Prayer for family: Hindu prarthana for the ones you love
Short prayers for your family: protection, harmony, family far away and a morning blessing, with the Om Saha Navavatu mantra and a prayer read on air.
A prayer for family asks that the people you love be safe, well and kind to one another. In Hindu homes it is often said in the morning or as the evening lamp is lit, sometimes with the Om Saha Navavatu mantra, which asks that we be protected and nourished together. Below are short prayers for different moments in family life, and a way to have your prayer read aloud on Mahakatha Radio.
Prayers for your family
Say them aloud with your family, or quietly on your own. Add names wherever you like.
A morning prayer for the whole family
As this day begins, bless everyone in this home.
Keep us safe as we go out, and bring us back together tonight.
Let us speak gently, work honestly,
and notice the good in one another.
For protection
Divine Mother, you who hold the whole world,
hold my family too.
Watch over the little ones and the elders,
on the roads, at school, at work, and in their sleep.
For harmony at home
Where there has been anger in this house, bring calm.
Where words have hurt, bring the courage to say sorry.
Help us listen before we answer,
and remember that we are on the same side.
For family who live far away
I cannot sit beside name today, but I hold them close.
Wherever they are, may they be well and unafraid.
Let them feel our love across the distance,
and bring us together again soon.
For elders and parents
Thank you for name, who gave so much for us.
Give them good health, an easy mind,
and the joy of being cared for in return.
Let us never be too busy to love them.
Mantras for the family
Om Saha Navavatu
ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ Om Saha Naav Avatu, Saha Nau Bhunaktu, Saha Viryam Karavaavahai, Tejasvi Naav Adheetam Astu, Maa Vidvishaavahai, Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaantihi
"May the Divine protect us together, nourish us together. May we work together with strength, may our learning be bright, and may there be no ill feeling between us. Peace, peace, peace." From the Upanishads, traditionally chanted by teacher and student; it fits a family just as well, chanted together before a meal or a journey. Listen on Mahakatha.
Karagre Vasate
कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मी, करमध्ये सरस्वती। करमूले तु गोविन्द, प्रभाते करदर्शनम्। Karaagre Vasate Lakshmi, Karamadhye Saraswati, Karamoole Tu Govinda, Prabhaate Karadarshanam
"At the tips of my fingers lives Lakshmi, in the middle of my palm Saraswati, and at its base Govinda: so I look at my hands at dawn." Said on waking, looking into your open palms. A lovely morning habit to teach children. Listen on Mahakatha.
Shailaputri mantra
ॐ शाम् शीम् शूम् शैलपुत्राई मे शुभम् कुरु कुरु स्वाहा Om Shaam Sheem Shoom Shailputrai Me Shubham Kuru Kuru Swaha
"Bless me, Goddess Shailaputri, with the strength to love and care for my family, and myself." The first of the nine Navratri goddesses, traditionally invoked for easing family worries. Listen on Mahakatha.
How to pray for your family
- Pick one regular moment: on waking, before the first meal, or when the evening lamp is lit. A small daily habit lasts longer than a long prayer once a month.
- Light a diya if you can (see lighting a lamp for a prayer).
- Say one of the prayers above, naming each person if you like.
- Chant Om Saha Navavatu once together, or Karagre Vasate on waking.
- Sit for a moment in silence. Children often love being the one who rings the bell or lights the lamp.
Keeping Mahakatha Radio playing softly in the house is another simple way to hold a family in sacred sound through the day. If your family has its own custom, follow it. For more, see mantras for peace and morning mantras.
Have your family's prayer read aloud on air
For a birthday, an anniversary, a new baby, or a family going through something hard, a prayer on air lets everyone listen together, wherever they are.
- Have it read aloud on air. Offer a prayer from ₹251 or $7. It is written gently into a short prayer, read aloud during Prayer Requests at 7:00 am or 7:00 pm India time, and followed by a mantra chosen for the person or family. We email you when it airs, so you can share the moment with relatives in other cities. Offer a prayer
- Add it to the prayer wall for free. A line like "For the Sharma family, peace at home" goes on the prayer wall.
If someone in the family is unwell, our prayer for healing may help.
Questions people ask
What is a good prayer for my whole family?
A short, honest one you can say every day: ask that everyone be safe, well and kind to one another. Om Saha Navavatu, which asks that we be protected and nourished together, is a traditional Hindu prayer for exactly this.
What is a good morning prayer for my family?
Karagre Vasate is said on waking, looking at your palms. Follow it with a few words of your own: "Bless everyone in this home today, and bring us back together tonight."
How do I pray for protection for my family?
Light a lamp, name each person, and ask the Divine Mother or your family deity to watch over them. Repeating the same short prayer daily is more traditional than one long prayer.
Which mantra brings peace in the family?
Om Saha Navavatu ends with "may there be no ill feeling between us", which makes it a fitting prayer for a family to chant together. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti is a simple closing prayer for peace at home.
How do you pray Psalm 121 over your family?
In the Christian tradition, Psalm 121 is a prayer of protection, trusting that God watches over our going out and coming in. Families read it aloud together. In Hindu homes, Om Saha Navavatu carries a similar hope.