This is one of my favorite chants as well. Though I learned the translation of the last line to mean "lead me from the fear of death to the knowledge of immortality". A lot more doable that way in real life, don't you think?

I don't have any classes going yet, but the chant I would teach once the time comes would probably be Purnam Adah:

OM Purnam Adah
Purnam Idam
Purnat Purnam Udacyate
Purnasya Purnam Aadaya
Purnam Evavasisyate
OM Shanti Shanti Shanti

That is full / complete / perfect / infinite.
This is full / complete / perfect / infinite.
Perfection arises from the Perfect,
Taking the Perfect from the Perfect,
It remains as the Perfect alone.
OM, Peace, Peace, Peace.

To me, this means "no worries". We're already complete as we are, can't do anything to mess that up, and don't need to work so hard to be there. Pretty cool, eh?

The few times I have taught, I started class with 3 oms and finished class with one. It would seem incomplete without at least that much.

In sacred text study class we chant Sahana Vavatu, the Togetherness Mantra for Student and Teacher, which I have been asked to lead on occasion:

Neel, thank you for your clarifications. Regarding purnam adah, of course we have to work. I am not negating that, advocating a slacker attitude, or anything like that. I guess my point in seeing it as "no worries" is that whatever work we do, there is a reason or point to it all, and that "prize" is oneness with universal consciousness, or brahman, as you said it. Maybe it's just me, but I find that concept extremely reasuring. It's my source of faith, I suppose you could say. Otherwise, why bother working in life at all (in this one and all the others) if there isn't going to be any payoff?

Overly simplified, to me this chant is the opposite of the saying "life's a bunch of chores and then you die". Unfortunately this has been the motto of too many people that I've been associated with in my life. And just because I describe it here in an oversimplified way doesn't mean I'm not considering it in all its complexities. This is the purpose of a mantra, isn't it? A shortened statement of words whose true meaning and depth encompasses pages and pages of writing. So that when you recall those few words in the convenient manner of chanting, you're inundated with the depth of their true meaning.

For me, purnam adah also speaks of belonging to the world, another issue I've been dealing with for most of my life. So yes, there is work to do, and it's my work and it's good, and in doing it I will belong to the vast completeness. No worries!

As for the birth-death discussion, I think we're talking the same thing but using words that mean different things to each other in the process. Your definition is exactly what I understand that chant to mean, though adding the words "fear of" and "knowledge of" helps my western mind grasp it further. Why do we fear death? Because we have no knowledge of immortality. And why is that? Because we ARE caught up in the birth-death lifecycle. Telling someone to just stop fearing something that they cannot understand is too much (I'm not doing a good job here in explaining myself, sorry). OK, how's this: if you tell me to discount death as something to be feared, I have a hard time believing you. But if you tell me my FEAR of death is what I need to let go of, as opposed to my CONCEPT of death itself, then maybe that I can handle first. To let go of what death itself means to me is too huge, so I need the baby step of letting go of the fear part first. Make sense?

So like I said, it's really all the same thing. The words I offered are the ones that I learned from my teacher as the meaning of the chant, as opposed to the literal translation that you offer. We westerners just need to go at our work with smaller steps and chunks, easily digestible for our deluded little minds!

My teacher's teacher told us in a lecture several months ago that as the most important thing, we need to stay on point. How we arrive at that point will differ for each individual, as well as the words that are used in getting to that universal understanding of that point. Probably yet another westernization that may not sit well with you either. Having knowledge of, even just a glimpse, ultimate truth gives one a sense of peace and contentment, yes? Personally, I think the words just get in the way after a while. The point still remains unchanged.

Hi Neel,

Not offended whatsoever! Actually, I do enjoying hearing viewpoints that are opposed to mine. Helps with keeping my mind flexible in many directions.

When two people discuss a topic from opposite viewpoints, the purpose of the discussion (imo) is not for one person to sway the other to their side. It's just to discuss, learn what you will learn from the other, take with you what works for you and leave the rest behind. Accepting that someone else's truth is their truth even though it might be diametrically opposed to your own, that's what I'm talking about here.

At the risk of a corniness overload.... we don't all have to agree to be happy. We just need to be happy.