Shloka 121

उमामहेश्वरव्रतं—पञ्चाक्षरमन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यं, न्यासः, जपविधिः, सदाचारः, विनियोगः

Devanagari script

किंचित् कर्णान्तरं विद्याद् उपांशुः स जपः स्मृतः मानसजप धिया यदक्षरश्रेण्या वर्णाद्वर्णं पदात्पदम्

Transliteration

kiṃcit karṇāntaraṃ vidyād upāṃśuḥ sa japaḥ smṛtaḥ mānasajapa dhiyā yadakṣaraśreṇyā varṇādvarṇaṃ padātpadam

Translation

When the recitation is made so softly that it is heard only within the space of one’s own ear, it is remembered as upāṁśu-japa (murmured japa). But when, by the intellect alone, one repeats the mantra as a sequence of syllables—letter by letter and word by word—that is mānasa-japa (mental japa).

Word by Word

• kiñcit: slightly/just a little

• karṇāntaram: within the ear/ear’s interior (earshot of oneself)

• vidyāt: one should know/understand

• upāṁśuḥ: murmured in a low voice

• saḥ: that

• japaḥ: mantra-recitation

• smṛtaḥ: is declared/remembered (in tradition)

• mānasa-japaḥ: mental recitation

• dhiyā: by the intellect/mind

• yat: which/that

• akṣara-śreṇyā: by a series/sequence of syllables

• varṇāt varṇam: from letter to letter

• padāt padam: from word to word

Speaker

Suta (narrating the teaching on japa to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It defines two authoritative modes of Shiva-mantra japa—murmured (upāṁśu) and purely mental (mānasa)—showing how Linga-pūjā is perfected by increasingly internalized recitation.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By valuing mānasa-japa—recitation carried by pure awareness—it points to Shiva as Pati who is approached inwardly: the paśu turns from external sound to inner consciousness, loosening pāśa through disciplined attention.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-japa as a graded sādhanā: upāṁśu (barely audible) leading toward mānasa-japa (letter-by-letter mental repetition), a key Pāśupata-style interiorization supporting dhyāna and pūjā.