Mantra · Mahāmṛtyuñjaya
॥ महामृत्युञ्जय मन्त्रः ॥
The Great Death-Conquering Mantra — Lord Shiva's invocation for healing, protection, longevity and liberation.
Rigveda
Source
7.59.12
Reference
Śiva Mṛtyuñjaya
Deity
Yajur · Atharva
Also In
The Mantra
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥
Om Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam
Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyormukṣīya Māmṛtāt
"We worship the Three-Eyed Lord Shiva, fragrant and the nourisher of all beings. May He liberate us from death — as the ripe cucumber falls from its vine — and lead us to immortality."
Chapter I
A prayer to Mṛtyuñjaya Śiva — fragrant, nourishing, beyond death.
| Sanskrit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ॐ (Om) | The primordial sound, Supreme Reality |
| त्र्यम्बकं (Tryambakam) | The Three-Eyed One |
| यजामहे (Yajāmahe) | We worship, we offer our prayers |
| सुगन्धिं (Sugandhim) | Fragrant, sweet-smelling |
| पुष्टिवर्धनम् (Puṣṭivardhanam) | Nourisher of all beings |
| उर्वारुकमिव (Urvārukamiva) | Like a cucumber, like a ripe fruit |
| बन्धनान् (Bandhanān) | From bondage, from attachment |
| मृत्योः (Mṛtyoḥ) | From death |
| मुक्षीय (Mukṣīya) | May I be liberated, may I be freed |
| मामृतात् (Māmṛtāt) | Not from immortality |
Chapter II
The mantra appears in the Rigveda — Mandala 7, Hymn 59, Verse 12, and is repeated in the Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. It is associated with Sage Vashishtha.
The most beloved story is of young Markandeya, destined to die at sixteen. Embracing the Śivalinga, he chanted this mantra with total surrender. When Yama, the lord of death, cast his noose, Shiva burst forth from the linga and granted Markandeya eternal life.
From that day, the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya has been chanted by every seeker who wishes to conquer the fear of death.
Chapter III
Tryambakam — The Three-Eyed Lord
Shiva's two physical eyes and the third eye of wisdom that burns away ignorance.
Sugandhim — The Fragrant One
The divine fragrance of purity, auspiciousness and grace that surrounds the Lord.
Puṣṭivardhanam — The Nourisher
Shiva as the one who sustains and strengthens every living being.
Urvārukamiva Bandhanān
As a ripe cucumber falls naturally from its vine, may we be freed effortlessly from worldly bondage.
Mṛtyormukṣīya Māmṛtāt
A prayer to be released from the grip of death and lead from mortality to immortality.
Chapter IV
Powerful healing vibrations that promote physical and mental well-being.
Traditionally chanted for protection against accidents, disease and untimely death.
Bestows long life, vitality and good health.
At its deepest, frees the soul from the cycle of birth and death.
Brings inner peace, courage and emotional strength in difficult times.
Regular chanting purifies the mind and awakens higher consciousness.
Chapter V
Traditional guidelines for the daily Mṛtyuñjaya jaap — time, direction, posture and rhythm.
Best Time
Brahma Muhurta, evening, or before sleep — also during illness or hardship.
Direction
Sit facing East or North in a comfortable, steady posture.
Count
Traditionally 108 times daily on a rudraksha mala — 11, 21 or 51 if time is short.
Pronunciation
Chant slowly and clearly, every syllable distinct, with full devotion.
Intention
Hold a sincere prayer for healing, protection or spiritual growth.
Sacred Days
Especially powerful on Monday, Maha Shivratri, Shravan, Amavasya and Purnima.
Chapter VI
The mantra is intimate to Shiva in His form as Mṛtyuñjaya — the conqueror of death. Its power is felt most strongly on Maha Shivratri, on every Monday, throughout the holy month of Shravan, and on Amavasya and Purnima.
It is the mantra placed in the hands of the dying and the gravely ill — a living kavach woven from sound itself.
Chapter VII
Three faces of one mantra — healer, protector, liberator.
Chanted at hospital bedsides and in healing rituals for the gravely ill.
A kavach against untimely death, fear and unseen negativity.
Unites bhakti and the longing for liberation — devotion fused with freedom.
Chapter VIII
Chanted in the daily abhisheka rituals of nearly every Shiva temple across India.
Among the most chanted mantras of all for healing, protection and recovery.
Carried worldwide through yoga, kirtan and meditation communities.
The Mahāmṛtyuñjaya is a divine gift of the Vedic tradition — a mantra that invokes the grace of Lord Shiva to shield us from fear, suffering and the grip of death. It reminds us that the body is transient but the Self is eternal, and through devotion the fear of death dissolves into the light of liberation.
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