Table of Contents
The Tryambakam Mantra: Introduction
This mantra also known as the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is a powerful verse from the Rig Veda. Rig Veda is one of the oldest and the earliest Scriptures of the Vedic Pantheon and forms the very basis of Sanatana Dharma. The Tryambakam Mantra goes:
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्। उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्॥
Oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam| urvārukamiva bandhanānmṛtyormukṣīya mā’mṛtāt||
The Meaning of the Mantra is as follows: We meditate on the name of the three-eyed one who is fragrant and nourishing. May Lord Shiva free us from the fear and bondage of death, like a ripe cucumber is effortlessly separated from its vine. May he give immortality upon us.
Decoding the Tryambakam Mantra: A Journey Beyond its Literal Meaning
Now it becomes most important for us to understand the context of the mantra relevant to our age and time. Many times, a mantra does not have a single meaning. The import of any mantra can be abstract and may apply to many contexts and situations. But this does not mean that the mantra shall fit the bill for every context of life we try to apply it.
Looking at the literal meaning or direct interpretation of the mantra, without intuitively applying wisdom, this verse may appear to say that Lord Shiva is fragrant and nourishing which is true, but not the way we may try to interpret with our limited fund of knowledge. It also says that Lord Shiva frees us from fear and bondage of death just like how simply we separate a cucumber from its vine.
Unlocking the Depths of the Tryambakam Mantra: Beyond Mere Chanting
The import of the verse is far-reaching, but we cannot understand that this is the view of the purest scripture, the RigVeda. A person who has attained the purity and heights of being able to consume the RigVeda, will certainly be able to see the Truth of every word of the Tryambakam Mantra. But the question is are we at the level of the statement that is revealed in the mantra?
Some people feel that simply chanting a mantra shall yield results. If that were the case, by continuously chanting the mantra, everyone of us could enlighten ourselves and conquer death. But this is far from reality or practicality.
The Misuse of the Tryambakam Mantra: Unveiling the Need for True Surrender and Guidance
We cannot observe the hidden aspect of a mantra, do not approach a spiritual master and also do not become a student of a scripture or mantra and thus get the required knowledge from an appropriate Guru. Because of this, we become slaves to blind-belief and we contribute every good thing to the mantra safely overlooking the drawbacks of our lifestyle and the utilitarian approach that we adopt towards the Mantra. We attempt to exploit a mantra by trying to use it without an atom of sacrifice.
The Larger question is, how can such an irrational approach work at all? Is Lord Shiva so naïve that he shall just give without looking at the qualification of the chanter? Just by calling Him Bholenath, do we become sadhakas or devotees who have surrendered ourselves to the Mantra and Mantra Guru?
Are we not trying to name big Mantras like the Tryambakam mantra and just creating unnecessary hype, when we are just trying to build expectations, unaware of what the mantra can actually deliver?
Let us study the phenomenon regarding the Tryambakam Mantra.
7/8 Questions from Sanatana Dharma
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Lord Shiva: The Universal Guru and the Path to Immortality
Bhagawan Shiva is the universal Guru also known as Samasthi Guru. He is the Guru Tattva or the principle of Guru. The Mantra says that Bhagawan Shiva is fragrant and nourishing. What is Fragrant? Anything that is innocent, fresh, ever-new and ever evolving is fragrant like the morning breeze, the newly blossomed flower.
This means that Lord Shiva who is the universal Guru is ever new, ever evolved and has infinite lessons to offer, which makes him fragrant. Without a Guru, one can never understand the meaning of immortality. Immortality is the ability to understand and realize that there is nothing like death. The genuine Guru is one who has realized death and Lord Shiva is the Guru of All Gurus, the Smasthi Guru while the individual Guru in flesh and blood is the Vyeshthi Guru, the individualized form of Lord Shiva.
Guru is one who knocks off all areas of ignorance from the deepest crevices of the sadhaka’s mind. When ignorance evaporates, even death disappears. Now one may wonder how death has anything to do with ignorance. We cannot understand that our existence on this planet shows ignorance of a certain level. Our goal of life is to connect with the epitome of knowledge Lord Shiva through the Vyeshthi Guru, the individual Guru. When Sri Guru educates us with the philosophy and the grandeur of Bhagawan, we get closer to the Self, the Universal Self.
Transcending Death Through the Tryambakam Mantra: The Role of Guru and Self-Realization
Lord Shiva connects with us, seeing our commitment to Truth and surrender to Guru. This is when life’s ignorance slowly but steadily knocks itself off. The falsity of power, fame, unbridled wealth, and the six vices—lust, anger, self-pride, envy, illusion, and greed—exposes itself, reflecting the light of deathlessness within.
The negativities of life discussed above represents death, and freedom from these concepts is deathlessness or immortality. People may feel that if we are to remain immortal, the body must exist. Rather, when we are relieved of the bodily identification, what remains is our realization of the spirit, establishing us in the Self.
When a person establishes himself in the Self and detaches from everything worldly, death ceases to exist as a concept, allowing him to enter the domain of unassailability. It is advisable that one chants this mantra only when one has understood the fundamentals of the mantra from an authentic Guru. A person who has the Satsanga of a genuine Guru can only witness the wonders of this transcendental mantra.
