Shloka 121

उमामहेश्वरव्रतं—पञ्चाक्षरमन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यं, न्यासः, जपविधिः, सदाचारः, विनियोगः

Devanagari script

किंचित् कर्णान्तरं विद्याद् उपांशुः स जपः स्मृतः मानसजप धिया यदक्षरश्रेण्या वर्णाद्वर्णं पदात्पदम्

Transliteration

kiṃcit karṇāntaraṃ vidyād upāṃśuḥ sa japaḥ smṛtaḥ mānasajapa dhiyā yadakṣaraśreṇyā varṇādvarṇaṃ padātpadam

Translation

誦がきわめて微かで、自らの耳の内にのみ聞こえるほどであれば、それはウパーṃシュ（upāṁśu）—囁誦のジャパ—と記される。だが知性のみをもって、マントラを音節の連なりとして—字ごとに、語ごとに—反復するなら、それがマーナサ（mānasa）—心誦のジャパ—である。

Word by Word

• kiñcit: slightly/just a little

• karṇāntaram: within the ear/ear’s interior (earshot of oneself)

• vidyāt: one should know/understand

• upāṁśuḥ: murmured in a low voice

• saḥ: that

• japaḥ: mantra-recitation

• smṛtaḥ: is declared/remembered (in tradition)

• mānasa-japaḥ: mental recitation

• dhiyā: by the intellect/mind

• yat: which/that

• akṣara-śreṇyā: by a series/sequence of syllables

• varṇāt varṇam: from letter to letter

• padāt padam: from word to word

Speaker

Suta (narrating the teaching on japa to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It defines two authoritative modes of Shiva-mantra japa—murmured (upāṁśu) and purely mental (mānasa)—showing how Linga-pūjā is perfected by increasingly internalized recitation.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By valuing mānasa-japa—recitation carried by pure awareness—it points to Shiva as Pati who is approached inwardly: the paśu turns from external sound to inner consciousness, loosening pāśa through disciplined attention.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-japa as a graded sādhanā: upāṁśu (barely audible) leading toward mānasa-japa (letter-by-letter mental repetition), a key Pāśupata-style interiorization supporting dhyāna and pūjā.