महामृत्युञ्जयmahā-mṛtyuñjaya · great conqueror of death
The Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra, the great victory over death
3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026
In short
The Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra is Ṛgveda 7.59.12, also found in the Yajurveda: tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Our translation: we worship the Three-Eyed One, fragrant, who makes us thrive; like a cucumber from its stem, may I be released from death, not from immortality.
Of all Vedic verses, this is the one chanted at the bedside of the sick, in Śiva temples at dawn, and by families in times of fear. Its image comes from the vegetable garden: a cucumber so ripe that it comes away from the vine by itself.
The text
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् । उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥
oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam | urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt ||
Om. We worship the Three-Eyed One, the fragrant, who makes us thrive. Like a cucumber from its stem, may I be released from death, not from immortality.
Word by word
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tryambakam | the Three-Eyed One (Rudra-Śiva); the older sense may be "having three mothers" |
| yajāmahe | we worship, we offer to |
| sugandhim | fragrant |
| puṣṭi-vardhanam | who increases nourishment, growth, prosperity |
| urvārukam | a cucumber, a gourd |
| iva | like |
| bandhanāt | from its bond, from its stem |
| mṛtyoḥ | from death |
| mukṣīya | may I be released |
| mā | not |
| amṛtāt | from immortality (mā amṛtāt merges into māmṛtāt) |
From the texts
Ralph T. H. Griffith's public-domain translation (The Hymns of the Rigveda, 1897) reads: "Tryambaka we worship, sweet augmenter of prosperity. As from its stem the cucumber, so may I be released from death, not reft of immortality." His note explains that Tryambaka is a name of Rudra.
The image of the ripe cucumber
The verse does not ask to escape death by force, nor to be cut off from life. When a gourd is ripe, it detaches from the vine without tearing. The prayer asks for that kind of release: to be freed from death the way ripe fruit leaves its stem, without being separated from what does not die. This is why the verse is recited both for the sick, as a prayer for life, and for the dying, as a prayer for a peaceful passage.
Where the verse comes from
In the Ṛgveda. It is the twelfth verse of hymn 59 of the seventh book, the book traditionally attributed to the seer Vasiṣṭha. The hymn mostly addresses the Maruts, the storm gods, sons of Rudra; this last verse turns to Rudra himself under the name Tryambaka. Aufrecht's text on GRETIL reads tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhim puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt.
In the Yajurveda. The verse appears in the Black Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā 1.8.6) and in the White Yajurveda (Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā 3.60), in ritual offerings to Tryambaka. The White Yajurveda adds a second couplet on the same pattern, in which the worshipper asks to be released "from here, not from there" (ito mukṣīya māmutaḥ).
The name. "Mahāmṛtyuñjaya", the great conqueror of death, is a later name given by the Śaiva tradition, which made Śiva the conqueror of death. The verse itself names Tryambaka.
How to pronounce it
"Tryam-ba-kam ya-jaa-ma-he su-gan-dhim push-ti-var-dha-nam / ur-vaa-ru-ka-mi-va ban-dha-naan mri-tyor muk-shee-ya maa-mri-taat."
- tryam is one syllable: the y glides straight after the r. "Tra-yam-ba-kam" is a common mistake.
- ṣ in puṣṭi and kṣ in mukṣīya are "sh" sounds.
- ṛ in mṛtyor, amṛtāt is a short vowel close to "ri".
- The long vowels (yajāmahe, urvārukam, mukṣīya, māmṛtāt) take twice the time of the short ones.
When and how it is chanted
The tradition associates it with Śiva: it is chanted in temples, during Mahāśivarātri, on Mondays, Śiva's day, and in rites for health and long life. Families chant it together when someone is ill; priests may be engaged to chant it a very large number of times.
- Sit facing east or before an image of Śiva, spine upright.
- Recite once slowly, recalling the image of the ripe cucumber.
- Continue for 11 or 108 repetitions, counting on a japa mala.
- End in silence, or with oṃ namaḥ śivāya (the five-syllable mantra).
The verse is public: it is printed, sung and broadcast all over India. In some Śaiva lineages it is also given formally by a teacher with particular instructions. The method of repetition is on the page mantra meditation and japa; the other great Vedic mantra, the Gāyatrī, has its own page, and the overview of Sanskrit mantras places both in context.
Questions people ask
What is the Mahamrityunjaya mantra for?
Tradition chants it in times of illness, danger and death, and in Śiva worship. It asks for release from death as a ripe fruit leaves its stem; it is a prayer, not a medical treatment.
How many times should it be chanted?
Traditionally 108 times with a mala, or in sets of 11. Some rites prescribe much larger counts, performed by priests.
Can anyone chant the Mahamrityunjaya mantra?
It is widely chanted in public, in temples and homes. In some Śaiva lineages a teacher gives it with specific instructions.
Who is Tryambaka?
A name of Rudra-Śiva. Tradition reads it as the Three-Eyed One; the older sense may be the one with three mothers. Both readings are found in the commentaries.
Sources
- Ṛgveda-Saṃhitā, ed. Aufrecht (1877), Sanskrit text, verse 7.59.12 (GRETIL) checked October 16, 2026
- Ralph T. H. Griffith, The Hymns of the Rigveda, vol. 2, 2nd edition (Benares, 1897), Internet Archive checked October 16, 2026
- Taittirīya Saṃhitā (Black Yajurveda) 1.8.6, Sanskrit text (TITUS, Frankfurt) checked October 16, 2026
- Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā (White Yajurveda) 3.60, Sanskrit text (TITUS, Frankfurt) checked October 16, 2026