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Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 30

पञ्चाक्षर-षडक्षरमन्त्र-माहात्म्यम् | The Greatness of the Pañcākṣara/Ṣaḍakṣara Mantra

बहुत्वेपि हि मंत्राणां सर्वज्ञेन शिवेन यः । प्रणीतो विमलो मन्त्रो न तेन सदृशः क्वचित्

bahutvepi hi maṃtrāṇāṃ sarvajñena śivena yaḥ | praṇīto vimalo mantro na tena sadṛśaḥ kvacit

Bien que les mantras soient innombrables, le mantra sans tache composé par Shiva, le Seigneur omniscient, n’a d’égal nulle part.

bahutvein (their) multitude
bahutve:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootbahutva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
apieven though
api:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात), concessive ‘even though’
hiindeed/for
hi:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Roothi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात), emphatic/causal ‘indeed/for’
mantrāṇāmof mantras
mantrāṇām:
Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootmantra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)
sarvajñenaby the omniscient
sarvajñena:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsarvajña (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying ‘śivena’
śivenaby Śiva
śivena:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootśiva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)
yaḥwhich/that (mantra)
yaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootyad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun referring to ‘mantraḥ’
praṇītaḥcomposed/propounded
praṇītaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Rootpra-√nī (धातु) + kta (क्त)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying ‘mantraḥ’
vimalaḥpure
vimalaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootvimala (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying ‘mantraḥ’
mantraḥmantra
mantraḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmantra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular
nanot
na:
Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
FormNegation particle (निषेध-निपात)
tenawith/like that
tena:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘with/like that’ (refers to this mantra)
sadṛśaḥsimilar/equal
sadṛśaḥ:
Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (विधेय-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective (elliptic: ‘[is] similar’)
kvacitanywhere/ever
kvacit:
Deśa-kāla-adhikaraṇa (देश-काल-अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootkvacit (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (देश/कालवाचक अव्यय) ‘anywhere/ever’

Suta Goswami

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Type: panchakshara

Role: liberating

S
Shiva

FAQs

It proclaims the unsurpassed power and purity of Shiva’s own mantra: because it originates from the all-knowing Pati (Shiva), it is uniquely capable of removing bondage (pāśa) and leading the soul (paśu) toward liberation.

In Shaiva practice, mantra is the subtle form of Saguna Shiva accessible to devotees; chanting Shiva’s mantra supports Linga-worship by fixing mind and devotion on Shiva as the indwelling Lord and the sanctified form worshipped in the Linga.

Regular Shiva-mantra japa—especially the Panchakshara—done with purity of conduct and steady devotion; it may be supported by traditional aids like bhasma (Tripundra) and rudrāksha as part of Shaiva discipline.