Maha Mrityunjaya

Om triyambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam urvarukamiva bandhanan mrrityormokshiya mamrritat We worship Shiva - The three-eyed (triyambakam) Lord (yajamahe), who is fragrant (sugandhim), nourishes (pushti) and grows (vardhanam) all beings. As the ripened cucumber (urvarukamiva) is liberated (bandhanan) from its bondage to the creeper when it fully ripens, may He liberate us (mokshiya) from death (mrityor), for the sake of immortality (mamrritat). When we pray to Lord Shiva, we are in essence asking for his blessings and assistance in opening our third eye of spiritual wisdom. The natural consequence of this awakening is that we will be lead towards spiritual liberation or moksha, and attain freedom from the cycles of death and rebirth. The goal of chanting this mantra is to spiritually ripen so that Lord Shiva can free us from all bondages. The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra is hailed by the sages as the heart of the Rigveda. It is a great death conquering mantra, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shiva is the God of death. It is said those who worship Shiva, untimely death can never come to them. It is also believed that to overcome the fear of death, Lord Shiva himself gave humanity the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra. This mantra has many names and forms. It is also called the Rudra Mantra, referring to the furious aspect of Shiva; the Tryambakam Mantra, alluding to Shiva's three eyes. This mantra restores health, happiness and brings calmness at the time of death. The mantra should ideally be repeated 108 times, twice daily, at dawn and at dusk.