What sawa lakh means and why that number
Sawa means one and a quarter, so a sawa lakh jaap is 1,25,000 recitations of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, performed with a sankalp and closed with a dashansh havan of 12,500 aahutis. In the North Indian tradition it is treated as the purna — the complete — count of the jaap, the full anushthan as opposed to the protective 11,000 or the intermediate 51,000.
You will see other figures quoted, because the classical texts on purashcharan tie the count to the syllables of a mantra and prescribe larger multiples. In practice, sawa lakh is the count families and pandits mean when they speak of the complete Mahamrityunjay anushthan. The mantra itself and its meaning are in our Mahamrityunjaya Mantra guide.
You will see other figures quoted, because the classical texts on purashcharan tie the count to the syllables of a mantra and prescribe larger multiples. In practice, sawa lakh is the count families and pandits mean when they speak of the complete Mahamrityunjay anushthan. The mantra itself and its meaning are in our Mahamrityunjaya Mantra guide.
Sawa lakh Mahamrityunjay jaap ke fayde
Sawa lakh is the complete count of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, and the shastras and tradition ascribe to it the fullest phal of the jaap:
• Protection in grave illness — long hospitalisation, a life-threatening diagnosis, ICU, or a slow recovery.
• Freedom from akal mrityu (untimely death) and protection during a maraka dasha — a period the kundali reads as dangerous to life or health.
• Protection from accidents and sudden danger, especially where there has been a pattern of them.
• Peace in the heaviest planetary periods — the peak of Shani's sade sati, or Rahu and Ketu periods that coincide with health crises.
• Long life and good health for elders — often done by children for an ageing parent.
• Freedom from the fear of death, and peace of mind for the person and the whole family.
• The grace of Lord Shiva as Mahakal — the conqueror of death — on the person and the household.
The jaap works alongside medical treatment, never in place of it: keep the doctor's course going while the jaap is performed.
• Protection in grave illness — long hospitalisation, a life-threatening diagnosis, ICU, or a slow recovery.
• Freedom from akal mrityu (untimely death) and protection during a maraka dasha — a period the kundali reads as dangerous to life or health.
• Protection from accidents and sudden danger, especially where there has been a pattern of them.
• Peace in the heaviest planetary periods — the peak of Shani's sade sati, or Rahu and Ketu periods that coincide with health crises.
• Long life and good health for elders — often done by children for an ageing parent.
• Freedom from the fear of death, and peace of mind for the person and the whole family.
• The grace of Lord Shiva as Mahakal — the conqueror of death — on the person and the household.
The jaap works alongside medical treatment, never in place of it: keep the doctor's course going while the jaap is performed.
Ghar, mandir or tirtha — where the jaap gives the most phal
Tradition says the phal of a jaap depends not only on the count but on where it is chanted:
• Chanted at home, the jaap gives ek guna — one measure of phal.
• Chanted in a mandir, it gives a hundred times as much.
• Chanted at a tirtha sthan, it gives crores of times as much.
That is why, every year, lakhs of devotees come to have their jaap performed at a tirtha like Ujjain — the nagri of Baba Mahakal, home of the Harsiddhi Shaktipeeth, the birthplace of Mangal, and the city of the moksha-giving Kshipra river. Every sawa lakh jaap booked with us is performed by our pandits in Ujjain, with the sankalp in your own name and gotra.
• Chanted at home, the jaap gives ek guna — one measure of phal.
• Chanted in a mandir, it gives a hundred times as much.
• Chanted at a tirtha sthan, it gives crores of times as much.
That is why, every year, lakhs of devotees come to have their jaap performed at a tirtha like Ujjain — the nagri of Baba Mahakal, home of the Harsiddhi Shaktipeeth, the birthplace of Mangal, and the city of the moksha-giving Kshipra river. Every sawa lakh jaap booked with us is performed by our pandits in Ujjain, with the sankalp in your own name and gotra.
11,000, 51,000 or sawa lakh — which one fits
• 11,000 — the standard protective count. General health, fear and anxiety, a birthday or Sawan jaap, lighter afflictions, and most situations families bring to us. It is what tradition contemplates for most people.
• 51,000 — serious illness, an upcoming major surgery, or a strong dosha in the kundali that is currently active.
