सन्तु are forms of ‘may they be’; this is a wish, not a statement that everyone is already well.
The final petition
मा (mā) expresses ‘may not’; कश्चित् (kaścit) means ‘anyone.’ The prayer widens from happiness and health to freedom from suffering.
Words to know
- सर्वे
- everyone
- निरामयाः
- free from illness
- दुःख
- suffering
Practise with a real chant
The device voice only reads the words. Vāgbodhinī (IISc) plays a metre-aware reference chant and scores your chanting syllable by syllable. Copy the verse above and paste it there.
Open VāgbodhinīGreen Message · Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ · Textual variants may exist.