Mantra · Hindu practice
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who nourishes all beings; as the cucumber is freed from its stem, may we be freed from death — not from deathlessness
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्
Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt
The great death-conquering verse, addressed to Rudra. It is recited for healing, for someone seriously ill, and for protection — one of the most-used verses of the Ṛgveda in living practice.
Source: Ṛgveda 7.59.12
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ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्
Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt
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What the words say
Tryambakaṃ, the three-eyed; sugandhiṃ, the fragrant; puṣṭivardhanam, the increaser of nourishment. The image at the centre is agricultural and exact: urvārukam iva bandhanāt, as a ripe cucumber comes away from its stalk — not torn off, but released when ready. Mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt: may I be freed from death, not from immortality.
Where it comes from
Ṛgveda 7.59.12, and also found in the Yajurveda; called the Tryambakam or Mṛtyuñjaya mantra. It belongs to Rudra, the Vedic figure later identified with Śiva, and is central to Śaiva devotional practice.
How it is practised
Recited on a mala, often in large numbers on behalf of someone who is ill, and at Mahāśivarātri. Recitation on another's behalf is a common form of this practice.
References
- Ṛgveda 7.59.12
- Śukla Yajurveda 3.60
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