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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Refers to the Supreme Infinite Spirit or Person. Om represents the Shabda Brahman. | ||||
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. | ||||
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 | Vasu means "Life in all beings" Devaya means "God". This means God(life/light) who lives of all beings. Other meaning forKrishna 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. |
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] The Sharada Tilaka, a Tantric text, states:
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. 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.[12]