Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya (sa|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.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. |
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.[12]
In the epic Mahabharata, Dhruva chanted this mantra in his penance as ordered by sage Narada.[13]