By Barbara (Girijananda) Hess, Yogaratna

Gurudevi Nirmalananda chants the Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra on Track 2 of her “Embodied Infinity” album.

This is a chant to Shiva for healing, protection and liberation from death and suffering. It’s often called the “Great Death-Conquering Mantra.”  I have learned experientially that this chant dispels fear.

I am profoundly affected by her continuous chanting of the Sanskrit:

Om tryambakam yajaamahe. Sugandhim pushti-vardhanam.
Urvaaruka-miva bandhanaan. Mrityor muksheeya maamritaat. 

Her English translation is:

Om — I sing your praise, Shiva, the three-eyed lord. You are the
 the Captivating one who is the basis of the world.

I’m overwhelmed by my own limitations, worldliness and pain. Make me free 
from death and fear; grant me the nectar of the knowing of my own immortal essence.

Listening to Gurudevi, I settle into a timeless dimension of wellbeing within. I always chant a few rounds before I teach my Svaroopa^® yoga class or begin a private therapeutic session. Settling inward, I become more present and have greater clarity.

Having recently traveled with Gurudevi to Ganeshpuri, the hometown of her Guru, Baba Muktananda, my husband and I continue monthly online pujas (ceremonies) with a Brahman priest there. He chants 108 repetitions of this mantra. 

Listening to his chanting, I experience a yogic surrender. I merge into the vast spaciousness of Consciousness Itself. When I then return to listening to Gurudevi’s recording of Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra, I begin to melt with the first ring of her chime.

Again and again, I bow to Gurudevi, who gives us so many opportunities to experience Self within.