Sayings Of Lord Siva

THE GLORY OF THE
FIVE-SYALLABLED MANTRA
(NAMAH SIVAYA)

O gentle lady, even in hundreds and crores of years, it is not possible to recount the glory of the five-syllable Mantra.

Men of the Kali age are liberated when their souls are purified by devotion after resorting to my pleasing Mantra of five- syllables.

My five-syllable Mantra affords protection from the fear of worldly existence to those whose minds are inclined towards me although they may be of distorted outlook, greedy, deceitful, ruthless, ungrateful and defiled by unimaginable and inexpressible faults, verbal and physical.

O goddess, often I have promised that in this world even a fallen man may become liberated through this Mantra if he happens to be my devotee.

Yes, surely, if the fallen man, under delusion, were to worship me with other mantras, excluding the five-syllable one, he is sure to fall into hell.

Hence, penances, sacrifices, observances and, holy rites are not equal to even a croreth part of the worship with the five-syllable mantra.

Indeed he who worships me with the five-syllable mantra becomes liberated if he is in bondage.

This Mantra has Siva for its Atman. It consists of few letters but is full of great meaning. It is the essence of the Vedas. It yields liberation. It is undoubtedly proficient in command-ing.

It is the efficacy of the five-syllable Mantra whereby the worlds, the Vedas, the sages, the eternal virtues, the entire universe and the gods stand steady.

At the advent of dissolution when the mobile and immobile beings perish, everything becomes merged in its cause.
O goddess. I am the only one staying there. There is no second anywhere. Then all the Vedas, scriptures, etc. are stationed in the five-syllable Mantra.

It (this Mantra) is eternal as well as the seed of all living beings.

If anyone has retained this Mantra in his heart he has studied the Vedas, he has heard the sacred lore, he has performed everything.

Now I shall mention the form of this great Mantra. The word “Namah” shall be uttered at first. It shall be followed by the word ‘Sivaya’.

It is the goddess, my own expression coining out of my mouth at first.

It is a Mantra that can be easily uttered by the mouth; it achieves all objects; it is the seed of all vidyas; it is the first splendid Mantra.

This Mantra has bearing on the knowledge of the Atman. It is a secret and it is illuminates the understanding of Siva.

This Mantra is not ineffective even if the preceptor does not properly impart it. It is not ineffective even in the case of persons not caring for good conduct and who have not purified the six paths.

O beloved, in the case of this Mantra, the auspicious honor, date, star, day of the week etc. need not be taken into consideration too much. It is ever wakeful, not slumbering.

This great Mantra is never harmful to anyone.

Hence a scholarly devotee shall resort to the five-syllable Mantra eschewing other mantras attended with risks in the matter of authorization.

There is no guarantee that if the other mantras are achieved this Mantra too will be achieved. But if this Mantra is achieved all the other mantras will be achieved.

There is no doubt in this that this Mantra becomes efficacious in the case of a man endowed with devotion to me whatever be his condition. It is not so in the case of other Mantras.

Still this Mantra shall not be used for the trivial benefits or against insignificant opponents. Then alone this is very efficacious.

For the eradication of the sin he shall take bath, repeating the Mantra hundred and eight times.