Shanti (śānti): Peace, and Why It Is Chanted Three Times
शान्तिśānti
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 27 September 2026
Shanti means peace in the sense of settling — the stilling of disturbance — and is chanted three times at the close of Upanishadic invocations.
In short
- Shanti is peace as calm or cessation of disturbance, not merely the absence of conflict.
- Upanishadic peace invocations close with om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ.
- The threefold repetition is traditionally explained by three classes of obstacle: within oneself, from one's surroundings, and beyond human control.
- Shanti and shantih are the same word; the final h transliterates a Sanskrit sound at the end of a phrase.
- A shanti mantra or shanti patha is the invocation recited before study.
Derivation
Śānti comes from the root śam, to become calm or to be extinguished. Its sense is settling — the subsiding of agitation — rather than a negotiated absence of conflict.
What the texts actually say
Peace invocations bracket the Upanishads. The Isha Upanishad opens with the well-known verse on fullness and closes om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ; the Taittiriya Upanishad has its own shanti patha recited before study, asking that teacher and student be protected together and that there be no discord between them. The invocation is thus part of a study ritual, said at the start as much as the end.
Why three times
The standard traditional explanation names three classes of obstacle. Adhyatmika are those arising within oneself — illness, agitation, distraction. Adhibhautika come from other beings and one's surroundings. Adhidaivika come from forces outside human control — weather, chance, what a tradition might call fate. Saying the word three times covers the whole field.
Where you hear it
At the close of Upanishadic recitation, at the end of kirtan and chanting sessions, and in modern classes after savasana. T. S. Eliot borrowed the closing line for The Waste Land, which is how many English readers first met it.
Related words
Śānta describes a person who is calm. Aśānti is unrest. Śānti mantra names the invocation itself.
Modern usage
Teachers often close with "om shanti, shanti, shanti", sometimes letting the last repetition fade. The usage is faithful to the meaning even though the setting is modern. Using "shanti" alone as a greeting or sign-off is common in some communities, though namaste remains the ordinary greeting.
Where this is practised here
Questions people ask
+ Why is shanti said three times?
+ Is it shanti or shantih?
+ Can shanti be used as a greeting?
References
- Isha Upanishad, opening and closing invocation.
- Taittiriya Upanishad, shanti patha.
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, peace invocation.
Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.