Rudrashtadhyayi: Adhyaya 6 - Mahachhandas (with the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra)
महच्छन्दस्
The sixth adhyaya of the Rudrashtadhyayi, Mahachhandas, with Soma as its devata. Eight mantras that move from blessings for offspring and household animals to the single most famous mantra in this entire book: the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, given here in a doubled form rarely seen outside this specific text.
Sanskrit
वयꣳ सोमव्रते तव मनस्तनूषु बिभ्रतः। प्रजावन्तः सचेमहि ॥१॥
Transliteration
vayaṃ somavrate tava manas tanūṣu bibhrataḥ | prajāvantaḥ sacemahi ||1||
Translation
May we, blessed with offspring, abide bearing your mind within our own bodies, under the vow of Soma.
Deep Meaning
Adhyaya 6 opens gently, asking that Rudra's own mind be carried within the worshipper's body, under Soma's vow - the devata of this whole chapter.
Sanskrit
ए॒ष ते॑ रु॒द्र भा॒गः सह॑ स्व॒स्रा अम्बि॑कया॒ तꣳ जु॑षस्व॒ स्वाहै॒ष ते॑ रु॒द्र भा॒गऽआखु॑स्ते प॒शुः ॥२॥
Transliteration
eṣa te rudra bhāgaḥ saha svasrā ambikayā taṃ juṣasva svāhaiṣa te rudra bhāga ākhus te paśuḥ ||2||
Translation
This is your portion, O Rudra, together with your sister Ambika; accept it, svaha. This is your portion, O Rudra; the mouse is your animal.
Deep Meaning
Rudra is addressed here together with Ambika, named explicitly as his sister - and given the small, overlooked mouse as his animal, a detail that connects directly to Ganesha's own mouse-vahana in later tradition.
Sanskrit
अव॑ रु॒द्रम॑दीमहि॒ वि्वदे॑ वन्त्र्य॒म्बक॑म्। यथा॒ नो व॑स्यस॒स्कर॒द्यथा॑ नः श्रेयस॒स्कर॒द्यथा॑ नो व्यव॒साय॑या॑त् ॥३॥
Transliteration
ava rudram adīmahi vivade vantryambakam | yathā no vasyasaskarad yathā naḥ śreyasaskarad yathā no vyavasāyayāt ||3||
Translation
We draw near to and praise Rudra, the three-eyed one, in [this] discourse; that he may make us better, that he may bring us excellence, that he may lead us to firm resolve.
Deep Meaning
The famous epithet Tryambaka (three-eyed) appears here, asked specifically to improve the worshipper in three ways - betterment, excellence, and resolve - a short ladder that the Mahamrityunjaya mantra later in this adhyaya expands into its own complete prayer.
Sanskrit
भेष॑जमसि भेष॒जं ग॒वे अश्वा॑य पुरु॒षाय॑ भेष॒जम्। सु॒खं मेषा॑य॒ मेष्यै॑ ॥४॥
Transliteration
bheṣajam asi bheṣajaṃ gave aśvāya puruṣāya bheṣajam | sukhaṃ meṣāya meṣyai ||4||
Translation
You are the medicine - medicine for the cow, for the horse, medicine for man. Comfort for the ram and for the ewe.
Deep Meaning
Rudra's role as physician, already introduced in the Shatarudriya, returns here extended across the whole household - cattle, horses, and the flock are all named as receiving his healing in turn.
Sanskrit
त्र्य॑म्बकं यजामहे सु॒गन्धिं॑ पुष्टि॒वर्ध॑नम्। उ॒र्वा॒रुक॒मिव॒ बन्ध॑नान्मृ॒त्योर्मु॑क्षीय॒ मामृता॑त् ॥ त्र्य॑म्बकं यजामहे सु॒गन्धिं॑ प॒तिवे॑दनम्। उ॒र्वा॒रुक॒मिव॒ बन्ध॑नादि॒तो मु॑क्षीय॒ माम॒तः ॥५॥
Transliteration
tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt | tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ pativedanam | urvārukam iva bandhanād ito mukṣīya māmataḥ ||5||
Translation
We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who nourishes and increases all - like the cucumber freed from its bondage to the vine, may I be freed from death, not from immortality. We worship the three-eyed one, fragrant, who grants the finding of a husband - like the cucumber freed from its bondage, may I be freed from this bond here onward, not from what comes after.
Deep Meaning
The Mahamrityunjaya mantra, the most famous single verse in this entire book - given here, as directly verified against the scan, in an unusual doubled form rarely documented elsewhere: the first line is the universally known version (freedom from death, not from immortality), immediately followed by a second line addressed specifically to unmarried women asking for a husband, which the book's own Hindi commentary explicitly glosses as being for kumarikas (unmarried girls). This second line is a genuine, source-verified nuance to this famous mantra not previously documented in this project.
Sanskrit
ए॒तत्ते॑ रु॒द्रऽव॑सं न॒परो॒ मूज॑वतोऽतीहि। अव॑तत॒ धन्वापि॑नाकाव॒सकृत्ति॑वासा अहिꣳसन्न॒शिवो॑ऽतीहि ॥६॥
Transliteration
etat te rudra avasaṃ na paro mūjavato 'tīhi | avatata dhanvāpinākāvasakṛttivāsā ahiṃsann aśivo 'tīhi ||6||
Translation
This, O Rudra, is your allotted portion; go beyond, not toward Mujavat. Having unstrung your bow and set down your trident, clothed in hide, pass by harmlessly, inauspicious one no longer.
Deep Meaning
Echoing the disarming requests of the Shatarudriya, this mantra again asks the fierce aspect to lay down its weapons and pass by gently, now directing him specifically away from Mount Mujavat, traditionally associated with the source of Soma.
Sanskrit
त्र्यायु॑षं जमद॒ग्नेः कश्य॑पस्य॒ त्र्यायु॑षम्। यद्दे॒वेषु॒ त्र्यायु॑षं त॒न्नोऽअ॑स्तु॒ त्र्यायु॑षम् ॥७॥
Transliteration
tryāyuṣaṃ jamadagneḥ kaśyapasya tryāyuṣam | yad deveṣu tryāyuṣaṃ tan no 'stu tryāyuṣam ||7||
Translation
The threefold lifespan of Jamadagni, the threefold lifespan of Kashyapa; whatever threefold lifespan exists among the gods, may that threefold lifespan be ours.
Deep Meaning
A short, famous verse still recited today for long and complete life, invoking two of the longest-lived sages of tradition and asking that their measure of life - and the gods' own - become the worshipper's.
Sanskrit
शि॒वो नामा॑सि स्व॒धितिः॑ ते॒ऽपि॒तानम॒स्तेऽअ॑स्तु॒ मामा॑हिꣳसीः। निव॑र्तयाम्या॒युषे॒ऽअन्ना॑द्याय प्रज॒ननाय॒ रायस्पोषाय सु॒प्रजा॑स्त्वाय सु॒वीर्या॑य ॥८॥
Transliteration
śivo nāmāsi svadhitiḥ te 'pitā namas te 'stu māmāhiṃsīḥ | nivartayāmy āyuṣe annādyāya prajananāya rāyas poṣāya suprajāstvāya suvīryāya ||8||
Translation
Shiv is your name; your blade is set down. Salutation to you - do not harm me. I turn this back, for long life, for food, for progeny, for the increase of wealth, for good offspring, for valour.
Deep Meaning
The closing mantra of this adhyaya is the traditional mundan (first-tonsure) mantra, still recited at that household rite today - here the "blade" being set aside is literal (a razor), the same disarming logic used throughout this book applied to an ordinary domestic ritual.