Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच प्रलय अन्द् सृष्टि पञ्चाक्षरस्य माहात्म्यं वर्षकोटिशतैरपि न शक्यं कथितुं देवि तस्मात् संक्षेपतः शृणु

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca pralaya and sṛṣṭi pañcākṣarasya māhātmyaṃ varṣakoṭiśatairapi na śakyaṃ kathituṃ devi tasmāt saṃkṣepataḥ śṛṇu

Translation

The Blessed Lord said: “O Devī, the greatness of the five-syllabled mantra—the seed of creation that arises after Pralaya—cannot be fully told even in hundreds of crores of years. Therefore, hear it in brief.”

Word by Word

• śrī-bhagavān uvāca: the Blessed Lord said

• pralaya-ante: at the end of dissolution (pralaya)

• sṛṣṭi-pañcākṣarasya: of the five-syllabled (pañcākṣara) [mantra] connected with creation

• māhātmyaṃ: greatness, exalted power

• varṣa-koṭi-śatair api: even by hundreds of crores of years

• na śakyaṃ: is not possible

• kathitum: to narrate/describe

• devi: O Goddess

• tasmāt: therefore

• saṃkṣepataḥ: in brief, concisely

• śṛṇu: listen

Speaker

Shiva (Śrī Bhagavān)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati (Devi)

FAQs

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

It establishes the pañcākṣara as an inexhaustible source of Śiva’s presence—so vast that its praise cannot be completed—thereby legitimizing mantra-japa as a central limb of Liṅga-upāsanā.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the Lord beyond time—whose mantra-power spans pralaya and sṛṣṭi; His tattva is not merely cosmic function but the transcendent ground from which dissolution and re-manifestation are understood.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pañcākṣara-japa (mantra repetition) as a concise yet complete upāya: a Pāśupata-aligned practice for loosening pāśa (bondage) and stabilizing the paśu (soul) in remembrance of Pati (Śiva).