sri mrityunjaya mantra

sri mrityunjaya mantra

March 22 2017

 

the sri mrityunjaya mantra (shri-mrityun-jaya) is one of the more potent of the ancient sanskrit mantras. it is considered one of the strongest healing mantras and is a call for enlightenment, and a practice of purifying the karmas of the soul at a deep level. it is also said to be quite beneficial for mental, emotional, and physical health.

it may seem intimidating because of the sanskrit language, but it is not hard to learn.  the mantra itself reads:

 

 

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

 

its loose translation reads:

 

 

We Meditate on the Three-eyed reality
Which permeates and nourishes all like a fragrance.
May we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality,
Even as the cucumber is severed from bondage to the creeper.

 

i strongly feel that the easiest way to learn this mantra is to chant along with amma karunamayi's version because it is a catchy tune and makes the mantra easy to remember once it is learned.  in this version, she chants in a satsang or kirtan version where each line of the mantra is repeated, but it is not necessary to repeat each line of the mantra.  you can listen to amma's version of the sri mrityunjaya mantra here.  she also has a beautiful recording of this mantra where it's just her, which you can purchase and chant along with here.

 

sri mrityunjaya mantra meditation:

  1. sit in a comfortable meditation posture with your eyes closed.
  2. place your hands in your lap, or palms up or down on each knee.
  3. chant the sri mrityunjaya mantra, either silently or aloud, for a set number of times or for a set length of time. one hour is a great length of time for this mantra, but 20 minutes is just as effective.  or you can chant with a mala 108 times.
  4. usually the pace of the chants is even, after the first and last one, which are elongated.
  5. after the last chant, observe how you are feeling for a few moments before opening your eyes. remain in the state of alert calmness for as long as you can after coming out of the meditation.