shantih

After the mad jumble of the Fisher King's "fragments," the poem concludes by restating the three commands of the Thunder from the Upanishads: Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata, (give, be compassionate, control). This is followed by the ritual ending of sacred Hindu texts: the word shantih (peace) spoken three times, in order to ward off obstacles on the path to wisdom.

In his Notes, Eliot compares the word to the phrase used by St Paul in his Letter to the Philippians: the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. As he did at the conclusion of The Fire Sermon, he points to how Eastern philosophy can reinvigorate the Western Christian tradition.

The final line of the poem does not have a full stop: there is no definite ending, positive or negative: it is up to us to make what we will of the message of the Thunder.

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