Sacred Learning
Bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ
ṚV 1.89.8; also a common Vedic śānti.
ṚV 1.89.8; also a common Vedic śānti.
Canonical source text
भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवाः भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः । स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवाँसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
IAST transliteration
bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhir yajatrāḥ | sthirair aṅgais tuṣṭuvāṃsas tanūbhir vyaśema devahitaṃ yad āyuḥ ||
Close translation
Gods, may we hear the good with our ears; worshipful ones, may we see the good with our eyes. With firm limbs and grateful bodies may we complete the life the gods have set.
Reader-friendly meaning
A prayer that hearing and seeing stay with what is wholesome, and that the body last the span given.
Meenananda editorial explanation
Before a yajña or a kirtan, this ṛk asks that the sense-doors stay kind. It is a public Vedic peace, not a hidden vidhi.
Practice context
Use as a śānti before public recitation.
Word meanings
- भद्रम् — the auspicious, the good
- शृणुयाम — may we hear
ṚV 1.89.8 Śākala public-domain. Sanskrit: public domain. Foundation translations: CC BY-SA 4.0.