Prayer for healing: Hindu prarthana for someone unwell
Gentle prayers for healing for someone who is ill or in hospital, the Mahamrityunjaya and Dhanvantari mantras, and how to have your prayer read aloud on air.
A prayer for healing is a few honest words asking that someone be given rest, strength and comfort as they recover. In the Hindu tradition this is a prarthana, often said with a lit diya and followed by a mantra such as the Mahamrityunjaya. Below are short prayers you can say tonight for someone you love, and a way to have your prayer read aloud on Mahakatha Radio.
Prayer and mantras support hope and calm. They walk alongside medical care; please keep with the treatment and advice of the person's doctors.
Prayers for healing
Use the person's name where it says name. Say the words aloud or in your heart, once or many times.
For someone who is ill
Divine Mother, I bring name to you.
Ease their pain and give their body deep rest.
Let each day bring a little more strength,
and let them feel held, whatever comes.
For someone in hospital
Lord, watch over name tonight in that unfamiliar bed.
Guide the hands of the doctors and nurses who care for them.
Calm their fear, and let them sleep.
Bring them home to us when the time is right.
Before surgery or treatment
Today name goes in for treatment.
May the doctors be clear and steady, and the care be gentle.
May name feel no fear, only the love of everyone praying for them.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
For someone with a long illness
Give name patience for the slow days,
and small joys in the middle of hard ones.
Give strength to the family who care for them every day.
Let none of us lose heart.
For yourself, as you heal
I am tired, and I am still here.
Let me be kind to my body as it mends.
Let me accept help, rest without guilt,
and trust that I am cared for.
Mantras for healing
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 one of the mantras families most often chant for someone who is unwell, traditionally for strength and freedom from fear. Mahakatha Radio plays Shiva mantras like this one, day and night. Listen on Mahakatha.
Dhanvantari Japa Mantra
ॐ श्री धन्वंत्रे नमः Om Shree Dhanvantre Namah
"O Lord Dhanvantari, I turn my attention to you to receive your blessings." Dhanvantari is the divine physician of the Ayurvedic tradition, shown holding a pot of amrita. This short mantra is traditionally chanted for well-being. Listen on Mahakatha.
Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niraamayah
"May all beings be happy; may all beings be free from illness." A gentle prayer to close with, holding everyone who is unwell, not only the one you love. Listen on Mahakatha.
How to pray for someone's healing
- Find a quiet moment, morning or evening. Light a diya if you can (see lighting a lamp for a prayer).
- Picture the person as clearly as you can, at ease and smiling.
- Say one of the prayers above in your own words.
- Chant the Mahamrityunjaya 11, 21 or 108 times, or Om Shree Dhanvantre Namah if you prefer something short. A mala helps you keep count.
- End with Sarve Bhavantu, or simply sit quietly for a minute.
If the person is at home, you might play Mahakatha Radio softly in their room. Gentle chanting in the background can make a sickroom feel calmer. If your family has its own custom, follow it.
For mantras to support well-being day to day, see mantras for good health.
Have your prayer read aloud on air
Sometimes it helps to know that others are praying too.
- Have it read aloud on air. Offer a prayer from ₹251 or $7. It is written gently into a short prayer, read aloud during Prayer Requests at 7:00 am or 7:00 pm India time, and followed by a mantra chosen for the person you are praying for. We email you when it airs, so you can listen together, even from a hospital room. Offer a prayer
- Add it to the prayer wall for free. A short line, such as "For Papa, healing after his surgery", goes on the prayer wall, where other listeners can hold it with you.
See how offering a prayer works.
Questions people ask
What is the most powerful prayer for healing?
The most heartfelt one. In the Hindu tradition, the prayer families most often turn to is the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, chanted for someone who is unwell. Pair it with a few words of your own.
How do I pray for healing over someone?
Sit quietly, picture them well and at ease, and say a short prayer in your own words. Then chant a mantra such as the Mahamrityunjaya 11 or 108 times. You can do this beside them or from far away.
What is a good prayer for quick healing?
Ask simply for rest, strength and good care: "May name rest deeply, heal steadily and feel loved." Recovery takes the time it takes; prayer helps the person and family meet each day with calm.
What is a healing prayer that never fails?
No prayer comes with a guarantee, and we would not want to promise one. What prayer reliably gives is comfort, company and courage, for the person who is ill and for those who love them.
How do you say "I am praying for your healing"?
Keep it short and warm: "I am holding you in my prayers every morning." In Hindi: "Main aapke achhe swasthya ke liye prarthana kar raha hoon" (or "rahi hoon").
What does Psalm 41:3 say about healing?
In the Bible, Psalm 41:3 speaks of God sustaining the sick on their sickbed and restoring them. Every tradition has words like these; the Mahamrityunjaya mantra holds a similar hope in the Hindu tradition.