Yogi Ashwini

The concept and the meaning of this simple sounding word — shanti — goes beyond the realm of our imaginations. To imagine that this concept was given a few hundred thousand years ago, a time which, according to most historians, was a time when the world was roamed by uncivilised barbarians! It defies a logical mind

how “uncivilised barbarians” could even imagine shanti — the importance of which even the present day civilised world cannot comprehend. Obviously one need not be a genius to understand who was more civilised.
Our ancestors not only discovered the power of this word but also the way to have complete peace, complete shanti, which is not just being at peace with ourselves but to have peace all round. To elaborate, they realised that being at peace is not possible if only we ourselves are at peace, but there must also be is peace around us. We, the selfish beings of today, cannot think beyond ourselves and just want peace for the self, failing to understand that if there is disturbance around us we can never be peaceful. The concept is based on the assumption that nothing in creation is in isolation and the whole creation is influenced by waves of energy which interpenetrate all its aspects.
Waves, which a being radiates at all times directly, affect his/her immediate environment and the state of the being is dependent in a major way on its immediate environment. A disturbed being will radiate disturbed waves which would affect the complete creation generally, and the immediate environment of the source specifically. Thus, it can be assumed that a person who is in a disturbed state of mind will radiate disturbances. Shanti has the effect of calming it down and making it a law-abiding cell from a rogue cell. For what is shant can never walk the path of destruction...
A point of view, an event, or a situation can be clearly seen and understood if there is no disturbance around. Even a slight disturbance blurs reality. For example, if there is a coin at the bottom of a river bed it can only be seen if the water is clear and still. Even slight ripples and waves affect the clear view. Similarly, if a person is disturbed, he or she will not be able to take any concrete decision and will remain in a state of conflict and turmoil, thereby creating more disturbances within and all around. This person would be unhappy himself/herself and would keep everyone around also unhappy.
It is said that the entire physical body is controlled by the brain, and the brain in turn has a simple function, to make the physical respond to the stimuli; the stimuli being even that of a thought. This function goes on 24 hours a day, from birth to death. Even during sleep when we think we are at absolute rest, our brain is active, keeping the vital functions on in the physical. Every action, we know, gives an opposite reaction though not necessarily in the same proportion and these series of actions of the brain are constantly creating ripples.
The key to shanti is stilling the brain, taking the brain to a state of point zero, when even the movement of eyeballs ceases to exist. This is undoubtedly the most difficult state to achieve. Just imagine the power of the person who is able to sit still in a thoughtless state. Anything is possible for him/her. That is the state when all ripples have died down and the vision is crystal clear. The state of being absolutely still reveals dimensions that are beyond logical explanation. Even a stray thought or movement or the slightest of twitch will distort the vision.
Have we noticed why we like being with some people and why we want to stay away from some? The reason is simple: anyone who is calm and at peace, or shant, creates a serenity around and people feel good in such people’s company. Those who are disturbed or ashant create the same disturbance around them, thereby giving signals to people to stay away. The difference is the difference in positive and negative vibrations. This can be explained by the following example: Thousands of years ago our sages had perfected the state of stillness. For them this state was so profound that their age too had come to a standstill. At that time some of them decided to move closer to normal beings, so they moved their dwellings closer to villages. Of course, this also led to an increase in interactions with the local community, as they were worshipped by the locals. After some time the practitioners realised that they were ageing. Looking deeper they realised that these interactions and all the worshipping had touched their ego somewhere and created a ripple. Such a slight ripple in such advanced yogis was enough to distort their vision momentarily, immediately having an effect on the physical.
Our sages understood the deepest of meanings of shanti, which has been described beautifully in the following verse.

Om dehu, shanti antariksham
Shanti prithvi
Shanti (r) aapa
Shanti (s) ama
Shanti aushadhaya
Shanti vanaspataya
Shanti Vishwadeva
Shanti Brahma
Om dehu shanti(r)ive, dehu shanti(r)edhi
Shanti sarvagyam, shanti sarvagyam, shanti sarvagyam
Dehu shanti, shanti, shanti, shanti, shanti om.
(First there should be peace in the universe, then our mother earth, then within the plant kingdom should be at peace, the medicines that we take should be at peace, the Gods around, and Lord Brahma should be at peace. We should be at peace like all of them. There should be shanti all around.)
Only when there is shanti all around, we can be at peace. This is the depth of the knowledge given to us by our ancient sages. This seemingly simple concept is the key to good health, success and wealth.

— Yogi Ashwini is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences. He has recently written a book, Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting.
Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com