Pañcākshara Māhātmya

The Pañcākshara is the five-syllable mantra “Namaḥ Śivāya”, meaning “salutations to Śiva”. When “Oṃ” is placed before it, it is called the shaḍakshara, the six-syllable mantra. The Brahmottara Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa calls it the highest of all japa-yajñas (offerings made by repeating a mantra), the essence of all Vedānta, and the direct means of kaivalya (final liberation) for every human being, whatever their birth, gender or preparation.

Śiva himself made and revealed this mantra out of compassion for beings caught in saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death. Unlike other mantras and practices, the Pañcākshara needs no dīkshā (initiation), homa (fire offering), tarpaṇa (water offering), fixed time or special teaching. It is always pure and open to all. Even one sincere recitation begins the journey to liberation, and even the two syllables “Śi-va” alone are enough to destroy mahāpātakas, the gravest pāpas.

The Supreme Mantra

The Brahmottara Khaṇḍa begins its teachings with a statement about japa (repeating a mantra). Among all yajñas, japa-yajña is the highest. Among all japa, the Pañcākshara, “Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya”, stands alone as the mantra-rāja, the king of all mantras. The great ṛshis call it the śaiva-shaḍakshara, the divine six-syllable mantra of Śiva.

“Just as Tripurāntaka (Śiva, destroyer of the three cities) is the highest of all devatās, so the śaiva-shaḍakshara mantra is the highest of all mantras.”

Śiva is said to ramati in this mantra, that is, to delight and dwell in it. By its very nature the Pañcākshara is Śivamaya, filled with Śiva. It is called the ātma-rūpa, the very self, of all the Upanishads. The great munis who reached the nirāmaya parabrahman, the supreme Brahman free from all ills, reached it through this mantra alone.

Śiva’s Gift of Compassion

The Pañcākshara comes straight from Śiva’s own compassion:

“For the good of living beings (prāṇīs) held in the bonds (pāśa) of saṃsāra, Śiva himself proclaimed the first mantra, ‘Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya’.”

Through the namaskāra (bowing in salutation) inside this mantra, the jīva (the individual soul) reaches aikya (oneness) with Śiva, the Paramātman (supreme Self). This is how it works: the mantra is paramabrahma-maya, full of the supreme Brahman, because the jīva’s salutation to Śiva dissolves the wall that separates them.

Open to All, With No Conditions

The Pañcākshara is different from all other mantras because it asks for nothing beforehand:

“For this mantra there is no need of dīkshā (initiation), homa, saṃskāra (purifying rite), tarpaṇa, fixed kāla (auspicious time) or upadeśa (formal teaching). This mantra is sarvadā śuci, pure at all times.”

Women, śūdras and all people, whatever their varṇa (social class) or āśrama (stage of life), may take up this mantra freely. The text says this without any condition. The Pañcākshara rises above the rules that decide who may use other mantras.

Even the two syllables “Śi-va”, spoken with intent, are enough to destroy mahāpātakas (the gravest pāpas). Those who offer namaskāra with these syllables receive mukti (liberation).

The Mantra as Lamp, Boat and Fire

The teaching uses three strong images for what the Pañcākshara does:

  • A lamp (dīpa) on the path to kaivalya: it lights the way to liberation
  • A boat (naukā) on the ocean of avidyā (ignorance): it carries the jīva across ignorance that has no beginning
  • A forest fire (dāvāgni) for mahāpātakas: it burns away the whole heap of grave pāpas

“One in whose heart this mantra has become clear has no more need of any other mantra, any tīrtha (holy place), any tapas (austerity) or any yajña. Those who never utter this mantra even once, for all their births, wander in the most terrible saṃsāra.”

The Sad-Guru and the Holy Places

Although the Pañcākshara needs no formal initiation, the teaching also praises receiving it through the upadeśa (teaching) of a sad-guru, a true guru, for those who seek this. The guru’s grace brings siddhi (success) more quickly.

The qualities of the sad-guru from whom the mantra is best received:

  • Nirmala (pure), śānta (peaceful), sādhu (virtuous)
  • Mita-bhāshī (a person of few words)
  • Free from kāma (desire) and krodha (anger)
  • Sadācāra (of good conduct), jitendriya (master of the senses)

Holy places (kshetras) where japa of the Pañcākshara gives immediate siddhi:

  • Prayāga
  • Pushkara
  • Kedāra
  • Setubandha
  • Gokarṇa
  • Naimishāraṇya

The Pañcākshara is closely tied to the other great Śiva practices taught in the Brahmottara Khaṇḍa. In the teaching on the Tripuṇḍra (the three lines of sacred ash worn on the forehead), 800 repetitions of the Pañcāksharī (Namaḥ Śivāya) are part of the daily vrata, and the bhasma (sacred ash) is made holy by repeating it. In the Rudrādhyāya Māhātmya, the Pañcākshara is named as the root from which the Rudrādhyāya teaching flows, and the fruit of the Rudrādhyāya is said to equal all Śiva mantras “from the Pañcākshara through seven crore great mantras”. In the Umā-Maheśvara vrata, 800 repetitions of the Pañcāksharī form the heart of each day’s practice.

Sources

  • Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 1