Shloka 57
Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
स्वरः क्रियाशक्तिजातो ह्यकारस्तु मुनीश्वर । इत्युक्ता प्रणवोत्पत्तिः पंचब्रह्मोद्भवं शृणु
svaraḥ kriyāśaktijāto hyakārastu munīśvara | ityuktā praṇavotpattiḥ paṃcabrahmodbhavaṃ śṛṇu
O lord among sages, the vowel-sound—namely the letter “A”—arises from the Power of Action (kriyā-śakti). Thus has the origin of the Praṇava (Oṃ) been declared; now hear its manifestation as proceeding from the Five Brahmans, the fivefold aspects of Śiva.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: creative
FAQs
It frames Oṃ (Praṇava) as a Shaiva revelation: sound arises from Śiva’s śakti, and the mantra-principle is rooted in the fivefold Śiva (Pañcabrahma), guiding the seeker from ritual action toward liberating knowledge.
Pañcabrahma is commonly contemplated as the five faces/aspects of Saguna Śiva that sanctify Linga worship; meditating on Oṃ as arising from these aspects integrates mantra-japa with Linga-upāsanā.
A practical takeaway is Praṇava-japa (Oṃ) with contemplation of Pañcabrahma—beginning from ‘A’ as the impulse of kriyā-śakti—performed as a focused meditation before or during Śiva-pūjā.