Shloka 123
Praṇava-Māhātmya and the Twofold Mantra (Sūkṣma–Sthūla) in Śaiva Sādhanā
स्त्रीत्वापनयनार्थं तु पंचलक्षं जपेत्पुनः । मंत्रेण पुरुषो भूत्वा क्रमान्मुक्तो भवेद्बुधः
strītvāpanayanārthaṃ tu paṃcalakṣaṃ japetpunaḥ | maṃtreṇa puruṣo bhūtvā kramānmukto bhavedbudhaḥ
To remove the state of womanhood, one should again repeat the mantra five hundred thousand times. By the power of that mantra, becoming (fit as) a man, the wise one is gradually liberated.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Frames japa as a means to transcend embodied/social limitations; interpreted theologically as removal of upādhi (limiting adjuncts) rather than literal denigration of women.
Mantra: (implied) namaḥ śivāya
Type: panchakshara
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that sustained Shiva-mantra japa purifies embodied limitations and, through gradual inner transformation, leads the wise seeker toward moksha under Shiva’s grace.
In the Vidyeshvara context, mantra-japa is a central limb of Saguna Shiva worship (often alongside Linga devotion), where sound (mantra) becomes the means to steady the mind and mature devotion into liberating knowledge.
A disciplined count of mantra-japa—five lakhs of repetitions—performed as focused repetition (japa), ideally with purity of conduct and devotional intent toward Lord Shiva.