Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 15
पञ्चाक्षरीविद्यायाḥ कलियुगे मोक्षोपायः | The Pañcākṣarī Vidyā as a Means of Liberation in Kali Yuga
पूजयेत्पतितो वापि मूढो वा मुच्यते नरः । षडक्षरेण वा देवि तथा पञ्चाक्षरेण वा
pūjayetpatito vāpi mūḍho vā mucyate naraḥ | ṣaḍakṣareṇa vā devi tathā pañcākṣareṇa vā
Ô Devī, même si un homme est déchu ou égaré, s’il adore (Śiva) il est délivré—que ce soit par le mantra aux six syllabes ou de même par le mantra aux cinq syllabes.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a Jyotirliṅga; the verse universalizes eligibility: even patita/mūḍha can be redeemed through Śiva-mantra worship.
Significance: Teaches that inner turning (mantra-bhakti) can substitute for external qualifications; pilgrimage merit is implied to be accessible through devotion.
Mantra: (pañcākṣara) नमः शिवाय; (ṣaḍakṣara) ॐ नमः शिवाय (oṃ namaḥ śivāya)
Type: panchakshara
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It declares the primacy of Śiva’s grace accessed through worship and mantra: even a person burdened by ignorance or moral fall can be purified and released from bondage by sincere Śiva-upāsanā using the five- or six-syllabled mantra.
The verse supports Saguna worship as an effective means: mantra-japa and pūjā (often performed before the Śiva-liṅga) become the doorway for Śiva’s anugraha, which burns impurities and loosens pāśa (bondage).
Regular japa of the pañcākṣara (e.g., “namaḥ śivāya”) or a ṣaḍakṣara mantra, combined with Śiva-pūjā—especially liṅga-abhiṣeka and inward remembrance—are implied as direct practices leading toward liberation.