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Oct. 15, 2023

Thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita: (Chapter 12: Verses 15 - 20)

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The Bearded Mystic Podcast

This episode discusses the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, specifically verses 15 - 20. 

Translation used: The Bhagavad Gita Comes Alive: A Radical Translation by Jeffrey Armstrong

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Transcript

 

 

Hello and welcome to another episode of The Bearded Mystic Podcast and I'm your host Rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. 

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So today we're going to be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and we'll be concluding chapter 12 by looking at verses 15 to verse 20.

Before we get started, these are now the qualities we should see in ourselves. So remember in the last episode when we looked at verses 13 and 14, we asked ourselves, do we have these qualities?

And Sri Krishna is going to go over some of these qualities again, but again, this is a checklist to see how much more work we need to do and how we can strive towards excellence. This is what it's about, how we can establish ourselves as the Atman and understand that there is only Brahman. This is the point of all these verses.

So these are checklist points which we can truly practice. 

[00:02:26] Chapter 12: Verse 15

Okay verse 15.

One who is kind to the entire world, who is unafraid in the world, who is not addicted to material enjoyments, who is not envious of others, and who is not disabled by the effects of material distress, is priya, very dear to Me.

Let's break this up a bit. So first, one who is kind to the entire world. Their vision is of kindness to everyone. The nature of someone who is a knower of Brahman, a knower of this reality, is always kind. They're compassionate towards all. They do not withhold that kindness, they want to see everyone prosper.

They want to see everybody do well. They are willing to give their time to help somebody, to guide them, to be with them in their darkest times. And they see all with that same vision. That's why they are kind to the entire world. And their vision is global. Right? It's not just my country, my town, my family.

No, it's the whole world is mine. I'm going to be kind for the whole world. I want the whole world to prosper. That is their vision. And if somebody has this vision, then they are unafraid in the world. And Sri Krishna mentions this. They have nothing to fear of the world. And one, they can see the world as a reflection of this Brahman, of this Ultimate Reality.

And the other is that this world is unreal and only consciousness is pure. So why fear something that does not exist? So therefore, they are unafraid in the world. They are completely fearless. They are completely determined to always do the right thing. For example, when it comes to ensuring that everyone has justice in the world, they will speak up.

If any small part of the community is condemned, they will support them. Even if they politically disagree, religiously disagree, spiritually disagree, philosophically disagree, they will still be there to help them because they are kind. Yeah, and someone who is not addicted to material enjoyments. The knower of Brahman, yes, they do partake in material enjoyments.

They do enjoy whatever they can from this material world, but they don't get addicted to it. They're not like, oh, I need this fix. You know, some people are like, unless I buy new clothes, I'm not happy. They're addicted to material enjoyments.

Nor do they get attached to it. Addiction, attachment, same thing. And they just see these material enjoyments as fleeting. You enjoyed that ice cream, you enjoy it. You enjoyed wearing that clothes, wear it again. No but society asks but why wear it again? People will say, I have no clothes.

I'd be more worried that people may say that you're mindless than saying you only have a limited wardrobe. But this is what happens. We get addicted to these material enjoyments. Whatever we can taste, whatever we can consume, we just keep consuming. Sri Krishna says, do not be addicted to material enjoyments.

And you find that with people. And he was not envious of others. They're not jealous of others. They do not worry about what other people have. In fact they celebrate the success of others. That's their greatness. And they do not desire what others have just because they see that other people have it.

They're like, brilliant, let them have it. Somebody has a bigger house and you celebrate. It's good, somebody's advancing.

You know, sometimes we're like, oh this person had nothing, now look at them. And we say it in such a way where we're jealous. Like how dare they get it? Who cares? Don't be envious. And also these people, because they're not jealous of others, they're not easily influenced. Because only if you are jealous of others are you easily influenced.

Or you want to influence others. For example, I'll put it this way. I don't care if you don't practice any of this. It's got nothing to do with me. I just share a message and that's it.

And, what I always... ask for you and other people to do, when you listen to others, question, ask, does it sit well with your mind? And if it doesn't, you should be comfortable to ask me the question. And not only that with other people, you should be able to ask them too. And if they close their comments on YouTube, you know they're not after a conversation.

