Aum Namah Sivaya
Encyclopedia
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and particularly in Shaivism
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
.
Its translation is "adoration (namas) to Śiva
Siva
Siva may refer to:*Shiva, a major Hindu God*Živa , a Slavic goddess*A pro-apoptotic signaling protein*1170 Siva, asteroid named after the god*Siva , name of several rural localities in Russia...
", preceded by the mystical syllable "Aum
Aum
Om or Aum Om or Aum Om or Aum (also , written in Devanāgari as and as , in Sanskrit known as (lit. "to sound out loudly"), ', or ' (also as ') (lit. "Auṃ form/syllable"), is a sacred/mystical syllable in the Dharmic or Indian religions, i.e...
".
It is also called Panchakshara, the "five-syllable" mantra (viz., excluding the Aum).
It is part of the Shri Rudram Chamakam
Shri Rudram Chamakam
Sri Rudram , to which the Chamakam is added by scriptural tradition, is a Hindu stotra dedicated to Rudra , taken from the Yajurveda . Shri Rudram is also known as Sri Rudraprasna, , and Rudradhyaya. The text is important in Vedanta where Shiva is equated to the Universal Brahman...
, a Hindu prayer taken from the Black Yajurveda, and thus predates the use of Shiva as a proper name, in the original context being an address to Rudra
Rudra
' is a Rigvedic God, associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "The Roarer", or "The Howler"....
(the later Shiva), where retains its original meaning as an adjective meaning "auspicious, benign, friendly", a euphemistic epithet of Rudra.
Lyrics, Translation, and Interpretation
The Lyrics or text of the strotram given below in English
Nagendraharaya Trilochanaya
Bhasmangaragaya Maheshvaraya
Nityaya Shuddhaya Digambaraya
Tasmai Nakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 1
Mandakini salila chandana charchitaya
Nandishvara pramathanatha Maheshvaraya
Mandarapushpa bahupushhpa supujitaya
Tasmai Makaraya Namah Shivaya .. 2
Shivaya Gauri vadanabjavrunda
Suryaya Dakshadhvara Nashakaya
Shrinilakanthaya Vrushhadhvajaya
Tasmai Shikaraya Namah Shivaya .. 3
Vasishhtha kumbhodbhava gautamarya
Munindra devarchita shekharaya .
Chandrarkavaishvanara lochanaya
Tasmai Vakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 4
Yakshasvarupaya Jatadharaya
Pinakahastaya Sanatanaya
Divyaya Devaya Digambaraya
Tasmai Yakaraya Namah Shivaya .. 5
The lyrics or text of Shiva Panchakshari Mantra Strotra in Hindi or Sanskrit script below
नागेन्द्रहराया त्रिलोचनाय
भास्मंगारागाया महेश्वराय
नित्याय शुद्धाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै नकाराय नमः शिवाय .. १
मन्दाकिनी सलिला चंदना चर्चिताय
नंदिश्वारा प्रमाथानाथा महेश्वराय
मंदारापुश्पा बहुपुश्ह्पा सुपुजिताया
तस्मै मकाराय नमः शिवाय .. २
शिवाय गौरी वादानाब्जवृन्दा
सूर्याय दक्शाध्वारा नशाकाया
श्रीनिलाकंथाया व्रुश्ढ़वाजय
तस्मै शिकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ३
वसिष्ठ कुम्भोद्भावा गौतामार्य
मुनीन्द्र देवार्चिता शेखाराया .
चन्द्रर्कावैश्वनारा लोचानाया
तस्मै वकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ४
यक्शास्वरुपाया जताधाराया
पिनाकहस्ताया सनातनाय
दिव्याय देवाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै यकाराय नमः शिवाय .. ५
Meaning of The Shiva Panchakshari Mantra Strotra
Salutations to Shiva, who wears the king of snakes as a garland, the
three-eyed god, whose body is smeared with ashes, the great lord, the
eternal and pure one, who wears the directions as his garment, and who
is represented by the syllable ``na
I bow to Shiva, who has been worshiped with water from the Ganga
(Mandakini) and anointed with sandalwood paste, the lord of Nandi, the
lord of the host of goblins and ghosts, the great lord, who is worshiped
with Mandara and many other kinds of flowers, and who is represented by
the syllable ``ma.
Salutations to Shiva, who is all-auspiciousness, who is the sun that
causes the lotus face of Gauri (Parvati) to blossom, who is the
destroyer of the yajna of Daksha, whose throat is blue (Nilakantha),
whose flag bears the emblem of the bull, and who is represented by the
syllable ``shi.
Vasishhtha, Agastya, Gautama, and other venerable sages, and Indra and
other gods have worshipped the head of (Shiva's linga). I bow to that
Shiva whose three eyes are the moon, sun and fire, and who is
represented by the syllable ``va.
salutations to Shiva, who bears the form of a Yaksha, who has matted
hair on his head, who bears the Pinaka bow in his hand, the primeval
lord, the brilliant god, who is digambara (naked), and who is
represented by the syllable ``ya.
Interpretation in modern Shaivaism
The meaning of the Namaḥ Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya SubramuniyaswamiSatguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami , also known as Gurudeva by his followers, was born in Oakland, California, on January 5, 1927, and adopted Saivism as a young man. He traveled to India and Sri Lanka where he received initiation from Yogaswami of Jaffna in 1949...
:
The book "The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony: Volume I" by Thomas Ashley-Farrand defines Om Namah Shivaya as:
"Na" refers to the Gross Body (annamayakosa), "Ma" refers to the Pranic Body (pranamayakosa), "Shi" or "Chi" refers to the Mental Body (manonmayakosa), "Va" refers to the Intellectual Body (vignanamayakosa) and "Ya" refers to the Blissful Body (anandamayakosa) and "OM" or the "silence" beyond these syllables refers to the Soul or Life within.