Om Purnamadah Purnamidam, the Fullness Mantra
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Oṃ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate
Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
“That is whole. This is whole. From the whole, the whole arises. Take the whole from the whole, and the whole still remains.”
Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad, invocation
Word by word
A shloka a child understands is a shloka they keep. Here is what each word is actually doing.
At the opening and close of Upanishad study, and as a settling chant before meditation or quiet time.
- Introduces abstract thought through a puzzle, not a lecture
- Repetitive vocabulary, only one word really changes
- Beautiful, hypnotic rhythm
- A conversation-starter for older children
Give an older child this as a riddle rather than a doctrine: what could you take a whole away from and still have a whole left? Most will say “nothing”, then argue their way towards infinity, or love, or knowledge that does not diminish when you teach it. That argument is the verse working exactly as intended.
Shloka Classes
Reading a shloka and chanting it correctly are different things. In our live online classes a mentor corrects your child’s pronunciation in the moment, teaches the meaning alongside the sound, and builds a repertoire verse by verse. Ages 4-14 · 45 min · Weekly.
Questions parents ask
That is whole, this is whole; from the whole the whole arises; take the whole from the whole and the whole still remains. It points to a fullness that is not diminished by anything taken from it.
Learn these next
All 28 shlokas
Teach your child Om Purnamadah, properly
A free, no-obligation trial class with a real mentor. Correct pronunciation, the meaning behind every word, and a practice that lasts.