Trailokyamohana Mantra
Trailokyamohana Mantra · trailokya-mohana mantra, “the mantra of the one who enchants the three worlds”
The Trailokyamohana Mantra is the mantra of Bhagavān Vishṇu as Trailokyamohana, “the one who enchants the three worlds”. Agni Deva teaches it in the Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 307) for the attainment of the caturvarga, the four aims of life: dharma, artha, kāma and moksha. The chapter gives the puraścaraṇa (the preparatory course that makes the mantra siddha), the daily rite with the purifying of the body, the dhyāna of Śrī Mahāvishṇu seated on Garuḍa with Devī Lakshmī on his thigh, the pūjā of his weapons and śaktis, and the japa, homa and tarpaṇa.
By this pūjā the worshipper gains all his desires. One who does japa of the mantra three lakh times and a lakh of homas gains long life, and Śrī Mahāvishṇu, pleased by the japa, abhisheka and homa, grants the fruits he desires. The chapter closes with the mantra of Bhagavān Varāha, which gives long life and a kingdom.
The mantra
ओं श्रीं क्लीं ह्रीं ह्रूं त्रैलोक्य मोहनाय विष्णवे नमः
oṃ śrīṃ klīṃ hrīṃ hrūṃ trailokya mohanāya vishṇave namaḥ
Oṃ śrīṃ klīṃ hrīṃ hrūṃ, namaḥ to Vishṇu, the enchanter of the three worlds.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
The vyāpaka-nyāsa, the placing of the mantra over the whole body, is joined with this mūla-mantra. It runs from oṃ śrīṃ hrīṃ to āgaccha āgaccha namaḥ (“come, come, namaḥ”), as the original gives it.
The puraścaraṇa
- The sādhaka does pūjā, then fifty thousand japa of the mantra, then abhisheka.
- In a fire-pit kindled by the Vedic rule he offers a hundred homas.
- With the mūla-mantra he offers twelve oblations each of curd, ghee, milk, caru (cooked rice) with ghee, and boiled milk.
- He offers a thousand homas of akshata (unbroken rice) with sesame and barley.
- He offers a hundred homas each of the three sweet things, flowers, fruits, curd and samidh (sacred fuel sticks).
- Then he gives the pūrṇāhuti (the full final offering) and eats the rest of the caru with ghee.
- He feeds brāhmaṇas and satisfies the ācārya with dakshiṇā (the fee of the rite). Then the mantra becomes siddha.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
The daily rite
Purifying the body
- After the bath and ācamana (sipping water), the sādhaka enters the hall of the rite in silence, sits in padmāsana and purifies his body by the tāntric method (śarīra-śoshaṇa).
- First, to subdue the rākshasas and bhūtas who cause obstacles, he places Sudarśana in all directions (Sudarśana-nyāsa).
- This Sudarśana is the bīja of the five kleśas (afflictions), smoke-coloured, in the form of a fierce wind. He contemplates that, set at the navel, it drives every pāpa out of his body.
- Then he remembers the fire-bīja “raṃ” in the lotus of the heart. Its flames spread above, below and on every side, and they burn the heap of pāpa to ash.
- Then he contemplates amṛta (nectar) at the head, and floods his body, outside and inside, with streams of amṛta coming down the path of the sushumnā nāḍī.
- With his body made pure, he does three prāṇāyāmas with the mūla-mantra and does śakti-nyāsa, placing his hand on the head, the face, the secret part, the neck, all the directions, the heart, the belly and the whole body.
- He invokes the Paramātmā from the orb of Sūrya, brings him through the brahmarandhra (the opening at the crown) to the lotus of the heart, and, uttering the praṇava, remembers the Paramātmā endowed with every auspicious mark.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
The Trailokyamohana Gāyatrī
trailokyamohanāya vidmahe smarāya dhīmahi tanno vishṇuḥ pracodayāt
We know him as the enchanter of the three worlds; we meditate on him as Smara; may that Vishṇu impel us.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
After the worship of himself, he sprinkles the materials of the rite and the pure vessels, does ātma-pūjā, and worships on the vedi.
