Once as K.N. Rao was analyzing a friend's chart, he noticed
a planetary combination that was particularly dangerous for
him in the near future. He strongly recommended that he regularly
recite the maha mrityunjaya mantra, the traditional mantra of
protection, over the following weeks. About a month later as
the man was doing a routine inspection in a warehouse, a large
support beam suddenly gave way and about 200 cement bags landed
on top of him! His co-workers were quite certain that he had
been killed beneath that weight. However, when they finally
removed the bags they found that he was not only alive, but
that the only injuries he sustained was a hairline fracture
to his hip!
The mrityunjaya mantra is considered one of the maha mantras
or great Sanskrit mantras because of its potency to give protection
and manifold blessings. Maha mrityunjaya literally means the
great victory over death. It is associated with Shiva, the destroyer
of ignorance, and the liberator from the cycle of death and
rebirth. It is therefore a life giving mantra that not only
protects the physical body and gives health, but purifies the
mind at a deep level.
The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
Om tryambakam yajamahe
sugandhim pushtivardhanam
urvarukamiva bandhanan
mrityor mukshiya mamritat.
"I bow down to that three-eyed Lord Shiva, who is full
of sweet fragrance, who nourishes all living beings. May He
free me from the bondage of samsara and death, just as a ripe
cucumber is separated from the vine. May I be fixed in immortality!" Shiva is said to have three eyes, because he sees the past,
present, and future simultaneously. He is the lord of the three
worlds - physical, astral, and causal. He is also beyond the
three gunas - sattva, rajas, and tamas - or creation, sustenance,
and destruction. As we chant the maha mrityunjaya mantra we
identify with Shiva, develop his attributes, and receive his
blessings.
In the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, sage Parashara
prescribes the maha mrityunjaya mantra as an astrological remedial
measure on at least 24 separate occasions. For instance, in
Chapter 55 verse 52 he says,
"In this critical period, with the recitation (japa) of
mrityunjaya mantra the evil effects will get mellowed down (reduced)
with the blessings of Lord Shiva."
