Vedic mantra · महामृत्युञ्जय मन्त्र
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
Rig Veda 7.59.12, also in the Yajur Veda, addressed to Shiva as Tryambaka, the three-eyed one.
Mahamrityunjaya mantra
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्। उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्॥
Om tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushti-vardhanam Urvarukam iva bandhanan mrityor mukshiya mamritat
Meaning: We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who nourishes all. As the ripe cucumber is freed from its stalk, may we be freed from death, and not from immortality.
About the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
The “great death-conquering mantra” is recited for health, protection and peace at times of illness or danger, and at the end of life. Its image is gentle: the ripe fruit that falls from the vine without force.
It is traditionally chanted 108 times, and in times of serious illness families often arrange a longer recitation of 125,000 repetitions by priests.
How to chant
Sit facing east or north after bathing, and chant at a steady pace, aloud or under the breath. A mala of 108 beads keeps the count: one round is one mala. Most people chant one or more malas daily; a full anushthana, the traditional complete course, is a fixed total spread over days or weeks.
Mantras are a devotional practice, kept for peace of mind and as a traditional remedy. They are not a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice. For a planned anushthana, families usually consult a priest, who also checks the pronunciation.