Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 6

पञ्चाक्षरीविद्यायाḥ कलियुगे मोक्षोपायः | The Pañcākṣarī Vidyā as a Means of Liberation in Kali Yuga

Devanagari script

लुब्धानां वक्रमनसामपि मत्प्रवणात्मनाम् । मम पञ्चाक्षरी विद्या संसारभयतारिणी

Transliteration

lubdhānāṃ vakramanasāmapi matpravaṇātmanām | mama pañcākṣarī vidyā saṃsārabhayatāriṇī

Translation

Selbst für Gierige und für Menschen mit krummem Sinn—wenn ihr Innerstes sich Mir zuneigt—ist Meine fünf-silbige Mantra‑Vidyā das rettende Wissen, das über die Furcht des Saṃsāra hinüberträgt.

Word by Word

• lubdhānām: of the greedy
• lubdhānām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lubdha (कृदन्त; √lubh)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन); past participle used substantively

• vakra-manasām: of the crooked-minded
• vakra-manasām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vakra (प्रातिपदिक) + manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter sense (मनस्-आश्रित), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन); ‘crooked-minded’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), ‘even/also’

• mat-pravaṇa-ātmanām: of those devoted to me
• mat-pravaṇa-ātmanām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन); ‘whose nature is inclined toward me’

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन); pronoun

• pañca-akṣarī: five-syllabled
• pañca-akṣarī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + akṣarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); dvigu compound ‘five-syllabled’

• vidyā: (sacred) mantra/knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• saṃsāra-bhaya-tāriṇī: that ferries across fear of worldly existence
• saṃsāra-bhaya-tāriṇī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + tāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक; from √tṝ)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); ‘one who causes crossing over the fear of saṃsāra’

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Affirms nāma-mantra (pañcākṣarī) as a universal ferry across saṃsāra-bhaya when the heart turns toward Śiva; supports pilgrimage as secondary to inner śaraṇāgati.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: नमः शिवाय (Namaḥ Śivāya)

Type: panchakshara

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It declares the Panchakshara as liberating vidyā: even a flawed person becomes fit for grace when the heart turns toward Shiva, and the mantra ferries the soul beyond samsaric fear.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The five-syllable mantra is a primary Saguna upāsanā taught for Shiva worship; it is commonly recited in Linga-pūjā, aligning the devotee’s mind with Shiva as Pati and opening the way to purification and release.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular japa of the Panchakshara (Namaḥ Śivāya), ideally with devotion and purity disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, focusing the mind on Shiva to overcome fear and bondage.