Mahakatha Radio

Prayers · Updated 4 October 2026

Prayer for a departed soul: Hindu prayers and mantras

Short Hindu prayers for a departed soul, the mantras families chant (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Mahamrityunjaya, Om Shanti), and how to pray simply at home.

A prayer for a departed soul asks that the person who has died be at peace, and gives the family a way to keep loving them. In Hindu homes it is usually a few heartfelt words in front of a lit diya, followed by a mantra such as Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra or Om Shanti. Below are short prayers you can say tonight, the mantras families traditionally chant, and a simple way to pray at home.

You do not need to know any ritual to pray for someone you have lost. Your love, and their name said gently, is the heart of it. Use the person's name where it says name.

Short prayers for a departed soul

Say these aloud or in your heart, once or many times, in any language.

For a mother or father

name, thank you for my life and for everything you gave me.
May you be at peace now, free of every pain.
Go gently. You are loved, and you are not forgotten.
Om Shanti.

Placing them in God's care

Lord, we place name in your hands.
Let them rest in light and in peace,
free of every burden they carried here.
And give those of us who remain the strength to carry on.

After a long illness

Your pain is over now, name. Rest.
Thank you for your courage in the hard days.
May you be whole and at ease,
and may we remember you as you truly were.

After a sudden loss

We did not get to say goodbye.
So we say it now, with all our love:
may you be at peace, name, and may you feel no fear.
Help us carry what we could not say.

For someone who is dying

Lord, name is near the end of this journey.
Let it be gentle, free of pain and free of fear.
Let them feel our love in the room,
and let them go peacefully, held by you.

If you are sitting with someone in their last days, simply being there matters most: hold their hand, speak softly, and let them hear familiar voices. Many families chant God's name or play gentle mantras in the room, and some place a few drops of Ganga jal and a tulsi leaf on the lips, as their tradition asks. Talk to the care team about comfort; it is part of letting someone go peacefully.

What families traditionally chant

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

"I bow to the One who lives in all beings and all things." This twelve-syllable Vishnu mantra is chanted in many homes in the days after a death, and at shraddha and tarpan, where offerings to the departed are traditionally made through Vishnu. Listen on Mahakatha.

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् | उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान् मृत्योर्मोक्षीय माऽमृतात् || Om Trayambakam Yajaamahe, Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam, Oorvarukamiva Bandhanaan, Mrityor-Mokshiyamaamrutaat

"We worship the three-eyed Shiva, fragrant, who nourishes all beings. As a ripe cucumber is freed from its vine, may we be freed from the bonds of death, and not kept from immortality." From the Rigveda, it is the Shiva mantra families most often chant for a loved one who has died, traditionally as a prayer for their release and for freedom from fear. Mahakatha Radio plays Shiva mantras like this one, day and night. Listen on Mahakatha.

Om Purnamadah

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः Om Purnamadah Purnamidam, Purnat Purnamudachyate, Purnasya Purnamadaya, Purnamevaavashisyate, Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih

"That is whole, this is whole. From wholeness, wholeness comes. Take wholeness from wholeness, and wholeness remains." A quiet reminder, from the Upanishads, that what we love is never truly lost. It is traditionally chanted for calm in times of sorrow. Listen on Mahakatha.

Om Shanti

ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi

"Let there be peace, peace, peace." The simplest prayer of all, said at the end of every other one: peace for the person who has gone, for the family, and for everyone. Listen on Mahakatha.

Many families also chant Ram naam, Hare Krishna or Om Namah Shivaya, or read the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana or the Gurbani. Whatever your family has always done is right.

The first 13 days, and remembering after

In many Hindu families, the days after a death follow a gentle rhythm. A lamp is kept burning, simple daily offerings are made, and in many homes the Gita or the Garuda Purana is read in the evenings. Traditionally it is believed that these days help the soul on its onward journey; for the family, they are a time to grieve together. They usually close around the twelfth or thirteenth day with a prayer meeting (terahvi) and a shared meal. Some communities observe ten days, others fewer; follow your family and your priest.

After that, families remember their loved one at the first death anniversary (barsi), and every year in Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors. Pitru Paksha is happening now, from 26 September to 10 October 2026, ending on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Saturday 10 October. Dates are for New Delhi; tithi timings shift slightly by city. For the mantras and a simple way to offer water to your ancestors, see mantra for tarpan.

How to pray at home, simply

  1. Make a quiet place. A photo of the person, a diya, a few flowers. That is enough. (See lighting a lamp for a prayer.)
  2. Sit and breathe for a minute. Say their name softly.
  3. Speak to them, or to God, in your own words, or use one of the prayers above.
  4. Chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya or the Mahamrityunjaya 11, 21 or 108 times. A mala helps you keep count.
  5. Close with Om Shanti, three times, and sit in silence. Many families also feed someone in need, or give in the person's name.

Morning or evening, every day or once a week: there is no wrong time. If your family has its own custom, follow it.

Grief takes its own time. Prayer and mantras can bring a little calm, but they are not a replacement for a doctor, a counsellor or a friend when you need one. Please reach out if the weight feels too much to carry alone.

Have a prayer in memory read aloud

Sometimes it helps to hear their name spoken with love, and to know others are praying too.

Looking for words to send to a grieving family? See shradhanjali messages. Mahakatha Radio plays mantras day and night, free and without ads: listen live.

Questions people ask

What is the best prayer for a departed soul?

The one you say with your whole heart. A simple one: "Lord, we place name in your hands. Let them rest in light and peace." Many Hindu families follow it with Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya or Om Shanti.

What is the Hindu prayer for the departed soul?

Families most often chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra and Om Shanti, and read the Bhagavad Gita or Garuda Purana in the days after a death. A few words of your own, with a lit diya, are a prayer too.

What is the Shiva mantra for a person who has died?

The Mahamrityunjaya mantra, ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे (Om Trayambakam Yajamahe), is traditionally chanted for a loved one who has passed, as a prayer for their release and peace. Om Namah Shivaya is also often chanted.

What should I say to a departed soul?

Whatever is in your heart: thank you, I am sorry, I miss you, go in peace. Many people speak to their loved one in front of a photo and a diya, then close with Om Shanti.

How do you pray for someone to pass away peacefully?

Ask simply that their passing be gentle, free of pain and fear, and that they feel loved. Sit with them if you can, hold their hand, and chant or play soft mantras. Their comfort, and your presence, matter most.

Can I pray for a departed soul if I don't know the rituals?

Yes. The tradition values sincerity over ritual. Light a lamp, say their name, speak from the heart and chant Om Shanti. That is a complete prayer.

Mahakatha Radio plays sacred mantras all day and all night, free and without ads. Listen live, or offer a prayer for someone you love.

Read next