Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Totally Explained

Everything about Tryambakam totally explained

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (maha-mrityun-jaya), also called the Tryambakam Mantra, is a verse of the Yajurveda (TS 1.8.6.i; VS 3.60) addressed to Tryambakam "the three-eyed", identified with the Hindu deity Shiva. It's literal translation is the Great Death-Conquering mantra. It is a mantra that has many names and forms. It is called the Rudra mantra, referring to the furious aspect of Shiva; the Tryambakam mantra, alluding to Shiva's three eyes; and its is sometimes known as the Mrita-Sanjivini mantra because it's a component of the "life-restoring" practice given to the primordial sage Shukra after he'd completed an exhausting period of austerity. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is hailed by the sages as the heart of the Veda. Along with the Gayatri mantra it holds the highest place among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation.

Original Sanskrit:
- Devanagari
- : त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्
- : उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्
- IAST
- :
- :
- Padapatha
- :
- :
- Latin/Roman script
- :Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
- :Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
- :Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
- :Mrityor Mukshiya Maamrtat
- தமிழ்
- :ஓம் த்ரையம்பகம் யஜாமஹே சுகந்திம் புஷ்டிவர்த்தனம்
- :உர்வாரு கமிவ பந்தனாத் ம்ருத்யோர் முக்ஷி யமாம்ருதாத்
Translations
- (Arthur Berriedale Keith, 1914):
- :"To Tryambaka we make offering, The fragrant, increaser of prosperity;
- : Like a cucumber from its stem, From death may I be loosened, not from immortality."

Note: Most translations on the web are extremely flowery, therefore please find below the literal meanings, insofar as they can be readily determined with the help of a Sanskrit grammar and dictionary (for example http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/tamil/):

:tri-ambaka-m (the three-eyed-one, accusative) yaja-mahe (we praise, 1st pl. middle)

:sugandhi-m (the fragrance, acc.) pusti-vardhana-m (prosperity-increaser, acc.)

:urvaruka-m ('cucumber', but urva-aruka 'great injury' has been suggested); iva (-like)

:bandhanat: ('from the binding' or 'from the stem', ablative)

:mRtyos (ablative: from death, or genitive: of death) muksiya (may you liberate) ma ('me' or 'not')

:amritat (from(?) immortality)- there's a parallel formation mṛtyor māmṛtaṃ gamayeti/gamaya iti - 'thus lead me from death to immortality' in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad (1,3.28) with amrita (immortality) in the accusative; having 'amritat' as ablative rather than accusative forces the interpretation of ma as 'not' and leads to the rather stilted translation by Keith given above.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Tryambakam'.

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