Mantra 03 — Asato Mā — From confusion toward truth
MANTRA 03 · CONTEMPLATION
असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ॥
asato mā sad gamaya | tamaso mā jyotir gamaya | mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya ||
Source: Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28
भावार्थ
मुझे असत्य से सत्य की ओर, अंधकार से प्रकाश की ओर और मृत्यु से अमृतत्व की ओर ले चलो।
Meaning
Lead me from the unreal toward the real, from darkness toward light, from death toward the deathless.
Asato Mā — From confusion toward truth
Each line begins from an acknowledged limitation. The speaker does not pretend to possess truth already; the prayer makes room to be led. In its Upanishadic setting, the language reaches toward immortality. In everyday reflection, it can also sharpen our willingness to exchange comforting appearances for honest understanding.
Light sometimes arrives as a correction. A fact we avoided, an apology we owe, or a question we finally allow can unsettle us before it frees us. This prayer can accompany that movement: a quiet consent to see more clearly, even when clarity asks something of us.
A moment to reflect
Identify one assumption you have not examined. What would help you meet it honestly?
These three lines are drawn from a larger Upanishadic passage. The reflection is an interpretive application, not a substitute for the source context.