Sapta Chiranjeevi Mantra: Invoking the Seven Immortals for Long Life
Sapta Chiranjeevi Mantra - Sanskrit Text
अश्वत्थामा बलिर्व्यासो हनुमांश्च विभीषणः ।
कृपः परशुरामश्च सप्तैते चिरञ्जीविनः ॥१॥
सप्तैतान् संस्मरेन्नित्यं मार्कण्डेयमथाष्टमम् ।
जीवेद्वर्षशतं सोऽपि सर्वव्याधिविवर्जितः ॥२॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
aśvatthāmā balirvyāso hanumāṃśca vibhīṣaṇaḥ |
kṛpaḥ paraśurāmaśca saptaite ciraṃjīvinaḥ ||1||
saptaitān saṃsmaren nityaṃ mārkaṇḍeyam athāṣṭamam |
jīved varṣaśataṃ so'pi sarvavyādhi-vivarjitaḥ ||2||
Meaning
"Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya and Parashurama - these seven are the immortals (Chiranjivis). Whoever remembers these seven daily, together with Markandeya as the eighth, will live a hundred years, free of all disease." The verse celebrates seven (and, with Markandeya, eight) great beings of Hindu lore who are blessed with extraordinarily long or deathless lives, and offers their remembrance as a blessing for health and longevity.
About this Mantra
This well-known shloka, traced to the Padma Purana, lists the Chiranjivis - "those who live long" or immortals - of Hindu tradition. Each is a figure of profound significance: Ashwatthama, the cursed warrior of the Mahabharata; Bali, the noble demon-king; Vyasa, compiler of the Vedas; Hanuman, the deathless devotee of Rama; Vibhishana, the righteous brother of Ravana; Kripacharya, the eternal teacher; and Parashurama, the warrior-sage avatar of Vishnu. Sage Markandeya, the ever-youthful devotee of Shiva who conquered death, is added as the eighth to be remembered.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
The mantra is recited as a daily prayer for longevity, vitality and freedom from disease. By remembering beings who triumphed over time and death, the devotee invokes their protective blessing for a long, healthy life. It is a short, easily memorised verse, ideal for inclusion in one's morning prayers, and is especially recited for the health of family members, children, and the elderly. Beyond its literal promise, it instils faith, courage and the remembrance of dharma exemplified by these great souls.
Astrological Relevance
Longevity (ayur) in Vedic astrology is read from the 8th house, the lagna and its lord, and the karakas Saturn (Shani, lord of long life and endurance) and the Sun (the soul and vitality). When these are weak or afflicted - or during testing periods such as the Shani dasha or sensitive transits over the 8th house - remedies for health and long life are prescribed. The Sapta Chiranjeevi Mantra functions as such a remedy, invoking the deathless ones for protection of life-force and the warding off of disease (sarva-vyadhi). It pairs naturally with worship of Hanuman (linked to Mars and to fearlessness) for added strength and protection.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Recite the verse after your morning bath, ideally facing east, at the start of your daily prayers. It may be chanted once, or 3, 7 or 11 times with concentration on the well-being and long life of oneself and one's family. Many parents recite it for the protection of their children. No elaborate ritual is required; sincerity and regularity are key.
Best Day & Time
It is suited to daily recitation, especially at dawn (Brahma Muhurta). Tuesdays and Saturdays - associated with Hanuman and with longevity-giving Saturn - are considered particularly fitting for added emphasis on protection and long life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the seven Chiranjivis?
They are Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya and Parashurama - seven beings of Hindu tradition blessed with immortality or extraordinarily long life. Markandeya is often added as a revered eighth.
What benefit does chanting this mantra give?
The verse itself promises a life of a hundred years free from disease to those who remember the immortals daily. It is chanted for longevity, health and protection.
Can I recite it for my family members?
Yes. It is commonly recited for the health and long life of one's children, parents and loved ones, as well as for oneself.
The eight who do not die: why remembering the Chiranjivis matters daily
The Sapta Chiranjeevi Mantra offers something unusual in Hindu devotional practice: a morning invocation that is less a prayer for supernatural intervention than a remembrance - a disciplined calling to mind of eight beings who, by virtue of exceptional merit, divine grace or cosmic function, continue to exist across ages. The seven named in the core mantra - Ashwatthama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya and Parashurama - represent strikingly different paths to immortality, from devotion and cosmic service (Hanuman, Vibhishana) to tapas and divine boon (Bali, Parashurama). Including Markandeya as an eighth brings the sage who conquered death himself into the circle. This diversity is intentional: the mantra encompasses not a single ideal of virtue but the full spectrum of ways in which a human life, lived with sincerity and depth, touches the eternal.
Recited immediately upon waking, before rising from bed, this mantra is traditionally understood to sanctify the mind at the very threshold of the day - aligning thought, intention and action from the first moment of consciousness. In the Jyotish tradition, longevity mantras are particularly recommended as part of the remedy for afflictions to the eighth house and to Ayushkaraka Saturn, and the Chiranjeevi Mantra is considered among the most accessible of these practices. Devotees across traditions recite it simply and daily, believing that the steady contemplation of beings who have transcended ordinary human limitation cultivates in the practitioner a deeper trust in life's ultimate possibilities.