They were blessed with a smart baby boy, Markendeya, who was fated to die at the age of 12. The parents opted for the first choice and their wish was granted by Lord Shiva. Click to view this stunning marble statue of Shiva killing Yama They can either have an intelligent son with short life, or a son with less intelligence but with a long life. Lord was pleased in their worship and gave the childless parents two options to choose from. Mrikandu rishi and his wife Marudmati, the parents of sage Makendeya, were great devotees of Lord Shiva and they prayed for a son to the Lord. There is a legend which depicts that with the power of this Mahamritunjaya Mantra, Markendaya was protected by Lord Shiva from death. The Mantra was revealed by Sage Markendaya and is considered as the secret mantra that has saved the sage from Yama the Hindu God of Death. The Mantra is also known as Rudra mantra (Rudra is the fiercest form of Lord Shiva) and Mrita-Sanjivini mantra. Since, the Mantra is addressed to Tryambaka (the three-eyed one), it is also known as Tryambakam Mantra. The Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, can be found in the verses of Rig Veda and also recurs in Yajur Veda. This mantra is really powerful and even regarded as a life saving prayer. We workship Lord Shiva to liberate us from death. Lord Shiva releases from death for the sake of immortality, as cucumber detaches is bondage of the vine. He fosters all the creatures of the Universe. The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra as follows: II Om Traymabkam Yajamahe Sugandhinam Pushtivardhanam I Uruvarukamiva Bandhanan Mruyomukshiya Ma Mrutat II Meaning: Lord Shiva is the three eyed god. When courage is blocked, it rises up to overcome obstacles.
This mantra restores health, happiness and brings calmness in the period of death. It is believed that to overcome the fear of death, Lord Shiva himself gave humanity the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. This mantra holds the highest place along with the Gayatri Mantra among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is hailed by the heart of the Veda. Sometimes it is also known as Mrita – Sanjivani Mantra. It is called Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra because it is a great death-conquering mantra. Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra is a great mantra dedicated to Lord Shiva. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra. They are intended to deliver the mind from illusion and material inclinations. Mantras interpreted to be effective as sound (vibration), to the effect that great emphasis is put on correct pronunciation (resulting in an early development of a science phonetics in India). Mantra is a Sanskrit word consisting of the root man – “manas or mind” and the suffix –tra meaning, tool, hence a literal translation would be “mind tool”.