The Source of सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः — sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग् भवेत्।।
sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ|
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥkhabhāg bhavet||
May all be happy; May all be free from infirmities; May all see good; May none partake suffering.
This is perhaps the most beautiful verse illustrating the whole idea of ‘well-being of all’ and is enormously quoted in the context of spirituality, dharma, universality, well-being etc.
But it is surprising that there is hardly any text quoting this verse which gives the right source of this verse. The only reference that is mentioned in many internet sources, shockingly even in many research papers, is that this verse belongs to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.4.14). This is totally wrong, as the said Upanishad does not contain this verse in any form at all.
What then is the source of this famous verse? Here is my note on this.
1. We find this verse in a slightly different form in the last verse of Garuḍa Purāṇa (2.35.51) and in Bhavishya Purāṇa (3.2.35.14). Here the first line is different than how it is usually known and used. But the meaning remains almost same. The verse in Garuḍa Purāṇa is:
सर्वेषां मङ्गलं भूयात् सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग् भवेत्।।
sarveṣāṁ maṅgalaṁ bhūyāt sarve santu nirāmayāḥ|
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥkhabhāg bhavet||
2. In a discussion in Bharatiya Vidvat Parishat Google Group, one Hari Parshad Das ji refers to आशीर्वचनम् āśīrvacanam of a text called इतिहास समुच्चय itihāsa samuccaya where the verse appears as given below:
सर्वे कुशलिनः सन्तु सर्वे सन्तु निराम्याः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग् भवेत्।।
sarve kuśalinaḥ santu sarve santu nirāmyāḥ|
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścidduḥkhabhāg bhavet||
Here also the first line is different but the meaning is almost same.
3. Prof. Ashok Aklujkar in his comment in the BVP Google Group discussion mentioned above mentions about a note in the book of Lakshman Swarup where there is given the text of a colophon of Uvaṭa’s Mantrabhāṣya of Vājasaneya Saṁhitā. Here the verse appears with a variation in the last line but the meaning remains almost same. Here is the text:
शुभं भवतु पाठकलेखकयोः। शिवमस्तु सर्वजगतः।
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चित्कष्टमाप्नुयात्।।
śubhaṁ bhavatu pāṭhakalekhakayoḥ| śivamastu sarvajagataḥ|
sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ sarve santu nirāmayāḥ|
sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu mā kaścitkaṣṭamāpnuyāt||
As per the description given in the whole colophon Uvata belongs to the second half of eleventh century CE.
Based on the above information, while mentioning about the verse sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ one can either refer to:
1. Garuḍa Purāṇa (35.51)
2. Aśīrvacanam 2 of itihāsa samuccaya
3. Mantrabhāṣya of Uvaṭa
Here are the variations of the verse:
First line -
1. सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ
2. सर्वेऽत्र सुखिनः सन्तु sarve’tra sukhinaḥ santu
3. सर्वे कुशलिनः सन्तु sarve kuśalinaḥ santu
4. सर्वेषां मङ्गलं भूयात् sarveṣāṁ maṅgalaṁ bhūyāt
Last line –
1. मा कश्चिद्दुःखमाप्नुयात् mā kaścidduḥkhamāpnuyāt
2. मा कश्चित्कष्टमाप्नुयात्mā kaścitkaṣṭamāpnuyāt
3. मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग् भवेत्। mā kaścidduḥkhabhāg bhavet
The second and third line remain same in all versions.
