Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
असतो मा सद्गमय ।तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
asato mā sad gamaya | tamaso mā jyotir gamaya | mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
🔊 a-sa-to maa sad ga-ma-ya · ta-ma-so maa jyo-tir ga-ma-ya · mrit-yor maa a-mri-tam ga-ma-ya
📖 What it means
From the unreal lead me to the real; from darkness lead me to light; from death lead me to deathlessness.
🔍 Word by word
| असतः asataḥ | from the unreal, from what is not |
|---|---|
| मा mā | me |
| सत् sat | the real, what is |
| गमय gamaya | cause to go — lead |
| तमसः tamasaḥ | from darkness |
| ज्योतिः jyotiḥ | light |
| मृत्योः mṛtyoḥ | from death |
| अमृतम् amṛtam | the deathless (a- = not, mṛta = dead) |
🕰️ When it is used
At the start of study, and at gatherings of many faiths, since it names no god.
💡 Worth knowing
Three lines with identical grammar and rising weight. It asks to be led — it does not claim to have arrived.
🔬 Does it do anything?
A straight answer, with the evidence and its limits — including the claims that are popular and untrue.
More mantras
Om
The syllable taken as the sound of the whole — beginning, middle and end together.
Open →The Gayatri Mantra
We contemplate the glorious light of the sun, the giver of life. May it set our thinking in motion.
Open →Saha Nau Avatu — the student and teacher's prayer
May we two be protected together; may we be nourished together; may we work together with vigour; may our study be full of light; may we never quarrel.
Open →