Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevaya in Devanagari

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya (Sanskrit: ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय, lit. 'I bow to God Vāsudeva'; listenⓘ) is one of the most popular mantras in Hinduism and, according to the Bhagavata tradition, the most important mantra in Vaishnavism.[1] It is called the Dvadasakshari Mantra,[2] or simply Dvadasakshari, meaning the "twelve-syllable" mantra, dedicated to Vishnu or Krishna.[3][4]

Origin

Bhagavatism, one of the traditions that was assimilated with what would become Vaishnavism, revered the Vrishni heroes, primary among them being Vāsudeva (Krishna).[5] It may be concluded that the mantra was first associated with the reverence of Vāsudeva as the supreme deity[6] before he was syncretised with Vishnu, after which it became an invocation of both deities.

Vāsudeva (Krishna) dancing on a lotus, Tamil Nadu

Meaning

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya means "Om, I bow to Lord Vāsudeva or Lord Vishnu".[7]

Term Devanagari Listen Meaning
Om
ॐ
 Omⓘ Refers to the Supreme Infinite Spirit or Person. Om represents the Shabda Brahman.
Namo
नमो (namo)
 Namoⓘ Salutation, worship, a common spoken valediction or salutation originating from the Indian subcontinent. 'Namo' नमो is the Sandhi form of 'namas' नमस्, neuter nominative singular.
Bhagavate
भगवते
 Bhagavateⓘ 1. God in Sanskrit, someone who is considered God (or equally powerful, merciful). 'Bhagavate' भगवते is the dative of 'bhagavat' भगवत्.
2. Bhagavate is one who is becoming divine.[8]
Vāsudevāya
वासुदेवाय
 Vāsudevāyaⓘ Vasu means "Life in all beings" Devaya means "God". This means God(life/light) who lives of all beings.

Krishna is also known as Vāsudeva (Krishna), because He was the son of Vasudeva. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna called Krishna by the name Vaasudeva multiple times. 'Vāsudevāya' वासुदेवाय is the dative of 'vāsudeva' वासुदेव.

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Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions

Details

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevaya means "prostration to Vasudeva", who is variously understood as Krishna.[9] The Vaishnava Upanishads state that this mantra is described on the Sudarshana Chakra:[10]

Similarly, in the twelve petals, is placed the Vasudevan (the twelve-syllabled Mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya).

— Vaishnava Upanishads

The Sharada Tilaka, a Tantric text, states:

"Dvadasharno mahamantrah pradhano Vaishnavagame"— The twelve lettered mantra is the chief among vaishnava mantras.

Similarly, this is referred to as the ultimate mantra in the Shrimad Bhagavatam. This twelve syllable mantra[11] is known as a mukti (liberation) mantra, and a spiritual formula for attaining freedom.[citation needed] The mantra can also be found in the Vishnu Purana.[12]

In the epic Mahabharata, Dhruva chanted this mantra in his penance as ordered by sage Narada.[13]

See also

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

References

  1. ^ Farquhar, J. N. (John Nicol) (1920). An outline of the religious literature of India. Cornell University Library. London; New York : H. Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 186.
  2. ^ Benjamin Walker. Hindu World Vol. 2 An Encyclopedic Survey Of Wisdom Benjamin Walker. p. 27.
  3. ^ Prabhakar Balvant Machwe (1983). Bhāratīya Saṃskr̥ti, Volume 1. Bhāratīya Saṃskr̥ti Saṃsada. p. 212.
  4. ^ Edwin F. Bryant (18 June 2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-0-19-972431-4.
  5. ^ Dineschandra Sircar (1971). Studies In The Religious Life Of Ancient and Medieval India by Dineschandra Sircar (1971). p. 19.
  6. ^ Swami Sivananda exclusive books. p. 73.
  7. ^ J. Donald Walters (1 March 2002). The Art and Science of Raja Yoga: Fourteen Steps to Higher Awareness : Based on the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. Crystal Clarity Publishers. pp. 251–. ISBN 978-1-56589-166-1. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya". Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  9. ^ Swami Krishnananda. "The Significance of Mantra-Japa Sadhana". swami-krishnananda.org. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  10. ^ Upanishad Brahmayogin. 108 Upanishads with Sanskrit Commentary of Upanishad Brahma Yogin. Adyar Library.
  11. ^ Alexander Studholme (2002). The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra. SUNY Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-7914-5389-6.
  12. ^ Veda Vyasa. Vishnu Purana English Translation with Sanskrit Text. p. 72.
  13. ^ "Dhruva". Vaniquotes. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  14. ^ "Swami Vivekananda Letters". Vedanta network Boston. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Swami Vivekananda letter the 15th February [1893]". Ramakrishna Vivekananda Info. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  16. ^ "20 Instructions by Swami Sivanananda". Writespirit. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya by Swami Dayananda Saraswati". vedicbooks.net/. Retrieved 4 May 2012.