“Wear rudraksha beads, repeat the Panchakshara, let your heart grow soft and melt. Chant the letters five, and in love you will discover Siva’s will. Chant so that impurities, anxieties and doubts are destroyed.” These are what some pious holy priests had said to our equally pious ancestors.

This is what will be said on the regular religious program on TV during advertisements on channels such as Aastha or Aaj Tak. This is what will be encouraged on the minds of ascetics for them to achieve  inner solace and enlightenment. This is what will be the general and common preaching of any Shaivite or devotee of Lord Shiva.

Let’s chant the holy words of devotion, Om Namah Shivaya.

This mantra is said to be the heart of all the Vedas and Tantras. Om Namah Shivaya is found, quite literally,in the middle of the Vedas, in the Rudram. In the Agamas its meaning is elaborated upon.

Natchintanai says that,

“Namah Shivaya is in truth both Agama and Veda. Namah Shivaya represents all mantras and Tantras. Namah Shivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions. Namah Shivaya has becomeour sure protection.”

It is difficult to give a clear meaning to the mantra. The easy exposition of it would be “Om, I bow to Shiva”. But this interpretation does not do it justice. Shiva means Auspicious, so it could be said that the Om Namah Shivaya mantra means bowing to the auspiciousness. Shiva however should be understood in the fuller context, and not in the overly simplistic picture that is typically given in books and websites as a god of destruction.

In Shaivism and other Hindu systems, Shiva is the formless transcendental Being (often called Paramashiva), the Divine source. This is the source that rests in each and everyone. It is not a god seperate from yourself, it is the core being of yourself. Nothing external or separate from you, rather it is your heart of hearts. More important than the literal translated meaning of this mantra is it’s sound, it’s vibration. Just as with all mantras the sound of it is more important than its literal meaning. This mantra is also known as the five syllabled mantra – Panchakshari Mantra, for it consists of five syllables, Na – Ma – Shi – Va – Ya. The start of the mantra, Om, does constitute as a syllable because it is the Mahabija, the great seed from which all other mantras and sounds arose. The syllables within the mantra are said to have a range of meanings and attributes.

Let’s view the words of another holy priest about the Om Namah Shivaya mantra. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami writes that,

‘Na is the Lord’s concealing grace, Ma is the world, Shi stands for Siva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul.’ He continues,elaborating,that,”the five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na is earth, Ma is water, Shi is fire, Va is air, and Ya is ether, or akāsa. Many are its meanings.”

Paramahamsa Muktananda also eloquently explains this point and tells of how the Om Namah Shivaya mantra benefits ones mind and spiritual path, he speaks of the nadi’s, the channels of pranas and the purity of mind. Repeating this mantra rids the mind of tamas and rajas, making it suitable for lofty spiritual experience.

Paramahamsa Muktanandaji has said the following words in relation to the Om Namah Shivaya mantra:-

“Underlying this mantra is a great secret. As we chant the five syllables Namah Shivaya, the five elements that comprise the body are purified. Each of the syllables corresponds to one of these elements: the syllable na to the earth element, the syllable ma to the water element, the syllable shi to the fire element, the syllable va to the air element, and the syllable ya to the ether element. Each syllable purifies its corresponding element. As long as the body and the mind are not completely pure, we cannot fully benefit from our spiritual practice. Therefore, we repeat Om Namah Shivaya to help cleanse them.”

In a certain Yoga Magazine, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati has expounded somewhat on the vibrational quality of the mantra and its relationship with the main chakras, he says

“When we repeat the mantra Om Namah Shivaya, for example, we are not becoming a Shaivite, we are not adoring or worshipping a deity, but we are stimulating the force of these different chakras. ” Om” is the sound of ajna chakra which is responsible for clarity, for creativity, for the intuitive faculty of mind. Ya or Yam is the mantra of anahata, Va or Vam is the mantra of swadhisthana. Similarly Na, Ma, Sha are different sounds or syllables corresponding to the different chakras.”

Subramuniyaswami again offers some elucidation on the mantra’s relationship with the chakras, and other matters such as prana and the astral. The sage says that

“When Om Namah Shivaya is repeated, we go through the chakras, Na Ma Si Va Ya Aum. The Aum is in the head chakra. Within Namah Sivaya is each of the elements–earth, water, fire,air and ether–which in the mind are transmuted into all-pervasive consciousness, and that is also transmuted into the great chakra way above the head at the end of the Aum. In just the breath, the space of time between the next repetition of “Aum Namah Sivaya Aum Namah Sivaya Aum Namah Sivaya,” the pranas, having reached Parashiva, fall back into the spiritual, mental, astral and physical worlds, blessing them all with new energy, new life and new understanding. “Namah Sivaya Aum, Namah Sivaya Aum, Namah Sivaya Aum, Namah Sivaya Aum” is the constant process of life. It is the essence of life itself.”

It is really only in the repeating of this mantra, whether aloud or mentally, that a true taste of what it is can be had.

For the Om Namah Shivaya mantra is the sole passage towards attaining the blessings of Lord Shiva. For these are  the sole holy words towards attaining enlightenment and peace of mind. And this,is the vital secret behind this very mantra. Now we must have gained some knowledge as to why it is indeed,so very vital .