The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is among the most revered of all Vedic mantras — a prayer to Lord Shiva as Tryambaka, the three-eyed one, for health, protection and release from the fear of death. It is found in the Rigveda (7.59.12) and the Yajurveda, and is also called the Mrityunjaya or Tryambakam mantra.
Below is the authentic mantra with a word-by-word meaning, the jaap vidhi, the mala rules and count, the benefits it is chanted for, and why it holds a special place through the month of Sawan.
The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
The authentic Vedic text and its translation
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्। उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्॥
Om tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam, urvārukam-iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya mā-amṛtāt.
Translation
We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva, the fragrant one who nourishes and increases wellbeing. As a ripe cucumber is freed from its vine, may we be freed from death — but not from immortality.
Word-by-word meaning
Each word of the mantra and what it conveys
The mantra is not a plea to escape mortality but a prayer to be released from bondage and fear, and to remain ever united with the deathless. Each word carries part of that prayer:
ॐ
Om
The primordial sound, the essence of the Divine.
त्र्यम्बकम्
tryambakam
The three-eyed one — Lord Shiva.
यजामहे
yajāmahe
We worship, we adore.
सुगन्धिम्
sugandhim
The fragrant one — of pervading, life-giving essence.
पुष्टिवर्धनम्
puṣṭi-vardhanam
The nourisher who increases health and wellbeing.
उर्वारुकम् इव
urvārukam-iva
Like a ripe cucumber (from its stalk).
बन्धनात्
bandhanāt
From bondage — from the vine, i.e. from worldly attachment.
मृत्योः मुक्षीय
mṛtyor mukṣīya
May we be freed from death.
मा अमृतात्
mā-amṛtāt
But not from immortality — never parted from the deathless.
Jaap vidhi
How to chant the mantra, step by step
Prepare & sit
Bathe, wear clean clothes and sit facing east or north on a clean asana before a Shivling or an image of Shiva. Light a ghee lamp.
Take the mala
Hold a rudraksha mala of 108 beads. Turn each bead with the thumb and middle finger; never cross the sumeru (the head bead) — turn the mala around at it.
Chant with meaning
Recite the full mantra once per bead, clearly and without haste, holding its meaning — a prayer to Shiva for health, release from fear and the deathless. One mala is 108 repetitions.
Close with gratitude
On finishing, bow to Shiva, offer water or panchamrit to the Shivling, and pray for the health and long life of all. Keep the mala clean and reserved for this jaap.
The rules of the jaap
Mala count and how to keep the practice
- 1One mala is 108 repetitions; a sankalp of a fixed daily count (one, three or eleven malas) is kept steadily each day.
- 2Chant at a fixed time and place daily — dawn (brahma muhurat) or the pradosh evening is ideal.
- 3Pronounce every word correctly and unhurriedly; the sound and the meaning both matter.
- 4Keep a calm, focused mind; avoid speaking during the jaap and keep the count on the mala, not aloud.
- 5Reserve a clean, undisturbed corner and a dedicated mala; do not let the mala touch the ground.
Benefits of the mantra
What the jaap is kept for
The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is chanted for health and recovery from illness, for long life, and for courage and freedom from the fear of death. Devotees also keep it for protection, for peace of mind, and to pacify graha (planetary) afflictions such as the ashtama Shani or a difficult mahadasha. In the devotional view its truest fruit is not any single outcome but the grace and nearness of Lord Shiva, who is Ashutosh — easily pleased by sincere, steady devotion.
The mantra in Sawan
Why the jaap is prized through Shravan
The whole month of Sawan (Shravan) is dear to Lord Shiva, so every Shiva worship undertaken in it is held especially fruitful. Many devotees keep a daily Mahamrityunjaya jaap through the whole of Sawan — above all on the Mondays, on the Pradosh tithi and on Shivratri — for the health and long life of themselves and their family. A sankalp begun on the first Sawan Monday and carried to the last is a common and cherished practice.
A Sawan sankalp
Time your daily jaap right
The brahma-muhurat dawn and the pradosh evening — the two ideal windows for the jaap — shift with your city's sunrise and sunset. Check today's timings before you sit.
Frequently asked questions
The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, its meaning and jaap