And then Sri Krishna concludes in this verse, And who is not disabled by the effects of material distress is priya very dear to Me. We are always concerned with worldly matters. What's happening in the world. The economy is down. The housing market is crazy. We can't even afford a property. You know, it creates this material distress, the traffic in Atlanta is really bad, it is bad.

You know, those things occur, we have financial difficulties, relationship challenges with our friends and family, people aren't as close anymore, we have social issues that are not resolved by those in power. However, a bhakta moves forward and raises their voice. Mystics like Kabir Ji did this. He was poor, but he never let that affect him.

He was a simple weaver. But when I say a simple weaver, he weaved the most beautiful clothing you can ever think of. What is that? Wisdom, Gyan.

His poetry today, we still remember it. We've discussed it in our wisdom of the Mystics. Rumi's children were full of jealousy, but he never let that affect him. He was good with it. So whoever stays connected to the One will always be very dear to Brahman, will be always dear to the isht-devta, to the Guru.

The bhaktas find solutions in all challenges. If they're in financial difficulties, maybe like Kabir ji was... they won't be distressed.

They'll be like, okay, I'm in financial distress. What do I need to do? Do I need to be affected by it? Do I need to be stressed about it? That's what bhaktas do. They find solutions. They find ways how to get back into peacefulness. Because remember, they own nothing within matter. So if they own something or everything or nothing, it's the same thing.

[00:10:18] Chapter 12: Verse 16

Then verse 16. One who is free from all material desires, who is shuchi, which is clean and pure, who is skillful and dexterous, who is detached from all material objects, who is free of anxiety, and who is unattached to the results of all actions, is Mad bhakta and Priya, deeply devoted and very dear to Me. I adore such beings.

What is Sri Krishna saying here? Let's break it down.

One who is free from all material desires. The only desire they have is to be in formless awareness, to be in Brahman. Desires do not let us sleep or rest. Think about it. Can we rest if we have a desire? Can we sleep peacefully if we have a desire? No. Nothing allows us, we'll be awake again in the morning to start chasing those desires.

For the sake of just showing off that we have a Ferrari, we will work crazy amount of hours and even, put it at the detriment of spending time with our family, with our friends, or studying the scriptures. Who has time for this? I have to achieve all this. But Sri Krishna says, one who is free from all these material desires is very dear to Me, is devoted to Me, deeply devoted.

But those who have material desires, they always have it at the forefront of their mind. But the bhakta lets go of these things. They say, what am I going to do with these material desires? You are everything I desire. You the isht-devta, you Brahman and it's not like they may not want things in life, they very well may do so.

But it will not overwhelm their mind. There is balance and hence they are free. They know how to operate with desire. They won't say leave all desires.

What Sri Krishna is saying here, when He says one who is free from all material desires, He's not saying one does not have material desires. He's saying one is not driven by them. You know, one can control them and control the journey they need to take. So there is a balance. They are free. And since they are the Atman, how can any material desire arise from it?

Material desire only arises from? Body and mind. That's all. And then He says, who is shuchi, clean and pure. Clean and pure in character. They are honest in their dealings. They don't cheat other people. Their mind is always focused on honesty and truth. That's the way they are. Someone may turn around and say, you know what shuchi is? What clean and pure means? It means keeping clean and pure by not eating meat, not taking intoxicants, not eating from someone else's unfinished plate. Let me make one thing clear, this has nothing to do with bhakti.

Sri Krishna does not consider this to be bhakti, to be devotion. In fact he'll probably say it's foolishness. If somebody eats meat but in... the full awareness of Sri Krishna, will he condemn that person? No. If they let go of their action of eating meat, let go of the fruits of that, then what can you say? Same thing with intoxicants.

Sri Krishna is very smart and you can see he's not your typical person that you can just fly anything by.

And what is clean and pure? This Atman, this Brahman, this isht-devta, because nothing can be mixed in it, and that's why it's clean and pure. So understand, for most of what it means in character, they're honest, sincere, and you can always trust them. Who is skillful and dexterous. They are skillful in their discernment, and they are talented in remaining in awareness of formless awareness, they fully utilize their skills and their talents. They help others due to their skills and talents, especially on the spiritual journey. This is what they love to do and love to practice. And the person who is detached from all material objects, why are they dear to Sri Krishna?

