Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra – Meaning, Benefits & Significance

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Mantra (Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra)

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्॥

Transliteration

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushti-vardhanam

Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityormukshiya Mamritat

Mantra Type	Vedic Mantra — Rigveda 7.59.12
Deity	Lord Shiva (Tryambaka — the Three-Eyed One)
Japa Count	108 times daily / 1,008 or 1,25,000 for Purashcharan

Meaning

We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who is fragrant and who nourishes all beings. Just as a ripe cucumber is released from its vine, may He liberate us from death and grant us immortality.

Word-by-Word Meaning

ॐ (Om) — The primordial cosmic sound / Brahman
त्र्यम्बकम् (Tryambakam) — The three-eyed one (Lord Shiva)
यजामहे (Yajamahe) — We worship / we honor
सुगन्धिम् (Sugandhim) — The fragrant / sweet-smelling one
पुष्टिवर्धनम् (Pushti-vardhanam) — The nourisher; one who strengthens all beings
उर्वारुकमिव (Urvarukamiva) — Like a ripe cucumber (urvaruka)
बन्धनात् (Bandhanan) — From bondage / from the stem
मृत्योः (Mrityoh) — From death
मुक्षीय (Mukshiya) — May I be liberated
मा अमृतात् (Ma Amritat) — Not from immortality (grant me immortality)

Benefits

Considered the most powerful Vedic mantra for conquering death and serious illness
Removes fear of death and grants courage in times of crisis
Used in healing rituals — promotes physical, mental, and spiritual health
Destroys negativity, black magic, and evil influences
Grants moksha (liberation) and frees the soul from the cycle of rebirth
Particularly effective during Abhisheka (ritual bathing of Shivalinga)
Reciting 108 times daily protects from accidental or untimely death
Used in last rites and death ceremonies to ease the soul’s passage

When to Chant

Daily at Brahma Muhurta (pre-dawn). During illness, Mondays, Shivaratri, solar and lunar eclipses. 108 or 1,008 repetitions.

Historical & Scriptural Significance

The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra appears in the Rigveda (7.59.12) and Yajurveda (3.60). It is one of the oldest and most powerful Vedic mantras, in continuous use for over 3,000 years. It is also called the Trayambaka Mantra and the Mritasanjivini Mantra. Ancient texts describe the sage Markandeya as having used this mantra to conquer death itself at the age of 16.