Why do we say Shanti 3 times after prayers?

Why do we say “Om Shantih Shantih Shantih” after our prayers, why 3 times - why not 4 or 2? Here’s the tea.

Sanatan Dharma has a simple goal - liberation, or what we call moksha, which is only possible after total detachment from all the good and bad, all the pain and joys of this world.

So when we sit down to do our our sadhana i.e. meditations or chanting or japa or anything else, we’re starting to walk on the path towards that.

But as we get back into the world, there are 3 obstacles or disturbances that might stop us from it, so we say shantih to give us the peace and mental strength to ward off those 3 types of issues.

1. Ādhibhautik Taap - sufferings or problems arising from this physical world, which can be accidents, words or bad actions of other people, disasters caused by man, etc.

2. Ādhidaivika Taap - problems because of uncontrollable natural, supernatural, cosmic forces, like floods and disasters, or maybe because some God is pissed off and having a bad day, so they cause you problems, too

3. Ādhyātmika - pain coming out of your own inner mind, with pain, doubt, anxiety, anger, sadness or jealousy

So the goal is to get protective peace over all these 3 forces.