The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is one of the most potent mantras in the Rigveda (7.59.12), attributed to the sage Vasishtha. It is addressed to Lord Shiva in his aspect as Tryambaka (the three-eyed one) and is used for healing, longevity, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, and protection from untimely death.
Sanskrit:
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्॥
Transliteration:
Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam.
Urvarukamiva Bandhanaan Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritaat.
| Word | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Om | The primordial sound |
| Tryambakam | The three-eyed one (Shiva) |
| Yajamahe | We worship, we adore |
| Sugandhim | The fragrant one (spiritually fragrant) |
| Pushtivardhanam | The one who nourishes and strengthens |
| Urvarukam | A ripe cucumber/melon |
| Iva | Like, as |
| Bandhanaat | From bondage, from the stem |
| Mrityor | From death |
| Mukshiya | Free us, liberate us |
| Maa | Not |
| Amritaat | From immortality |
We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who is fragrant (spiritually) and who nourishes all beings. Just as a ripe cucumber is freed from its bondage (to the vine), may He liberate us from death — and not from immortality.
The key metaphor is the ripe cucumber: when a cucumber is fully ripe, it naturally separates from the vine effortlessly. Similarly, the mantra prays that when the time is right, the soul may be released from the body effortlessly — not through suffering, not prematurely — but naturally, into immortality.
Tryambaka — the three-eyed one — refers to Shiva's three eyes:
- Right eye — the Sun, representing the past
- Left eye — the Moon, representing the future
- Third eye (Ajna) — Fire, representing the eternal present, divine knowledge, and destruction of ignorance
For healing: Chant 108 times daily while visualising golden healing light surrounding the sick person.
For protection: Chant 11 times before travel or dangerous activities.
During illness: Traditional prescription is to chant or have chanted 1,25,000 times (one lakh twenty-five thousand) for serious illness — done as a Maha Mrityunjaya Japa Anushthana over 40 days.
Best time: During Brahma Muhurta (pre-dawn), during illness, and especially on Mondays and Shiva-related days (Mahashivaratri, Pradosh).
Mala: Use rudraksha mala — Shiva's own beads.
Position: Face north or east. Sit in Padmasana or Sukhasana.
This mantra is also called:
- Mrita-Sanjivini mantra — the life-reviving mantra
- Rudra mantra — as it invokes Shiva's fierce-but-merciful aspect Rudra
It is chanted at:
- Vedic fire ceremonies (Yajnas) for health and longevity
- Sickbeds of the seriously ill
- During Sade Sati or difficult Shani/Rahu/Ketu periods
- Before major surgeries
- At the time of death, to ease transition