Ślokas
Say them aloud and the sounds and the meaning settle in together. They start short and grow.
Upaniṣads and mantras
1
तत्त्वमसि
tat tvam asi
You are that.
2
वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्
vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam
The world is one family.
3
सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्
satyam eva jayate nānṛtam
Truth alone prevails, not untruth.
4
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.
5
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu
May all beings everywhere be happy.
6
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
Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Peace, peace, peace.
7
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः । तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि । धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥
oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ · tat savitur vareṇyaṃ · bhargo devasya dhīmahi · dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
We meditate on the radiant light of the divine sun; may it awaken our understanding.
8
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
oṃ saha nāv avatu · saha nau bhunaktu · saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai · tejasvi nāv adhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai
May we be protected together, nourished together, work with vigour together; may our study be luminous; may we never be hostile to each other.
9
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते । पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
oṃ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate · pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate
That is whole, this is whole; from the whole the whole arises. Take the whole from the whole and the whole remains.
10
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ॥
sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ · sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścid duḥkhabhāg bhavet
May all be happy, may all be free from illness, may all see what is good, may no one suffer.
11
विद्या ददाति विनयं विनयाद्याति पात्रताम् । पात्रत्वाद्धनमाप्नोति धनाद्धर्मं ततः सुखम् ॥
vidyā dadāti vinayaṃ vinayād yāti pātratām · pātratvād dhanam āpnoti dhanād dharmaṃ tataḥ sukham
Knowledge gives humility; from humility comes worthiness; from worthiness wealth; from wealth right action; from that, happiness.
12
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥
gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇuḥ gurur devo maheśvaraḥ · guruḥ sākṣāt paraṃ brahma tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
The teacher is Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva; the teacher is the highest reality itself. To that teacher I bow.
Bhagavad Gītā
1
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्
yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
Yoga is skill in action.
2
समत्वं योग उच्यते
samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
Evenness of mind is called yoga.
3
श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानम्
śraddhāvāṃl labhate jñānam
The one who has faith gains knowledge.
4
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप
kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa
Cast off this petty weakness of heart and stand up.
5
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्
śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt
Better your own path done imperfectly than another's done well.
6
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana · mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi
You have a right to the work alone, never to its fruits. Do not make the fruits your motive, and do not cling to inaction.
7
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet · ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Lift yourself by yourself; do not let yourself sink. You are your own friend and your own enemy.
8
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya · siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
Steady in yoga, do your work, letting go of attachment; be the same in success and failure. That evenness is yoga.
9
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ । ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥
sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau · tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṃ pāpam avāpsyasi
Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, then engage; so you incur no fault.
10
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ · āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata
Cold and heat, pleasure and pain come and go; they do not last. Bear them.
11
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः । न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥
nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ · na cainaṃ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, wind does not dry it.
12
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् । अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥
asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam · abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
The mind is restless and hard to hold, no doubt; but it is held by practice and by letting go.
13
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata · abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham
Whenever right order declines and disorder rises, I bring myself forth.
14
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज । अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja · ahaṃ tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
Letting go of all other duties, take refuge in me alone. I will free you; do not grieve.
15
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ · ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
It is never born and never dies; unborn, eternal, ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.