Photo Credit: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL)

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, basks in the sun at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu February 14, 2012. Hindu holy men from Nepaland, India come to this temple to take part in the Shivaratri festival which falls on February 20. This is one of the biggest Hindu festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva and celebrated by devotees all over the world, with holy men smoking marijuana and some smearing their bodies with ashes and praying.

The “OM, SHANTI, OM” graffiti on the wall basically means “Peace to All,” but you may find greater definitions throughout the internet and on the sites linked below. “Om Shanti” is often used as a parting salutation or way of sending one off with well wishes. “Shanti” means “peace,” and so “Om Shanti Om” is similar to the Christian saying, “Peace be with you.”

Om Shanti Mantra:

Links:

• WildMind.org/Mantras
• News Yahoo!/Ancient Hindu Festivals
• Devotion: Meaning of Shanti Mantra
• Yoga.org

Tags: hindu, Lord Shiva, Om, Om Shanti, om shanti om, peace be with you, Shanti, Shivaratri festival