Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 76
प्रणवविभागः—वेदस्वरूपत्वं लिङ्गे च प्रतिष्ठा
The Division of Oṃ, Its Vedic Forms, and Its Placement in the Liṅga
मंत्ररत्नं च सूत्राख्यं पञ्चाक्षरमयं परम् । मयोपदिष्टं सर्वं तद्युवयोरद्य विस्मृतम्
maṃtraratnaṃ ca sūtrākhyaṃ pañcākṣaramayaṃ param | mayopadiṣṭaṃ sarvaṃ tadyuvayoradya vismṛtam
«Ce joyau suprême du mantra—appelé Sūtra et formé de cinq syllabes—que Moi-même ai enseigné en entier : tout cela, aujourd’hui, vous l’avez oublié tous les deux.»
Lord Shiva (as the Guru teaching the Pañcākṣarī)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Centers the Pañcākṣarī as the ‘mantra-ratna’ whose remembrance restores right cognition; forgetfulness signifies veiling (tirodhāna) and the need for renewed upadeśa.
Mantra: नमः शिवाय
Type: panchakshara
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Didactic moment: the cosmic officers’ lapse in mantra-memory symbolizes periodic obscuration of jñāna within cosmic cycles.
FAQs
It stresses that the Pañcākṣarī mantra is the supreme, essential “sūtra” of Shaiva worship, and that spiritual decline begins with forgetfulness of the Guru-given mantra; remembrance restores the path to Shiva’s grace and liberation.
The five-syllable mantra is the core invocation used in Saguna Shiva worship—especially in Linga-pūjā—where mantra-japa and offering are united; the verse implies that losing the mantra means losing the living link to Shiva’s worship and presence.
Daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (commonly understood as “Namaḥ Śivāya”), with steady recollection and Guru-bhāva; it can be paired with Linga-abhiṣeka, vibhūti (tripuṇḍra), and rudrākṣa as supportive Shaiva disciplines.