How To Chant The Tryambakam Mantra Effectively
There are some fundamental rules for all Mantra Chanting, without which Mantra chanting can become ineffective. It is better to get any mantra from an authentic Guru, for the Mantra to reveal itself.
Returning to the Tryambakam Mantra, one must accept this mantra only through a Guru because there is tremendous depth and power that a sadhaka should develop before he becomes genuinely qualified to chant this mantra. Lord Shiva represents the Ultimate aspect of the material world and one who has the key to the kingdom of immortality.
Unless a sadhaka has qualified oneself through prior spiritual practices to purify his mind under the strict vigilance of a spiritual master, one should not chant this sacred mantra. This mantra is also a Deeksha mantra of certain Shaivite Sampradaya Sects.
A person who has attained the shelter of a Guru should chant this mantra by first purifying one’s body and mind by initially chanting Hari nama and after having taken a bath. It is ideal to chant the mantra between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. A person who has undergone Upanayanam investiture as per the Sanatana Dharma rules can chant this mantra intending to raise the vibration of the society, provided the person has followed his Dharma, has kept himself away from non-vegetarian food, intoxicants and maintained sexual restraint.
The power of the Tryambakam Mantra, rooted in Bhagawan Shiva, manifests only in individuals who diligently follow the Yamas and Niyamas.
Use of Tryambakam Mantra for Healing
A sadhaka blessed and allowed by their spiritual master, may use the mantra for healing. A person not permitted by His Guru to use the mantra for healing others should never attempt it for this purpose. But if granted permission, he can use this Mantra for Healing people.
Usually, one can use a copper, glass full of water and hold one’s palm over the glass and one can chant the Mantra 21 times, 54 times or 108 times. The sadhaka can think of His Guru, Ishta Devata, Bhagawan Shiva and intend cure for the patient who is about to consume the potentized water. He should have faith that the person shall find his way out of the disease. The disease may be health related or relationship related.
The sadhaka has to be extremely humble and pray with his heart to Guru and Bhagawan Shiv. The sadhaka must align his intention in such a way that only those individuals come to him for healing whom the Guru, Ishta Devata, and Bhagawan Shiva have chosen—people who are ready to be released from bad karma.
The Tryambakam Mantra: A Tool for Healing and Spiritual Growth, Not Material Gains
One realizes that all is the play of Karma. Real healing is nothing but the meeting of Good Karma with genuine intention. By Chanting the mantra with the right intention, the right doctor and medication manifests for health-related issues. It is my opinion that the Mantra should not be used to deal with Karma related to job, money etc because these factors do not directly relate to Spiritual Growth.
With proper time the Karmic cycle reverses on its own. One must use the mantra as an elixir to heal relationship scars and health related challenges, because having these issues can cause lifelong impediments in the way of spiritual well-being. Hence one should use this mantra or any other mantra for health improvement and developing a healthy inner environment for sadhana, nothing beyond that.
Key Benefits of Chanting the Tryambakam Mantra
Stress Reduction:
Chanting this mantra, after due initiation can reduce stress levels and we stop worrying unnecessarily about mind-created illusions. The mind normally weaves theories around a certain issue. This becomes the primary source of immense stress. The Tryambakam mantra cuts off the energy supply to the mind that stokes such worries and instead calms the mind.
Protection From Negativity:
A person who is new to chanting the mantra shall see that his negative traits will start disappearing and with conscious living his negativity shall soon take leave. He shall develop positive habits such that his overall energy levels will surge to new heights and his enthusiasm to live in joy shall grow manifold.
Healing Energy:
Anyone who has been practicing, chanting the mantra under a qualified Guru, develops an aura of peace and well-being. Interacting with a practitioner of the Tryambakam effect can be healing and one can seek sound advice from a practitioner of the Mantra.
Spiritual Growth:
The Mrityunjaya Mantra is a direct contact mantra to the Guru Tattva, which helps in tremendous inner awakening. Chanting this mantra under the advice of a potent Guru can awaken hidden energies within our system and enable easy access to higher knowledge. The doors of divine knowledge shall open up and this can reveal secrets of this world and the world beyond, which is the summum bonum of all Vedic Scriptures.
The Mantra can give one an insight into the deepest spiritual meanings of the Sanatana Scriptures elevating one to the level of a spiritual master in the Eyes of Bhagawan. Being a Guru in the eyes of Bhagawan is a revelation, and it is unnecessary for a divine being to express his Divinity outwardly because he has already realized God by the Grace of Guru, Ishta Devata and Bhagawan Shiv. Now it is up to the Guru of All Gurus Sri Bhagawan Bholenath who decides the journey ahead.
Conclusion of How The Mrityunjaya Mantra can be a life changer
Anyone initiated into the Mrityunjaya Mantra shall see that life shifts 180 degrees. The mantra connects with the Guru and one shall develop all the qualities of one’s spiritual master with righteousness and the ability to heal taking precedence.
Many sadhakas perform fire sacrifice with the mantra, which can elevate the consciousness of the surrounding areas. The Tryambakam mantra destroys the inherent ignorance predominant in man. It connects the chanter with Lord Shiva who shall then take over the full responsibility of a sadhaka who depends on Guru and the mantra. This is the power of the Tryambakam Mantra.
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