Shanti/Ashtangi
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| “Shanti/Ashtangi” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Madonna | |||||
| Album | Ray of Light | ||||
| Released |  22 February 1998 |
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| Recorded | 1997 | ||||
| Genre | Pop, electronica, techno, ambient | ||||
| Length | 4:29 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||
| Writer | Madonna, William Orbit | ||||
| Producer | Madonna, William Orbit | ||||
| Ray of Light track listing | |||||
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Shanti/Ashtangi is a song by the American singer Madonna. It was released in her 1998 album Ray of Light. It is her first song sung in Sanskrit. It did not achieve widespread popularity around the world like other album tracks such as "Ray of Light" and "The Power of Goodbye" since this song was not commercially released as a single.
It reflects the artist's interest in Indian religions.
[edit] Mantra
The song contains an extract of the following Sanskrit mantra, traditionally used to start the Ashtanga practice:
vande gurūṇāṁ caraṇāravinde saṁdarśitasvātmasukhāvabodhe
niḥ śreyase jāṅ̇galikāyamāne saṁsāra hālāhala mohaśāntyai
ābāhu puruṣākāraṁ śaṅ̇khacakrāsi dhāriṇam
sahasra śirasaṁ śvetam praṇamāmi patañjalim
which is roughly translated into English as:
I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus,
The awakening happiness of ones own self revealed,
Beyond better, acting like the jungle physician,
Pacifying delusion, the poison of samsara.
Taking the form of a man to the shoulders,
Holding a conch, a discus, and a sword,
One thousand heads white,
To Patanjali, I salute.
[edit] Live performance
Madonna performed "Shanti/Ashtangi" in conjunction with the "Ray of Light" song during the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony in 1998.
