Shri Shiva
पञ्चाक्षरी मन्त्र
Panchakshari Mantra
Krishna Yajurveda — Taittiriya Samhita 4.5.8 (as part of Shri Rudram); universally revered across all Shaiva traditions.
The supreme mantra of Shiva devotion, consisting of five sacred syllables: Na-Ma-Śi-Vā-Ya. Each syllable corresponds to one of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) and to one of Shiva's five cosmic actions (creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment, and liberation). Recitation of this mantra, ideally 108 or 1008 times, is held to purify karma, bestow grace, and lead to liberation.
॥ ॐ ॥
पञ्चाक्षरी मन्त्र — The Five-Syllable Mantra
नमः शिवाय ॥
namaḥ śivāya ||
Namah Shivaya ||
शिव को नमन — पाँच अक्षरों (न-म-शि-वा-य) का पञ्चाक्षर मूल मन्त्र।
Salutation to Shiva. (The five syllables Na-Ma-Śi-Vā-Ya are each identified with one of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space — and with the five actions of Shiva: creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment, and liberation.)
सप्राणव — With Pranava (Om)
ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥
oṃ namaḥ śivāya ||
Om Namah Shivaya ||
ॐ, शिव को नमन — प्रणव सहित पञ्चाक्षर, सर्वाधिक प्रचलित रूप।
Om — salutation to Shiva. The Panchakshari preceded by the Pranava, the form most commonly recited by devotees.
षडक्षरी — The Six-Syllable Form
शिवाय नमः ॥
śivāya namaḥ ||
Shivaya Namah ||
शिव को नमन — नमस्कार व अर्चना में प्रयुक्त षडक्षर रूप।
To Shiva, salutation. An alternative arrangement used in namaskara and archana rites.