The dhyāna of Śrī Mahāvishṇu
On a seat conceived in the form of Kūrma and the others, upon Garutmān (the divine vāhana Garuḍa), Śrī Mahāvishṇu sits in padmāsana. He is beautiful in every limb, with the loveliness and youth fitting his age. His form is full of the rasa of love, his eyes red, his gaze fixed on the face of Devī Lakshmī. He is generous and gentle, adorned with divine garlands, garments and fragrant pastes, with a gentle smile, surrounded by many attendants, bestowing grace on the worlds. He shines with the radiance of a thousand suns. He bears the five arrows; every desire of his is fulfilled. He has eight arms and is surrounded by the divine weapons of the devatās. In his eight hands, in order, he holds the cakra, the śaṅkha, the bow, the sword, the mace, the musala (pestle), the aṅkuśa (goad) and the pāśa (noose).
Devī Lakshmī is seated on his left thigh, embracing him with her hand, a lotus in her left hand. Śrī Hari shines with the Śrīvatsa and the Kaustubha. He wears a garland and yellow garments and bears the cakra and his other weapons.
The sādhaka worships him with āvāhana (invocation) and the other upacāras, and at the end does visarjana (the farewell).
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
The mūrti of Trailokyamohana Śrī Hari is described in the same way in Chapter 49: he rides Garuḍa and has eight arms. In his right hands are the cakra, śaṅkha, musala and aṅkuśa; in his left hands the śaṅkha, the Śārṅga bow, the gadā and the pāśa. On his left is an image of Lakshmī holding a lotus, and on his right an image of Sarasvatī. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 49)
The pūjā of the weapons and the śaktis
- Sudarśana is worshipped with the Sudarśana mantra, which runs from oṃ sudarśana to huṃ phaṭ.
- The conch Pāñcajanya is worshipped with oṃ jalacarāya svāhā (“to the dweller in the waters”), and the sword with khaḍga tīkshṇa chinda, khaḍgāya namaḥ (“sharp sword, cut; namaḥ to the sword”).
- The noose is worshipped with pāśa bandha bandha ākarshaya ākarshaya huṃ phaṭ (“noose, bind, bind, draw, draw”). The musala and the other weapons are worshipped with their own mantras.
- The Bhūtagrāma Gāyatrī is given: bhūtagrāmāya vidmahe caturvidhāya dhīmahi tanno brahmā pracodayāt, “We know him as the multitude of beings; we meditate on the fourfold one; may that Brahmā impel us.”
- Garutmān is worshipped with oṃ pakshirājāya huṃ phaṭ (“to the king of birds”).
- In the pericarp of the lotus the aṅga-devatās (the devatās of the limbs of the mantra) are worshipped, and on the petals, beginning with the east, Lakshmī and the other śaktis.
- At the end comes the pūjā of the śaktis. First Indra and the other dikpālas are worshipped, together with Daṇḍī.
- The colours of the śaktis: Lakshmī and Sarasvatī are yellow; Rati, Prīti and Jayā are white; Kīrti and Kānti are white too; Tushṭi and Pushṭi are dark. All of them are filled with the mood of love.
- Having worshipped the devatās up to Lokeśa, the sādhaka worships Vishṇu for the fulfilment of his wish.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
Japa, homa and tarpaṇa
- With the mantra the sādhaka does japa, homa and abhisheka. By pūjā done in this way he gains all his desires.
- Every day he offers tarpaṇa (offering of water) with this mantra, with water and with the flowers of the sammohanī tree.
- Worshipping Brahmā, Indra, Śrīdevī, Daṇḍī, the bīja-mantra and Trailokyamohana Vishṇu, he does three lakh japa of the mantra and a lakh of homas with lotus flowers, bilva leaves, ghee, rice grains, fragrant sandal and the like, and dūrvā grass.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
The phala
The one who keeps this rite gains long life. Śrī Mahāvishṇu, pleased by the japa, the abhisheka and the homa, grants the fruits he desires. By the pūjā done in this way he gains all his desires, and the mantra is given for the attainment of all four aims of life.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
Among the mantras that cure poison, Agni Deva teaches that the Trailokyamohana mantra, śrīṃ hrīṃ hrūṃ trailokyamohanāya vishṇave namaḥ, also removes poison. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 296)
The Varāha mantra
The chapter closes with the mantra of Bhagavān Varāha, which has five aṅgas (limbs):
ओं नमो भगवते वराहाय भूर्भुवःस्वःपतये भूपतित्वं मे देहि हृदयाय स्वाहा
oṃ namo bhagavate varāhāya bhūrbhuvaḥsvaḥpataye bhūpatitvaṃ me dehi hṛdayāya svāhā
Oṃ, namaḥ to Bhagavān Varāha, lord of Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ; give me lordship of the earth. To the heart, svāhā.
One who does japa of it ten thousand times every day gains long life and a kingdom.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 307
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 49, 296, 307