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Shiva mantra: Om Namah Shivaya, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra and more
Four texts carry most Shiva worship: the five-syllable Om Namah Shivaya, the Mahamrityunjaya verse, the Shiva Gayatri and the Karpuragauram shloka sung at the close of aarti. Each is given here in Sanskrit with a readable transliteration, where it comes from and what it says.
Om Namah Shivaya: the Panchakshari mantra
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Source: The words namah shivaya are from the Shri Rudram (Krishna Yajurveda, Taittiriya Samhita 4.5.8.1; also Shukla Yajurveda, Vajasaneyi Samhita 16.41). Om is added in worship.
Meaning: "Salutation to Shiva." The five syllables na-mah-shi-va-ya follow the Om, and Shaiva tradition treats them as the whole of Shiva worship in its shortest form.
When it is chanted: Any time and any day, customarily 108 times on a mala, and above all on Mondays, in the month of Shravan and on Shivratri.
The Mahamrityunjaya mantra
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥
Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhananmrityormukshiya Mamritat
Source: Rigveda 7.59.12, a hymn of Vasishtha; the verse recurs in the Yajurveda (Taittiriya Samhita 1.8.6.2, Vajasaneyi Samhita 3.60). The opening Om is added in recitation.
Meaning: "We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who makes all life flourish. As a ripe cucumber is released from its stalk, may he release us from death, and not from immortality." A prayer to Shiva as Tryambaka for freedom from the fear of death.
When it is chanted: Traditionally recited 108 times, often when someone in the family is unwell or before a long journey. It accompanies medical care and never replaces it.
Shiva Gayatri mantra
ॐ तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे महादेवाय धीमहि ।
तन्नो रुद्रः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Tatpurushaya Vidmahe Mahadevaya Dhimahi
Tanno Rudrah Prachodayat
Source: Mahanarayana Upanishad (Taittiriya Aranyaka, book 10), among its Gayatri-form mantras to the gods.
Meaning: "May we know the Supreme Person; may we meditate on the great god. May Rudra inspire us." One of the Gayatri-form mantras addressed to the gods.
When it is chanted: Often added after Om Namah Shivaya in daily worship.
Karpuragauram: the Shiva aarti shloka
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।
सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥
Karpuragauram Karunavataram Samsarasaram Bhujagendraharam
Sada Vasantam Hridayaravinde Bhavam Bhavanisahitam Namami
Source: A traditional verse sung at aarti; no scriptural source for it could be confirmed.
Meaning: "White as camphor, compassion in form, the essence of the world, wearing the king of serpents as a garland, ever dwelling in the lotus of the heart — I bow to Bhava, together with Bhavani."
When it is chanted: Sung at the end of aarti in most North Indian homes and temples.
How to chant a Shiva mantra
- Keep to one mantra; changing mantras every few days is the commonest way a practice fades.
- Sit at the same time each day, after a bath if you can, facing east or north.
- Chant on a mala of 108 beads — one mala is the customary measure — and turn the mala at the larger meru bead rather than crossing it.
- Say the words clearly, at a pace you can keep; attention matters more than speed.
- The traditional time for Shiva is Monday; any day is fine for a daily practice.
Mantra practice belongs to a tradition of devotion and reflection. It is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial help, and no mantra comes with a promised result.
108 names of Shiva
The traditional list of Shiva's 108 names, each with its transliteration and meaning, numbered as it is recited.
Shiva mantra: common questions
Which Shiva mantra should I start with?
Om Namah Shivaya is where most teachers start: it is short, needs no special occasion and is chanted in every Shaiva tradition. The Mahamrityunjaya mantra is the one families turn to in difficult times.
How many times should a Shiva mantra be chanted?
One mala of 108 is the customary daily measure. Some keep a larger vow, such as eleven malas, or a number completed over forty days; follow your own teacher's or family's practice where it differs.