Essential shlokas · Evening
Asato Ma Sadgamaya: meaning, word by word
A calm family video: the shloka, each word, the story, and a chance to say it together.
1. The shloka
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
2. Word by word
| Sanskrit | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| असतः | asataḥ | from the unreal, the untrue |
| मा | mā | me |
| सत् | sat | to the real, the true |
| गमय | gamaya | lead |
| तमसः | tamasaḥ | from darkness |
| ज्योतिः | jyotiḥ | to light |
| मृत्योः | mṛtyoḥ | from death |
| अमृतम् | amṛtam | to immortality, what never dies |
| शान्तिः | śāntiḥ | peace |
3. What it means
Put together: From the unreal lead me to the real. From darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to immortality. Om, peace, peace, peace.
One word holds the prayer together: gamaya, lead me. It does not ask for the road to be easy, only to be led in the right direction. The threefold śāntiḥ at the end is added in recitation, as at the close of many Vedic prayers.
4. The story behind it
The three lines come from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest Upanishads, where the patron of the great Soma ritual recites them while the priest sings the purifying chants (pavamāna). Unusually, the Upanishad explains them itself: the unreal and darkness are death; the real and light are immortality. So all three lines say the same thing in three ways: make me immortal, lead me towards what lasts.
That is why the prayer suits every beginning and every hard moment: a first day at school, an exam, a long night.
5. When it is said
- When lighting the evening lamp (diya), at dusk.
- At the start of study: many schools in India begin the day with it.
- At the close of prayers and meditation, ending with om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ.
- In any hard moment, quietly, once or three times.
Printable card. The shloka, its sound and its meaning on one page, for the fridge, the prayer shelf or a school bag.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of Asato Ma Sadgamaya?
Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Om, peace, peace, peace.
Where does Asato Ma Sadgamaya come from?
From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.3.28, where the three lines are recited during the Soma ritual and then explained by the Upanishad itself.
Why is shanti said three times?
The threefold peace closes many Vedic prayers. It is often explained as peace from three kinds of trouble: from within ourselves, from the world around us, and from forces beyond our control.
When is Asato Ma Sadgamaya said?
Often when lighting the evening lamp, at the start of study or a school day, and at the close of prayers.