by Prabhu Darmayasa

A beautiful verse/śloka below I took from Bhagavad-gītā, a book of "śabda-brahman" (God’s words) contains rich of peaceful messages:

vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān
pumāṁs carati nispṛhaḥ
nirmamo nirahangkāraḥ
sa śāntim adhigacchati
(Bhagavad-gītā 2.71)

“Those who have left all worldly desires and liberated from false ego and ownership, only such people can achieve peace and not others.”

As an ordinary human being we are for sure will be "attacked" by various worldly desires. But, when we surrender in Almighty God’s Lotus Feet through the implementation of the service to others, surely then God will save us from the "attack" of thousands and millions of worldly desires. If we count on our own ability to manage the onslaught of millions of worldly desires then we certainly will fail. But, if we trust in God and remain steady in the service of others whether anyone else helps us or not, whether people understand what we do or not, whether people praise what we do or even worst insult us, then we will never be disturbed/deterred at all. 

When we surrender our life to the Lotus Feet of God, then God will save us from the onslaught and attacks of all kinds of those material desires. Rāvana was undefeated when his enemies were coming from outside. But when the enemy was from inside ... yes .. when his own brother, Vibhiṣaṇa the wisdom person, was his enemy... the man with full of noble qualities and many skills then finally Rāvana could be defeated. When the enemy is "tan madoh maring awak" (not far from ourselves) since "ring ati ya ta unggwanya" (he resides in our own heart), how to dream that we’ll be able to fight those "enemies"?
The safe and simple ways are to surrender to the Lotus Feet of God, we would then be liberated from the attacks of all these worldly desires. Only then we can get closer to the liberation of false ego and material ownership in this material world.
The word nirmama dan ahaṁkāra in Bhagavad-gītā śloka should get our attention because those two words are keys to the inner peace. Nirmama means without mama or without ownership. Nir-ahaṁkāra means free from something that appears to be ourselves alias false ego. Typically, these both are the cause that we are not peaceful. Aham ... I am .... I am... and mama ... my belonging ... mine...
Inside the house/family, if we consider ourselves to be the most important person and other family members are less important, it certainly will ruin the relationship. They will feel unsatisfied and that the fact that we’re far before have been caught by dissatisfaction or non-peaceful condition.

False ego or ahaṁkāra indeed must be purposely and truly under our control. Self-control and respect for each person is the true peaceful path, a path that would give peace to us. Mama ... this is mine ... also will block people to find peace. When we divert mama or ownership by the term of “in trust of God", then we will not lost anything on whatever we own. The land we own will not be lost when we say it as an in trust of God. Our house will not be lost when we say that it is in trust of God. Our job position will not be bothered when we say it as a trust of God. In fact, land, property, houses, and offices all will be more meaningful when we accept them with full awareness that they are "in trust of God" because with such wonderful awareness we will keep, direct and use them well and wisely as a tool to direct ourselves to the perfection of life for achieving divine peace within ourselves.

If a person has been successful in: (1). purify all worldly desires (2). Free himself from false ego and (3). Free from ownership by recognizing that everything is only a temporary in trust of Almighty God, then ... sah ... (that person) ... śāntim (divine peace) adhigacchati (will get it). Only people who have been liberated from the caught of aham and mama will be helped to experience divine peace within themselves and only people like that will be able to do something for the goodness of others whether it is for family, society, and any smaller institutions or even the wider environment like the state, nation and the world.

For those who are fortunate to experience the spiritual life will even set their minds to do any goodness to all mankind without making any differences for all living beings in the universe, including animals and plants based on the Tri Hitakaraṇa principle, the principle of our life as Balinese. Many translations about Tri Hitakaraṇa given by many peoples. However for the sake of understanding the divine peace in a very simple way, I translate Tri Hitakaraṇa as living in harmony with God, with human being, and with nature. I think that's the intent and purpose for us to chant Śānti Mantra or Mantra of Peace every day, so that we remain one in peace, so that we always will take part in the informing, echoing, spreading peace of diamonds to our environment.

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे शन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु
मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ
Sarve śantu nirāmayaḥ
Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu
Mā kaścid duhkha-bhag bhavet
Om sāntih santih santih om

“O God.., may all be happy, may all get good health, may all be in peace and keep away from unhappiness.”
We are turning our "ON" mode for hopes and prayers collaborating with God's energy (OM) and then we chant śāntih ... peace ... peace ... peace .. as much as three times and then we are turning "OFF" again with the energy of God (OM). In this way our daily prayer of peace must work at least for ourselves and our close environment.
There are several Śānti Mantras in Vedic teachings, even every Upaniṣad is always preceded by Śānti Mantra and closed with Śānti Mantra. Each of us just needs to choose from all the upaniṣad books which one is suitable and convenient for us in chanting the prayer of peace every day.

Ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ
May all the goodness come from every way
Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Om