Why? Why are they dear to Brahman? Because they are not attached to any material object, because all these objects are merely material, they are changing And they are free from the hold of their desires and they understand that these objects that are being seen and experienced here, they are just reflections of Brahman. But they are not Brahman itself, hence no devotee thinks they own anything, that's why they are detached. Everything is the Lord, nothing belongs to this body and mind.

Very simple. And that person is free of anxiety. Nothing worries the devotee. Nothing can stress out the devotee. What worry can they have if they remain in the awareness of formless awareness?

And who is unattached to the result of all actions. The devotee doesn't think about the results of any action. This is the practice that they keep in mind at all times. Whatever the fruits are, they devote it to the Lord. Any result is seen as a gift from the Lord, and it belongs to Sri Krishna, to the isht-devta, to Brahman.

It doesn't belong to them. It doesn't belong to me or you. Simple as that. And Sri Krishna says, whoever does all these things, they are a mad-bhakta and priya. Deeply devoted and very dear to me. I adore such beings. Sri Krishna is saying he adores such people. If you have these things, He adores you. So the devotee obviously is madly in love with thye isht-devta, with Brahman.

They have given up their life for the isht-devta, for Brahman. They want to remain in their company. There is not a single atom of individual identity within them. They say, fill my whole being with your presence. That's what they say to the isht-devta, that's what they say to Brahman. So these devotees will forever remain very dear to the isht-devta.

And if the Isht-devta, if Brahman adores such beings, loves such beings, what more can someone want? What more do we require? That is devotion, that is the path of bhakti.

[00:18:04] Chapter 12: Verse 17

Then verse 17. One who is not bound by attraction or repulsion to matter, who does not imagine the future nor dwell in the past, who is neither attached to, nor repulsed by circumstances, who is beyond the duality of material opposites and who is loyal and bhaktiman 'deeply devoted to serving Me', I feel priya 'a deep loving connection' with such a person.

So again, Sri Krishna is defining what to expect in a devotee. So that devotee is not bound by attraction or repulsion to matter. You know, some people can say, Ah, because I have to be free from material desires, I don't want to be near matter. That devotee has no raga or dvesha. They are not attracted to anything material, nor do they have any aversion to anything material.

It appears, it appears. Why make it such a big deal? They keep a steady mind and they accept everything. They accept it all.

And obviously, within reason. One should stay away from things that give you an allergic reaction. When I say this, I'm not saying that if you cannot, if you cannot eat shellfish like me, that I shouldn't be repulsed by it. I don't have to be repulsed by it. I can say I simply cannot eat it.

Simple. But if you have a repulsion towards anything, like even if it's a repulsion towards people who eat meat or even beef, that's... You're not following what Sri Krishna is saying.

So being allergic to something and then responding and refusing to take something with respect and kindness, that is using your discernment, not being repulsed or having aversion towards something. Again, very nuanced points here, but we have to understand them. We have to really grasp the message.

And nor does that devotee imagine the future nor dwell in the past. The devotee doesn't care about the future. First of all, what future? They are free. Their past, present, future is all Brahman, all isht-devta, all Sri Krishna. What more do they want? Their past, present, future is the Guru. That's all they care about.

They're not concerned about what will happen. People sometimes stress. If I don't do this, this is what's going to happen. If I don't send this email, something bad will happen. They stress up. Devotees never worry. They're like, everything will happen in the right time. Nor do they imagine a world they will live in the future.

They don't think, oh, in the future I'll live in a palace, in a mansion. They don't think of such things. They are never bothered by the past either, nor do they keep recalling the past continuously. This person died, I used to have this car, I used to have this big house, I didn't go to college, I didn't get a job.

They don't keep recalling that past. They stay in the present and they live in reality as it is, very simple.

And who is neither attached to nor repulsed by circumstances. They are not attached to the circumstances that they live in. If they are poor today, they are steady minded. If they are rich today, they are steady minded. Things didn't go their way. They are even minded. Things are going their way.

