Sanskrit Tattoos Meaning, Design & Ideas

Sanskrit in a religious context is said to be a sacred and holy language. This language was cultivated primarily for religious reasons and religious services, normally by people who speak another language as their primary form of speech in their daily lives. Sanskrit is a philosophical language of Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism.

It is also a bridge language, or a lingua franca, a dialect that is used as a third language to communicate with one another when both parties speak a different native tongue. This language is a common ground or a third language that is interpretable between those two parties who do not speak the other’s native tongue. This instance of lingua franca was used not just for cultural, religious, diplomatic and administrative convenience, but as a way for people to trade goods. Sanskrit’s unique third party, holy language, was originally developed for the educated people of ancient and medieval India and Nepal.

Sanskrit was even observed as a highly cultured language used in Southeast and Central Asia. Sanskrit eventually stopped being a third language and ended up only being a language that the upper class used, it was also used as a court language in kingdoms of Southeast Asia.

Sanskrit Tattoo Designs

The Sanskrit text holds a lot of spiritual meanings. When getting a Sanskrit tattoo, the text usually spells out names, or what they call ‘power words’. When dealing with Sanskrit tattoos and power words, the words that the text spells out are more than often positive words. Happiness, reliability, truth, and focus are just examples of powerful words. Many Sanskrit tattoos are done in wildly vibrant colors. The patterns on these symbols are so intricate, that they make a very eye-catching and pleasant illusion.

Sanskrit Om Design

Om is a word or more of a sound, that is a spiritual icon of the Hindu religion. It is also popular in Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. This mystical syllable was often hummed and uttered while praying, beginning their day, meditating, or while on journeys. The symbol itself is seen throughout every Hindu temple. This symbol is often seen in the beginning of letters and the head of important hand-written messages. This symbol conveys an understanding of the universe and the honoring of the creation of life.

Karma Sanskrit Design

The karma Sanskrit tattoo design is simply the word ‘karma’ written in Sanskrit. Karma is the idea in Buddhism and Hinduism that the decisions of peoples’ actions in this and past life existences will decide the fate of their future existences. This is a concept that many believe in, whether you are a practitioner of the religion or not, many people believe that if you treat others well, then good things will happen to you.

This also being said, if you treat others poorly or you make poor decisions in your life, the consequences will come back to haunt you. Either in this life or the ‘reincarnated’ life that will be bestowed upon you. Having this symbol inked on your skin is a good reminder to always do right and live life humbled and full of positivity. This symbol looks great with a colorful pattern or even in black ink.

Asha Sanskrit Design

Asha is an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit word meaning wish, desire, and hope. The symbol for Asha is used quite frequently in the Sanskrit language, especially for tattoo purposes. Like many superstitions, Asha is one of those symbols and names that prevents evil from entering the kingdom of God.

Asha represents the qualities of truth, fairness, and justice in the spirit realm. In Zoroastrianism, God created Asha to uphold the creation and establish righteousness. This particular Sanskrit tattoo is most notably seen on the wrist. Other spots include the back of the neck and the back of the shoulder.

Sanskrit Lotus Design

Saints related to the Iscon temple worldwide carry this piece of art on their bodies in the form of a tattoo. The flower lotus is very popular amongst the people of Asia and India. Images with Hindu goddesses are often seen standing on and holding lotus flowers. They say the lotus flower with its beautiful unfolding petals suggests the expansion of the soul.

The lotus grows out of the slosh of mud but sprouts and blossoms into a pretty flower. This flower symbolizes purity and harmony. This Sanskrit design is most often displayed on the back between the shoulder blades and on the wrist.

Phrases in Sanskrit

Not only can Sanskrit tattoos have symbols such as flowers and birds popular Sanskrit tattoo ideas are to get meaningful phrases that hold to the beholder written in the language itself.

Never Broken’ is a phrase written in Sanskrit that reminds the particular person that life has been a struggle and although they have been pushed down, they get back up stronger than before, never letting themselves be defeated.

Live and Die Without Regret’ is another phrase that can be written in Sanskrit. This simply means to live your life to the fullest. It is a reminder to the holder of the tattoo to always take that chance and opportunity you may be dwelling on. After all, when you are near the end of your life, you want to be able to look back and think ‘I’m glad I did that’ rather than ‘I wish I would have done that’.

God is Watching My Back’ phrase holds strong belief to those who are not only spiritual but religious as well. This tattoo indicates that you are protected by a guardian angel of some sort and that God will protect you from harm’s way. This tattoo can bring confidence in an individual when they look at it. Because not many people can read Sanskrit these days since it’s a language that has died out centuries ago, knowing what these characters translate to feels like a kind of secret.

It reminds the individual that they have nothing to fear because somebody such as a God-like figure is protecting them. Since the phrase has ‘watching my back’ within it, a popular place to get this inked on your body is on your back.

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