I had earlier written a post on Gayatri mantra, where in i have detailed in brief about Mrutyunjaya mantra as the Gayatri Mantra is the most revered of Mantras in Sanatana Dharma, Mrutyujaya Mantra comes a close second.
http://jayandivakaran.blogspot.in/2014/09/gayatri-mantra-universal-mantra.html
The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is amongst the finest Mantra's in Indian Mythology and Spirituality belongs to Lord Shiva. It is a combination of three Sanskrit words i.e. "Maha" which means Great , "Mrityun" means Death and "Jaya" means Victory over death. Even known as "Rudra Mantra" or "Trayambakam Mantra". Rudra refers to Lord Shiva.
Urvarukmiv Bandhanat, Mrityurmokshaya Mamratat.
Meaning:
Trayambakam : One who has three eyes. Lord Shiva is the only one who have it.
Yajamahe: One who is prayed or worshipped.
Sugandhim: Good Smell.
Pushti: Prosperous, Fulfilled.
Vardhanam: One who makes happy, prosperous, gives peace of mind and takes care about you.
Urvarukmiv: Like it or no one else.
Bandhanat: Associated or bonding.
Mrityur- From Death.
Mokshaya: Free us or send us heaven.
Ma: Not
Amritat: Immortal.
Over all meaning of the Mantra: We concentrate on the third eye which lies behind the two eyes and this gives us the power to feel you and by this we feel happy,satisfied and peaceful. We know immortality is not possible but some extension can be given to our death by your powers Lord Shiva.
This Mantra has a great utility for those who are suffering from some sever disease or having the fear of sudden death. This mantra has a highest form of energy as it also denotes Gayatri mantra and when it is chanted a person can really feel energy making heavy movements in his body.
A) A person can either chant 108 Mantra's or a Mala daily. 108 is important because it has a great mathematical calculation. 108 is the multiplication sum of 12 and 9. 12 here refers to Zodiac Signs and 9 refers to planets. When a human chants this Mantra for 108 times all his planets and zodiac signs instead or making ups and downs in life come on track and stay calm and because of their changed nature human life settles again.
B) When a person is scared of unnatural death or serious disease he has to get the Pooja done by a priest and the priest later on does a pooja in Lord Shiva temple and chant one hundred thousand mantras to benefit the person who has arranged for the pooja.
Apart from the above two ways if a person lacks time but wants to get the benefit of the Mantra then he must go to Lord Shiva Temple daily and must pour water on Shiv Ling and chant the Mantra for just five times. It would be great if you can also put "Bilva Patra" on the Shiv Ling and the pour the Water. Thats a surety that within 15 days starting from Monday a person will start getting rid of certain mental and physical troubles.
This mantra can be chanted any time day or night even when you are about to sleep and this is very effective too. This is not only for saving life but also a great mantra for concentration and mental peace. A person must concentrate on his third eye position (pineal gland) and chant this and slowly and gradually he will start feeling the positive energy in his third eye.
In the beginning concentrating on the third eye would be painful because you mind will not be able to resist the pain but with practice you can really do it well and lately everything you do will be successful as your third eye will show you everything in advance.
"Om Namah Shivaya
History of Mahamrutyunjaya Mantra
Though the mantra is much older than the Gayatri Mantra, Mrityunjaya mantra was regarded as the most potent mantra by sages and was used in all rituals and ceremonies and still is given high importance by all Shiva Bhakts who meditate on the three eyed lord, however the legend behind this potent mantra goes like this:
Childless, the forest-dwelling sage Mrikandu and his wife, Marudvati, undertook a long penance, hoping to earn merit and the boon of a child. They were rewarded with a vision of Lord Shiva, their ishtadevata (the deity of their hearts). After hearing their request, Lord Shiva told them they could either parent a child who would be a brilliant spiritual light but whose life would be a scant sixteen years, or they could raise a long-lived child who would be witless and self-absorbed.
