There are many different yogic mantras. But there are a select few as powerful as the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra.
Lord Shiva is the most powerful deity of the Hindu religion. He is also known as the God of Destruction. Lord Shiva bestows health and longevity upon human life. And there are many ways to worship him.
Chanting Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is considered the most powerful way to worship Lord Shiva.
The mantra aims to ward off evils like jealousy and greed. Chanting it also promotes the longevity of human life. Ideally, it should be chanted 108 times.
Meaning of Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
The full mantra can be found below:
“Aum Trayambakam Yajaamahe
Sungandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaarukamive bandhanaat
Mrityormukshiya maamritaat”
A rough translation of the mantra is below:
“We worship the three-eyed One (Lord Shiva) who is fragrant and who nourishes all beings; may He liberate me from death, for the sake of Immorality, even as the cucumber is severed from its bondage”
Breaking Down the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
The mantra is divided into four lines. Each line contains eight syllables. Translations can vary. But all of them reflect the fact that the sound is more important than the meaning. The resonance of sound attracts the mind. It leads it to an inner experience.
The literal meaning of the mantra is secondary.
Still, it is important to understand the mantra in order to develop faith.
The individual words of the mantra convey a nourishing and life-sustaining quality. It is filled with the sense that a great force of goodness is at work within us. It is supporting our growth and lifting us during troubling times. It helps us to recall the higher aim of the Self, even in our busy lives.
The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is meant to restore health and happiness.
It brings us calmness in the face of death. When our courage or determination gets blocked, this mantra helps us to rise up. We can overcome obstacles. It awakens a healing force in our body and mind.
This mantra is like a plant. It gathers nutrients from the soil. And it heals and nourishes the forces that enter the human body. This may be through foods, medicines, supportive emotions, or encouraging thoughts. Ultimately, it attracts these forces.
It creates an inner environment that enhances their effectiveness. Thus, this mantra can be used whenever any restorative process is being undertaken.
The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra can be recited when you are taking medicines.
It will prepare your body and mind to make the best use of them. It is also said that chanting this mantra regularly will allow you to draw from the infinite reserve of energy.
Practicing daily can also prevent burnout. It opens up channels of healing and allows life to be nourished.
Significance of Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
This mantra is also known as the Triyambaka mantra. It is said that chanting this mantra releases a string of vibrations. It can realign the physical body and ensure the maintenance and restoration of good health.
This mantra was found in a verse from the Rig Vega. It is considered to be the most powerful Shiva Mantra. It can bestow longevity and ward off calamities. Chanting this mantra can prevent untimely death, remove fears, and heal holistically. This eternal mantra is also a part of the Yajurveda.
It is prescribed that chanting this mantra 108 times is ideal. Many chant this using a Rudraksha rosary. This consists of 108 beads to help keep count.
The numbers 1, 0, and 8 are deeply significant. They signify oneness, nothingness, and everything respectively. Together, they depict the ultimate reality of the universe.
The number 108 reminds us that the universe is one, empty, and infinite all at once.
There is also a Vedic mathematical explanation of the number 108. It associates it with the distance of the Sun to the Earth. And the distance from the Earth to the Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Sun and Moon respectively.
There are also 108 Upanishads in the Hindu line of faith.
Therefore, chanting this mantra 108 times surrounds your system with protection. You are cocooned by Shiva’s energy.
Benefits of Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
#1. The mantra helps to regenerate the physical, mental, and emotional state.
This mantra addresses Lord Shiva. It seeks His blessing to promote longevity. Chanting it can also prevent you and your loved ones from an untimely death.
#2. It can help the health of a sick person.
Try sitting next to a sick or ill patient. Chant this mantra 108 times. Seek Lord Shiva’s blessing for this person’s health and wellbeing. It is believed that chanting this mantra can produce vibrations.
These vibrations ward off evil, realign the physical body, and restore good health.
#3. It realigns your physical, mental, and emotional state.
The best way to chant this mantra includes applying holy ash and filling a glass of water. Ideally, you will also be sitting facing east. Make sure to close the top of the glass with the palm of your right hand. Then chant this mantra 108 times.
Once you are done, you can spray the water in your house. Or, you can give it to others in the house for drinking.
#4. One can conquer all of one’s evils
The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra wards off evils like jealousy, anger, and greed. Chanting regularly can help battle illnesses, accidents, calamities, and unexplained situations.
Lord Shiva will also create a protective shield around you.
This will keep you away from sudden death and bestow you with health, wealth, and peace.
#5. It can help bad sleepers with bad dreams.
Try chanting this mantra before bed or at the beginning of the day. This will put your mind at ease. It will also help those experience undisturbed sleep.
#6. It helps the human body connect with the inner Self.
This mantra can provide spiritual upliftment. It is so powerful and significant for this reason. It helps us connect with the deeper parts of our souls.
How to Use This Healing Mantra
Make the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra a part of your daily routine. There are no restrictions as to who may learn and practice this mantra. It is also not necessary to embrace the mythology behind it. Instead, it is enough to approach the mantra with respect.
The first step is to learn how to recite the mantra correctly.
It may appear long, but it is only thirty syllables. Start with a slow repetition of the mantra. Combine it with the meaning of the individual words. This should help with memorization.
Once you have learned the mantra, bring it to your mind as you begin your daily meditation. Calm your body by breathing deeply. Then recite the mantra, 3, 11, 21, or 36 times to begin.
Allow your mind to become absorbed in the sounds and rhythms of each line. Let this mantra draw awareness to your heart center or eyebrow center. This either center as a focal point for your awareness.
If you would like to address health problems through this mantra, focus your awareness on your navel center.
Over time, you may wish to do more repetitions. You might be going through a period of poor health or low energy. Maybe you are seeking a deeper sense of security or confidence. Or maybe you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the events in your life.
Give in to the nurturing quality of this mantra.
It will transform your human mind and heart. Just as the forces of light, water, and soil, this mantra can help you grow. It magnifies the qualities of personality that give life purpose and meaning.
Additionally, use mala to keep track of your practice.
Mala is a string of 108 beads. Treat one complete mala as 100 repetitions of this mantra. A fulfilling practice is completing 8,000 repetitions in 40 days. This can be accomplished by doing one mala in the morning and one in the evening.
Final Thoughts
There are many different reasons for taking up this practice. Chanting Maha Mrityunjaya can enhance your life or assist the transition into death.
Ultimately, this mantra is a means for self-realization.
The consciousness it inspires is very deep. It taps into the unending consciousness of the indwelling Self.
While reciting this mantra, remember that the body is the temple of human life.
Your prayers and acts of worship culminate in meditation. And the inner lingam that blesses us with immortality is the energy that flows from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
Awaken this energy. Tap into that consciousness. And nourish your mind, body, and soul through this mantra.
Namaste.
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