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Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

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  1. Mantra

    ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय॥

    Om namo bhagavate vaasudevaaya ||

    Word by word: Om, the sacred syllable (pranava); namah (namo), salutation; bhagavate, to the Lord; vasudevaya, to Vasudeva. Meaning: Om, salutation to Lord Vasudeva. ‘Vasudeva’ is a name of Vishnu, and also of Krishna as the son of Vasudeva; in the Vaishnava tradition it is also explained as ‘the Supreme who dwells in all’.

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Meaning, sources and more prayers: sanatanbodh.in/en/prayers/om-namo-bhagavate-vasudevaya/

In short

“Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” is the twelve-syllable mantra of Lord Vishnu, and so it is called the dvadashakshara mantra. In the Bhagavata Purana (4.8.54) the sage Narada gives this mantra to the boy Dhruva and tells him to worship the Lord with it. In the Vaishnava tradition it is chanted on Ekadashi, on Janmashtami and in the worship of Vishnu and Shri Krishna.

On the source: in the eighth chapter of the fourth book of the Bhagavata Purana, Narada tells Dhruva to hear the most secret japa (4.8.53). The next verse (4.8.54) opens with this mantra, and goes on to say that with this mantra one should worship the Lord with various offerings, as suits the place and time. The twelve syllables are counted as: Om, na, mo, bha, ga, va, te, va, su, de, va, ya. Some people add ‘namah’ at the end, but the Bhagavata text is as given above.

Frequently asked questions

Which scripture is this mantra from?

The Bhagavata Purana, 4.8.54. There the sage Narada gives this mantra to the boy Dhruva and tells him to worship the Lord with it.

Why is it called the dvadashakshara (twelve-syllable) mantra?

Because it has twelve syllables: Om, na, mo, bha, ga, va, te, va, su, de, va, ya.

Who is Vasudeva?

‘Vasudeva’ is a name of Lord Vishnu. Shri Krishna, as the son of Vasudeva, is also called Vasudeva, and he is regarded as an avatar of Vishnu. So this mantra is chanted in the worship of both Vishnu and Krishna.

When is it chanted?

By tradition on Ekadashi, on Janmashtami and in the worship of Vishnu or Shri Krishna. Many people chant it 108 times on a tulsi mala; the number is a custom.

Sources

  1. Bhagavata Purana 4.8.53–54 (GRETIL text)
  2. Srimad Bhagavatam 4.8.54 (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust text, vedabase.io)

Something wrong? Report a mistake

Text checked against: gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de, vedabase.io