They chose the child with spiritual virtue, and in time Marudvati gave birth to a boy they named Markandeya. The couple decided not to tell him that he would have a short life span, but as he approached his sixteenth birthday his parents’ growing sadness betrayed them. And when he asked them to explain their sorrow, they told him what Lord Shiva had said. Already an accomplished yogi, Markandeya rededicated himself to his practice.
On the day of his sixteenth birthday Markandeya took refuge in a temple and sat next to a shiva lingam to do his worship and meditation. When the messengers of Lord Yama, the lord of death, arrived to take him away, they found him so absorbed in his prayers, they could not complete their mission.
Returning to Yama, they described their dilemma. So Yama himself traveled to the temple to accomplish the task. He urged Markandeya to follow the natural laws of life and death, and to come willingly, but Markandeya wrapped his arms around the shiva lingam and surrendered himself to its protection. Yama threw his noose to gather Markandeya in, but the noose encircled the lingam as well, and immediately, Shiva, dwelling in the image, split the lingam open and emerged in a rage. Yama had thrown his noose too far, for he had no authority to encircle Shiva himself.
Yama was killed with a blow from Shiva’s foot as the other gods looked on in dismay. Fearing that Yama’s death would upset the order of the universe, they implored Shiva to bring him back to life—and in the end, Shiva complied. But he pointed out that Markandeya’s devotion had protected him, and he was therefore blessed to remain a sixteen-year-old sage eternally. The ancient belief is that the realized soul of Markandeya is still moving in the universe.
Shiva: The Shelter of Kindness
The story of Markandeya opens doors to a vast spiritual heritage with the mysterious figure of Shiva at its core. Shiva is dual-natured. He guards the universal order with ferocious resolve, destroying attachments and freeing his devotees from ignorance. He is the inner controller and the dissolver, bringing compulsive pursuits of passion, and even life itself, to its natural end. This aspect of Shiva is reflected in his ancient name Rudra, “one who howls.” The more familiar name Shiva, on the other hand, means “auspicious, gracious, or kind.” Here compassion is Shiva’s nature. He is a shelter of kindness and the giver of boons. With tenderness and a sure hand, he guides those who aspire to self-realization and he relieves the suffering that exists in the universe.
Shiva personifies pure consciousness. He manifests the universe and exists in it like a net into which every particle and being is woven. Yet he remains unaffected by the world’s charms and temptations as he silently holds all that moves in an unmoving presence. He is the Lord of Yogis, established in meditation.
He has many names. To Markandeya he is Mrityunjaya, the Death Conqueror. And some say it is this aspect of Shiva’s being that Markandeya was worshipping on his sixteenth birthday. But Shiva’s conquest over Yama does not give us the complete picture of Mrityunjaya, for even in his aspect as the ruler of death, Shiva is deeply nurturing as well as fearsome.
The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is one of yoga’s most important mantras. It restores health and happiness and brings calmness in the face of death.
Once the mantra is learned, bring it to mind as you begin your daily meditation, as a kind of invocation to your normal practice. After calming the body and breath, do 3, 11, 21, or even 36 recitations, and allow your mind to become absorbed in the sounds and rhythm of each line. Let the mantra draw your awareness to the heart centre or the eyebrow centre, whichever feels most natural to you, and use that centre as the focal point of your awareness. If you are reciting the mantra to help with a health problem, focus your awareness at the navel centre.
In this respect, Markandeya’s story is allegorical, a reminder to us that the temple of human life is the body; that prayers and acts of worship culminate in meditation; and that the inner lingam which blesses us with immortality is the energy flowing from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Awakening that energy was Markandeya’s act of faith.
Words of another of the ancient sages, Suta, point us in a similar direction and inspire us to begin our own practice. They make a good closing to this article.
O sages of good and holy rites, there is no other lord so merciful as Tryambaka. He is propitiated and delighted easily. Truly, it is just so with the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra. One who is united with it, whatever may be his plight, shall undoubtedly be liberated from attachment, and by meditation he shall become one with the infinite itself.
Om Namo Rudraaya...
Jayan Divakaran
Nice Blog jayan,
ReplyDeleteYou explained the meaning of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and its Benefits of Mahamrityunjaya in very good way. Your blog is so informative and interesting. Thanks!!