Śānti Prayer at an Utpāta
Utpāta Śānti Prārthanā
The śānti prayer at an utpāta is the prayer for peace offered to Bhagavān Sūrya when an utpāta (ill omen) occurs during his rathayātrā, such as the breaking of part of his ratha. In the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahmā teaches it in answer to Rudra. The text gives it in Telugu prose.
The setting
Brahmā tells what each breakage of Sūrya‘s ratha foretells: if the pole breaks, fear for brāhmaṇas; the axle, ruin for kshatriyas; the cross-beam, for vaiśyas; the seat, for śūdras; the yoke, drought; the platform, fear for the people; a wheel, the coming of enemy rathas; if the dhvaja falls, ill for the king; if the mūrti is broken, the king’s death; if the parasol breaks, the yuvarāja’s death. When such utpātas occur, śānti must be done. The bali is offered again, puṇyāhavācana is done, and dānas are given again. A kuṇḍa is built to the north-east of the ratha, Agni installed, and homa done with samidhs soaked in ghee, first to Agni, Soma and Prajāpati with svāhā, then to the devatās and grahas by name. Then this prayer is said.
The prayer
“May there be svasti for brāhmaṇas. May there be svasti for kings. May there be good for cows and for the people. May śānti settle in the world. May there be happiness for us humans. May there be śānti for the four-footed. May there be happiness for the people. May there always be happiness for the ātmā. May there be śānti everywhere for Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ and for Ravi. O Deva, you create the world, you alone nourish it, you rule the people. O Sūrya Deva, master of the grahas, grant śānti.”
The phala
The prayer asks for śānti. Brahmā says that as armour stops the blows of arrows, so śānti rites stop calamities that come by fate; having done the śānti and svastivācana, one adorns the ratha again and goes on with the yātrā.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 56
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 56