They're still even minded. They do not feel any aversions to any circumstances. Even if there is death or illness, they're still even minded. That's not saying they will not have grief, but it will not overpower them or overwhelm them. They understand this part of life. They understand its nature. As harsh as that sounds, that is the reality.

So they don't refuse, nor do they welcome death. Nor do they refuse, nor do they welcome illness. So whatever circumstances life presents, they neither get too attached, nor do they get too repulsed by it. And they are beyond the duality of material opposites. They are always beyond duality, they live in the state of non duality.

So what are the material opposites? Love and hate, attraction and repulsion, hot and cold, pain and pleasure, fear and courage, joy and grief, honour and disgrace. The devotee is beyond all these opposites that the body and mind experiences. Because the devotee rests in the Atman.

And as Sri Krishna concludes in that verse that and who is loyal and bhaktiman, deeply devoted to serving me, I feel priya, a deep loving connection with such a person They are always loyal to Brahman, always loyal to the truth, always loyal to the Guru, to the Isht-devta.

They are so loyal that even a second thought, isn't even allowed to cross before Brahman, before the truth. They are deeply devoted to keep serving Brahman, because they see Brahman in all, hence they serve all with that deep devotion and deep service. Because they have that deep loving connection. That everyone is simply the nature of my isht-devta, of my Lord.

And because of that, what's the response from the isht-devta, from Sri Krishna, from our Guru, from Brahman? They return, they give us in return that feeling of a deep loving connection. And that makes our day. And we definitely can experience this today. All we need is to be deeply devoted to serving our isht-devta, our Guru, our Brahman.

[00:25:12] Chapter 12: Verse 18

Then verse 18.

One who treats friends and enemies the same, who is equiposed in both honour and disgrace. Who is impervious to heat or cold, pleasure or pain, and who is not bound by material attachments. So very quickly, we'll go through this. So one who treats friends and enemies the same. So everybody is a friend and nobody is an enemy.

Simply, we see everyone is a reflection of this ultimate nature of Brahman, and we treat everyone with that same even mindedness of love, that background of love that is unconditional. We treat everyone in that sense, and who is equipoised in both honour and disgrace. No matter whether people honour you and praise you and say you're brilliant, you remain humble.

And even when people disgrace you, when they criticise you, condemn you, you remain humble and calm. You remain in that calm minded state and you don't get too excited, nor do you get overly depressed. Because you know you are the Atman. You see them merely as fleeting circumstances, as events in life, which are just presented to you.

That's all. And then who is impervious to heat or cold, pleasure or pain and who is not bound by material attachments? Again, Sri Krishna is reemphasizing that you know, you're not affected by the weather. Whatever happens, rain or shine, you're good. If it's hot, you're not complaining. If it's too cold, you're not complaining.

Heat and cold happen to the body, not to the Atman. Same with pleasure and pain. One is not bound by any material attachment. Any material attachment should not disturb them, nor should it dictate what should happen in their life. They remain clear from that too. So that is also what a devotee is like.

[00:27:26] Chapter 12: Verse 19

And then he says in verse 19: One who is indifferent to praise or blame, who is comfortable in silence, who is content with whatever comes of its own accord, who is not attached to any residence, whose mind is steady and who is bhaktiman, deeply devoted to serving me, that person is always priya to Me. So one thing we can note here is he mentions bhaktiman, deeply devoted to serving Me.

That is karma yoga, where we devote all our actions to Brahman. We're serving Brahman in all of existence. So whenever we serve any aspect of existence, we are serving Brahman. And that's our deep devotion. We do it with so much love, so much affection, so much reverence. That's what matters. So firstly he says, one who is indifferent to praise or blame.

Someone praises the devotee, the devotee is cool minded. Someone blames them for something they did or did not do, they are cool minded. They do not care about all these things. These are things that will affect someone who doesn't have a strong intellect. They are not in love with any type of results to their actions.

If someone doesn't have a strong intellect, they will be affected. They will not be able to discern between the Real and the unreal. Words are unreal. Awareness is Real.

And then he says who is comfortable in silence. And you'll find this with devotees, they are always in thought, contemplating this Divine. And you know, it's interesting, if you ever be around someone who's silent, people feel uneasy with silence. But the devotee's state of mind is actually silent. There is no movement of thought.

