Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 2
पञ्चाक्षर-षडक्षरमन्त्र-माहात्म्यम् | The Greatness of the Pañcākṣara/Ṣaḍakṣara Mantra
उपमन्युरुवाच । पञ्चाक्षरस्य माहात्म्यं वर्षकोटिशतैरपि । अशक्यं विस्तराद्वक्तुं तस्मात्संक्षेपतः शृणु
upamanyuruvāca | pañcākṣarasya māhātmyaṃ varṣakoṭiśatairapi | aśakyaṃ vistarādvaktuṃ tasmātsaṃkṣepataḥ śṛṇu
Upamanyu berkata: “Keagungan mantra lima suku kata, walau dalam ratusan krore tahun sekalipun, tidak mungkin dihuraikan sepenuhnya secara terperinci; maka dengarlah secara ringkas.”
Upamanyu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Highlights the inexhaustibility of mantra-māhātmya; encourages repeated śravaṇa and sustained sādhana rather than one-time ‘completion’.
Type: panchakshara
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Hyperbolic time-span: ‘varṣa-koṭi-śataiḥ’ (hundreds of crores of years) indicating supra-cosmic magnitude.
FAQs
It establishes the Panchakshara (‘Namaḥ Śivāya’) as inexhaustible in power and meaning—so profound that even vast time cannot fully capture its glory—affirming mantra as a primary means to approach Pati (Śiva) and attain liberation.
The verse prepares the listener for concise instruction on the Panchakshara, a core mantra used in Saguna Śiva worship (including Linga-pūjā), where devotion and repetition of the Name become direct acts of reverence to Śiva.
Mantra-japa of the Panchakshara—steady repetition with devotion—implied as the practical takeaway, typically done alongside Shaiva disciplines such as purity, worship, and meditative remembrance of Śiva.