Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra

ॐ त्र्यम्बकम् यजामहे सुगन्धिम् पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ।

Word Meanings:

 

AUM: Absolute reality.

Tryambakam : Trya means three. Ambakam means eyes. Three eyed Lord Shiva.

Yajamahe : We rejoice in meditation on all of this, sing in His praise

Sugandhim: Means fragrance.

Pushtivardhanam: Means that which nourishes all.

Urvarukamiva: Urva means big. Arukam means deadly disease, which are like the death of Wisdom or physical untimely death.

Bandhanan: Means bound down (e.g. bound down to the ignorance and untruth)

Mrityor: Means untruth or physical death

Mukshiya: Means liberation from the cycles of physical, mental, and spiritual death.

Maamritat: Means please give me rejuvenating nectar( Amritam ), so as to have this liberation, like the process of severing the cucumber from the creeping vine without any pain.

The great mantra dedicated to Shiva as Mrityunjaya is found in the Rig Veda. It is called the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra, 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 is a component of the "life-restoring" practice given to the primordial sage Shukra after he had 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.