Universal
Lokah Samastah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु
Lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu
Simple reading: Lo-kaah sa-mas-taah su-khi-no bha-van-tu
About this mantra
The prayer that refuses to stop at one's own gate: may all the worlds, and every being in them, be happy. It is the last line of the maṅgala verse 'Svasti prajābhyaḥ', and it has become the closing line of satsangs and yoga classes worldwide.
Meaning
May all the worlds, all together, be happy. Lokāḥ is 'worlds' — the beings that fill them are meant — and samastāḥ does the widening: not this world alone but every world, every order of being. Modern yoga halls often add 'and free, and may my life add to that freedom'; those words are a later English expansion, not part of the verse. It is sung at closings because it is a completion — the moment private practice turns around and empties its hands over everyone.
When to recite it
The closing dedication — end of yoga and meditation practice, end of ceremonies; recited to give away the merit of whatever was just completed.
Word by word
- लोकाः समस्ताःlokāḥ samastāḥ
- all the worlds together
- सुखिनो भवन्तुsukhino bhavantu
- may they be happy
Source: Traditional maṅgala verse (found in stotra colophons)