• Sawa lakh — life-threatening conditions, a maraka dasha running alongside a health crisis, or where the family has decided the circumstances call for the complete anushthan.
The difference between them is the number of pandits, not a graded strength of blessing. An 11,000 jaap sincerely performed is better than a sawa lakh jaap bought out of fear. If you are unsure, ask our astrologer to read the chart before you choose.
• 51,000 — serious illness, an upcoming major surgery, or a strong dosha in the kundali that is currently active.
• Sawa lakh — life-threatening conditions, a maraka dasha running alongside a health crisis, or where the family has decided the circumstances call for the complete anushthan.
The difference between them is the number of pandits, not a graded strength of blessing. An 11,000 jaap sincerely performed is better than a sawa lakh jaap bought out of fear. If you are unsure, ask our astrologer to read the chart before you choose.
What a sawa lakh jaap should cost and include
Quotes for a sawa lakh Mahamrityunjay Jaap in Ujjain, Trimbakeshwar and Kashi commonly range from about ₹30,000 to ₹60,000. The variation is mostly explained by what is actually included, so compare on these points rather than on the headline number:
• How many pandits, and in how many hours.
• Whether the dashansh havan is included or charged separately.
• Whether samagri and dakshina are included.
• Whether you can watch the full jaap live, and receive the recording.
With us, the sawa lakh jaap is ₹31,000, performed by 35 pandits, including all samagri, the Rudrabhishek, the dashansh havan, live video of the full jaap, the recording and prasad delivered home. The 11,000 count is ₹5,500 and 51,000 is ₹15,000.
• How many pandits, and in how many hours.
• Whether the dashansh havan is included or charged separately.
• Whether samagri and dakshina are included.
• Whether you can watch the full jaap live, and receive the recording.
With us, the sawa lakh jaap is ₹31,000, performed by 35 pandits, including all samagri, the Rudrabhishek, the dashansh havan, live video of the full jaap, the recording and prasad delivered home. The 11,000 count is ₹5,500 and 51,000 is ₹15,000.
How long it takes
One pandit chants about 3,600 jaap in 3–4 hours. Chanting alone, one pandit would need around 35 days to complete sawa lakh. So 35 pandits sit together: 35 × 3,600 = 1,26,000, and the full 1.25 lakh count is completed in just 3–4 hours. With us the sawa lakh jaap by 35 pandits is ₹31,000, everything included. The sankalp comes first, and the dashansh havan, purnahuti and aarti follow once the count is complete — all on the same day.
The full arithmetic, including how long it takes if you chant it yourself, is in Mahamrityunjay Jaap kitne din ka hota hai.
The full arithmetic, including how long it takes if you chant it yourself, is in Mahamrityunjay Jaap kitne din ka hota hai.
Signs you are being upsold
Because sawa lakh is the largest count, it is the one pressed on worried families. Be careful if:
• The recommended count rises as you describe how frightened you are, rather than when the chart is read.
• You are told a smaller count will not work, or that a bad outcome would be your fault for choosing it.
• A sawa lakh jaap is offered in a few hours with only a handful of pandits — at 3,600 per pandit, 3–4 hours needs 35 pandits.
• You cannot watch the jaap or are not told how many pandits are chanting.
Our checklist for verifying an online puja service goes through these in more detail.
• The recommended count rises as you describe how frightened you are, rather than when the chart is read.
• You are told a smaller count will not work, or that a bad outcome would be your fault for choosing it.
• A sawa lakh jaap is offered in a few hours with only a handful of pandits — at 3,600 per pandit, 3–4 hours needs 35 pandits.
• You cannot watch the jaap or are not told how many pandits are chanting.
Our checklist for verifying an online puja service goes through these in more detail.
Booking the sawa lakh jaap
Choose the 1.25 lakh count on our Mahamrityunjay Jaap booking page, pick the start date, and enter the name and gotra of the person the jaap is for — they do not need to be present or able to take part. You will receive the time, the live video of the full jaap, the recording, and prasad at home.
If the jaap is for someone about to undergo an operation, read Mahamrityunjay Jaap before surgery first, so the count is chosen to finish before the date.
If the jaap is for someone about to undergo an operation, read Mahamrityunjay Jaap before surgery first, so the count is chosen to finish before the date.