The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra: Source, Translation and the Cucumber Image

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 19 September 2026

oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam / urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt

We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who increases nourishment; as a cucumber is freed from its stalk, may we be released from death into the deathless.

Source: Rig Veda 7.59.12; also in the Yajur Veda
Tradition: Vedic, addressed to Rudra/Shiva
Traditional use: Recited for protection and for the dying or seriously ill in traditional practice.
Repetition: Commonly 11, 108 or 1,008 repetitions.

In short

The verse is Rig Veda 7.59.12, addressed to Rudra, the deity later identified with Shiva.
*Tryambakam* is usually read as 'three-eyed', though 'of three mothers' is a defensible older reading.
The central image is agricultural: a ripe cucumber detaching from its stalk on its own.
It is traditionally chanted for the seriously ill and the dying — a mantra about release, not about avoiding death.

The verse and its source

This is Rig Veda 7.59.12, also appearing in the Yajur Veda, addressed to Rudra — the Vedic deity whose name and attributes later merge into Shiva. It is often called the Tryambakam mantra after its second word.

The image at the centre

The simile is worth sitting with: urvārukam iva bandhanāt — as a cucumber (or gourd) from its stalk. A ripe fruit separates without being torn. The mantra is not asking to postpone death; it is asking that the separation, when it comes, be as natural as that.

Māmṛtāt — "into the deathless" — is the second half of the request. Release from mortality, not from mortality's schedule.

How it is used

In traditional practice it is recited for the seriously ill, for the dying, and for protection generally. Counts of 11, 108 and 1,008 are all common; longer recitations are often done collectively. A 108-bead mala is the traditional counting tool; see how to use a mala for japa.

What we do not claim

This mantra is widely marketed as a healing or life-extending technology. We make no such claim. Recitation is not treatment, and nothing on this site should be read as a substitute for medical care. What we can say honestly is that this is one of the oldest surviving verses in the tradition, that people have found it steadying at the hardest moments, and that its own request is for a good release rather than a longer one.

Questions & answers

+ Does the Mahamrityunjaya mantra heal illness?

We make no healing claim. Traditionally it is recited for the seriously ill and the dying, and many people find it steadying — that is different from treatment. Follow medical advice for illness.

+ What does tryambakam mean?

Most commonly 'three-eyed', an epithet of Rudra/Shiva. Some scholars prefer 'of three mothers', which is arguably closer to the older Vedic usage. Both readings are in print.

+ How many times is it usually chanted?

11, 108 and 1,008 are the traditional counts. 108 on a mala is the most common personal practice.

Mantra recitation is a contemplative practice, not a treatment for any condition. Nothing here should be read as medical advice.