लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु

Kavita Pillay, co-host of the podcast Subtitle, spoke with her mother Indira Pillay, a retired pathologist, for the episode “One Virus, Many Languages.” Dr. Pillay said that she doesn’t believe in a benevolent deity but nevertheless has a favorite line of prayer: Lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu. It’s Sanskrit: लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु. Her translation: “Let the whole world be well.” Another translation: “May all beings everywhere be happy and free.” A hope all beings can get behind.

Here’s a parsing of the Sanskrit, which I hope is reliable.

[There’s no transcript for the podcast. I typed the Sanskrit words as I heard them, crossed my fingers, and the Internets did the rest.]