And they can last in long periods of silence. When I mean silence, meaning silence towards matter. Their mind is not silent towards remembering the Divine, remembering the Isht-devta, remembering Brahman. Their mind is always connected to that.

And who is content with whatever comes of its own accord. This is Most difficult to practice. And again, I would say this is against people who do this whole law of attraction nonsense.

A devotee is content with whatever comes of its own accord because what should the devotee be focusing on? Being the Atman. Understanding it's the Atman. But what do we want? We have a timeline for everything.

Sri Krishna says don't. So first of all, a devotee doesn't seek a particular path or journey.

They go with the flow of life. Wherever life takes them, they are happy and content.

Whatever existence does is wonderful and they let it be. How many of us can allow things to happen? Instead, we spend so much time thinking that this is what we need to do, we need to do this, why is this not happening quicker, we need to do this, we need to, our mind is full of this nonsense.

We don't actually need much to be happy in life, but unfortunately, we are fed this information that you know, you can attract anything you want. Just think of it and it will happen for you. Stay away from such people, because they are not content with whatever happens in itself. They are not content with whatever comes of its own accord, never.

And the devotee also is not attached to any residence. They are not attached to this earth. They're not attached to their mansion or to their hut.

Their main residence and their only residence is Sri Krishna, the Isht-devta Brahman. Simple as that.

They are not concerned with property. Tell me, the very land that you live on, how many people have already lived on that land? How many living beings have lived on that land? That you say is yours today?

Forget earth, people have started buying land on the moon. Do you see how crazy that is? Like, people even purchase stars, and name a star after them. Like, this existence is going to dissolve one day. What residence are you talking about? So, a devotee is not attached to any residence. They live in this place today, in this country. Tomorrow they can be in another country. They are still the same. Why? The Atman never changes. Whose Manas is steady. Their mind is steady and calm.

Their thoughts are well thought of. They only concentrate on the Divine. It's composed and balanced, and they're not swung by their emotions, or by their desires, or their intentions, or by their thoughts They are forever focused on what they're devoted to And who is bhaktiman, deeply devoted to serving Me, that person is always priya to Me. As Sri Krishna has been saying, they are always devoted to serving the isht-devta Brahman alone. They are beloved to the isht-devta and Brahman alone always. And Brahman, isht-devta, Sri Krishna holds them in the highest regards. This is most important.

[00:34:10] Chapter 12: Verse 20

And then we enter the last verse of this chapter which is verse 20.

One who always follows this Sanatana Dharma path which grants the amrit of immortal bliss, who is completely dedicated to these immortal truths, whose vision of Me never wavers, and whose bhakti, loving intention, is to be with me as the matparam, the ultimate destination. Such a person is priya, exceedingly dear and attractive to Me.

So, this, there's a lot to discuss here. First he says, one who always follows this sanatana dharma path, which grants the amrit of immortal bliss. We think life is all about attaining bliss. Not completely. What Sri Krishna is saying here, what is Sanatana Dharma first? What is the path of Sanatana Dharma?

What is the eternal path? It's that path that leads us to the Eternal Truth, not some practice that we follow. It's that which leads us to freedom.

Therefore, the devotee always seeks the Eternal. Always.

And what is this Sanatana Dharam? That there should be an evolution in society. There should be an evolution in its people. Why? Because they must actualize and live their best life. What is their best life? The amrit of immortal bliss. Not just one person should have it, the whole world should be experiencing this immortal bliss, this amrit.

The path of Sanatana Dharma doesn't mean Hinduism. It's any path that takes you to the Eternal.

And those people become Sanatana Dharma, how? How do they become eternal? Because they surrender their identity and they remain as the Atman. They let go of the body and mind. They let go of name and form. And they remain as the Atman and they follow this path diligently and with absolute faith.

And what happens if they do this, if they uphold to the tenets of Sanatana Dharma, then it gives them immortal bliss. Amrit means nectar. What's this nectar? It's jivan-mukti, freedom. Liberated while you're alive, transcending samsara, that is what is immortal bliss. This is what we mean when my guru said that it takes someone to true happiness beyond the senses.

