During the course of a conversation with a friend this morning, I had commented that “peace is not about non-violence alone”, after which both of us fell silent, probably realising the depth in what I had uttered rather instinctively, and simplistically.
The word peace finds its etymology in the Latin word pax. Further, Pax was the Roman equivalent of the Greek Goddess of Peace, Eirene. Statues of Eirene depict her to be holding the infant Plutus (Pluto), the God of Plenty, probably symbolising that prosperity lay in the hands of peace.
It is then left to the individual to infer that peace does not simply translate to tranquil, the absence of strife, non-violence or noiselessness; it means all those aspects of freedom - from hunger, ignorance, dominance, conflict and exploitation - that create an equal world with inherent social justice.
The meaning of the Sanskrit word shanti, from Shri. Vaman Shivram Apte’s Sanskrit-English dictionary, clearly points out to the multi-dimensional meaning of the word: pacification, allayment (from fears?), alleviation (from poverty?), removal (of injustice?), calmness, tranquility, quiet, rest…
One of the Shanti Mantras from the Taittiriya Upanishads, Om saha navavatu, translates as:
Om, may we all be protected
May we all be nourished
May we work together with great energy
May our intellect be sharpened (may our study be effective)
Let there be no animosity amongst us
Om, peace (physical), peace (divine), peace (internal)
Chapter 2, verse 66, of the Bhagvad Gita, refers to peace as being essential to happiness.
The concept of peace/shanti aren’t as simplistic as we ordinarily believe it to be. It bears a philosophy deep-rooted in the well being of mankind…
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