Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya (Sanskrit : ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय, lit. 'I bow to God Vāsudeva'; ⓘ ) 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]
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.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya means "Om, I bow to Lord Vāsudeva or Lord Vishnu". [7]
| Term | Devanagari | Listen | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Om | ॐ | ⓘ | Refers to the Supreme Infinite Spirit or Person. Om represents the Shabda Brahman. |
| Namo | नमो (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 | ⓘ | 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 | ⓘ | Vasu means "Life in all beings" Devaya means "God". This means God(life/light) who lives of all beings. Other meaning for 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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Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevaya means "prostration to Vasudeva", who is variously understood as Krishna an incarnation of Vishnu." [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).
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. [12] The mantra can also be found in the Vishnu Purana .
In the epic Mahabharata , Dhruva chanted this mantra in his penance as ordered by sage Narada. [13]
Hari is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progress.
The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Mahā-mantra, is a 16-word Vaishnava mantra mentioned in the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣad. In the 15th century, it rose to importance in the Bhakti movement following the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This mantra is composed of three Sanskrit names – "Krishna", "Rama", and "Hare".
Vaikuntha, also called Vishnuloka, and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, and his consort, Lakshmi, the supreme goddess.
The Gāyatrī Mantra, also known as the Sāvitri Mantra, is a sacred mantra from the Rig Veda, dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr. It is known as "Mother of the Vedas".
Japa is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions.
The Kali-Santarana Upanishad, also called Kalisantaraṇopaniṣad, is a Sanskrit text. It is a minor Upanishad of Hinduism.
Pranava yoga is meditation on the sacred mantra Om, as outlined in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It is also called Aum yoga and Aum yoga meditation. It is, simply put, fixing the mind on the sound of the mantra "Aum" – the sacred syllable that both symbolizes and embodies Brahman, the Absolute Reality – as the mantra is constantly repeated in unison with the breath. The purpose of pranava yoga is to become free from suffering and limitation.
Vaishnavism is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, Mahavishnu. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas, and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus.
The Shanti Mantras, or Pancha Shanti mantras, are Hindu prayers for peace (shanti) found in the Upanishads. Generally, they are recited at the beginning and end of religious rituals and discourses.
Svayam Bhagavan is a Sanskrit concept in Hinduism, referring to the absolute representation of Bhagavan as a singular deity in a monotheistic framework. The concept is most commonly associated with a male deity, for instance in Hindu sub-movements like Krishnaism and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, in which Krishna is regarded as Svayam Bhagavan.
Vāsudeva, later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna, Krishna-Vāsudeva or simply Krishna, was the son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, king of the Vrishnis in the region of Mathura. He was a leading member of the Vrishni heroes, and may well have been an historical ruler in the region of Mathura.
The Advaita Guru-Paramparā is the traditional lineage (parampara) of divine, Vedic and historical teachers of Advaita Vedanta. It begins with the Daiva-paramparā, the gods; followed by the Ṛṣi-paramparā, the Vedic seers; and then the Mānava-paramparā, with the historical teachers Gaudapada and Adi Shankara, and four of Shankara's pupils. Of the five contemporary acharyas, the heads of the five Advaita mathas, four acharyas trace their lineage to those four pupils and one to Adi Shankara himself.
The Dattatreya Upanishad, also called the Dattatreyopanishad, is a Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is attached to the Atharvaveda, and classified as a text of the Vaishnava sect, which worships the god Vishnu.
Hayagriva Upanishad or Hayagrivopanishad is one of 108 Upanishad, written in Sanskrit language. It is a minor Upanishad, dedicated to Hayagriva – the horse-faced avatar of the god Vishnu. It belongs to the Vaishnava sect, which worships Vishnu, and is associated with the Atharvaveda.
Vasudeva Upanishad (Sanskrit: वासुदेव उपनिषत्, or Vasudevopanishad is one of 108 Upanishadic Hindu texts, written in Sanskrit language. It belongs to the Vaishnava sect, which worships Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, and this late medieval era minor Upanishad is attached to the Samaveda. It is one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads dedicated to Vaishnava sacred marks, including the Urdhva Pundra - the Vaishnava tilaka. It is described in a sermon by Krishna to the sage Narada.
The Narayana Upanishad is one of the minor Upanishads, listed as number 18 in the extended anthology of 108 Upanishads recited by Rama to Hanuman in Hindu literature. It is listed as number 33 in the early 19th-century Henry Thomas Colebrooke anthology. It is written in the Sanskrit language, attached to the Krishna (Black) Yajurveda. It is one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads, and it recommends the bhakti of Narayana (Vishnu).
The Tarasara Upanishad is a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. This Sanskrit text is classified as one of 14 Vaishnava Upanishads, and a Mantra Upanishad. It is one of the 19 Upanishads attached to the Shukla Yajurveda.
Om Namo Narayanaya, also referred to as the Ashtakshara, and the Narayana Mantra, is among the most popular mantras of Hinduism, and the principal mantra of Vaishnavism. It is an invocation addressed to Narayana, the god of preservation, the form of Vishnu who lays in eternal rest beneath the cosmic waters.
A mangalacharana or a mangalashloka is a benedictory verse traditionally featured in the beginning of a Hindu text. Composed in the form of an encomium, a mangalacharana serves both as an invocation and a panegyric to an author's favoured deity, teacher, or patron, intended to induce auspiciousness (maṅgalam). The verse may also be in the form of a divine supplication for the removal of obstacles that might obstruct the completion of the work.
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