This is what it is. It's very important that we always follow Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma does not mean put a tilak on your head, or say Jai Shri Ram, or your culture is based on Sanatana Dharma, no. It's much more than that. Sanatana Dharma does not mean that you wear orange, or you wear the Brahmin thread, or you're vegetarian, or you go to the temple. Or you associate yourself with the religion of Hinduism. That is not Sanatana Dharma. All the things that Sri Krishna mentioned above is the person that practices Sanatana Dharma.

That person. And that person automatically is granted immortal bliss. You just need to follow it.

Have that true bhakti yoga and you will be there. You will achieve immortal bliss. Immortal meaning it's undying, never ending.

And he adds here, who is completely dedicated to these immortal truths. What are the immortal truths? What are we talking about here? All material nature is subject to change. That's an immortal truth. We are not this body and mind, that's an immortal truth. We are the changeless Atman, that's an immortal truth.

We continuously discern between the Real and the unreal, the Permanent and the impermanent or temporary, that is an immortal truth. We remain in awareness of formless awareness, this is the immortal truth. Whatever has been in the Vedanta, in the Upanishads, That has stayed with the times, no matter what has happened in society, some of these truths have not gone, which is Brahman is the only reality, or that Brahman is the only thing, the devotee never forgets this Truth, the devotee may start off with Sri Krishna is the only thing, Sri Krishna is everything, and what will Sri Krishna do? Dissolve away to show this Brahman, that's what our gurus do for us. That's what we must strive for. So the devotee never forgets these truths.

Then he says whose vision of me never wavers. So do not fool yourself and think that this should be Sri Krishna's image alone. It can be your guru. It can be your Isht-devta It can be even the formless.

You do not even need a vision. Like you don't have to visualize something. So he's referring to the image of the imageless here. Because a vision of something can waver, right? You visualize something, it can disappear. But can Awareness disappear? No. So how is this possible? How can we be established in this?

Just remain in the awareness of Formless Awareness. Be aware of being aware. That's how simple it is. And in that moment, you will be able to perceive the unperceivable. That's what you'll be able to do. Then this vision will never leave you. Everywhere you go, everything you see and perceive is just nothing but this Brahman, this Atman, this Pure Consciousness.

Wherever you look, there is this Formless Awareness, you see this existence, people call it Saguna Brahman, people call it all sorts, people call it material world, you say all is Brahman, all is Brahman, Brahman is the only thing. That is what happens when we say, whose vision of Me never wavers. We never lose sight of the truth, that's a true devotee.

And then he says, and whose bhakti, loving intention, is to be with me as the matparam, the ultimate destination, such a person is priya, exceedingly dear and attracted to me. This is so beautiful. This is extremely beautiful. And whose bhakti, bhakti here meaning loving intention. It's to be with Me, all we want to do is be in awareness, that's all we want, that's all we desire, that's all we require, that's the only thing we feel we truly deserve, and we must feel that we deserve this, is to be with our Isht-devta or with Brahman.

And what do we know is that once we are with this One, once we're in that beautiful Unifying Oneness, we know that that is the ultimate destination. That is where freedom is. That is where it all matters. There should be no other option but to be in bhakti with this one. If there's only this One, why should I entertain any other? Because there is no other, why should I entertain the idea? Once that person understands that this is the Matparam, the Ultimate Destination then that person automatically knows that they are Brahman and they rest in that awareness. Hence, for Sri Krishna, for the Isht-devta, for Brahman in the little entertainment of duality, such a person is dear to them and attracted to them.

And just like they say that the One that you seek is also seeking you. That's what Sri Krishna is doing. You are seeking Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna is seeking you too.

And You are That which You seek.

This is the simple Truth. This concludes the twelfth chapter, which is the way of devotion. One thing I will emphasize, because this is a very important chapter, one which first has informed us of a checklist of what we should expect of ourselves, and also, what methods we can use to get to the highest Truth and practices we can easily do.

This is about practice. This is about Being. And ultimately, when we are in devotion it becomes a lot easier, this path. So, all I really want to say is find what works for you and give your all to it and don't look back. And that is the end of today's episode.

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Thank you very much for listening to this episode. Let's end with the Shanti mantra and the Soham mantra. 

Soham Soham. 

I am That. I am That. 

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti

Aum Peace Peace Peace 

Namaste.