Shloka 57
Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
स्वरः क्रियाशक्तिजातो ह्यकारस्तु मुनीश्वर । इत्युक्ता प्रणवोत्पत्तिः पंचब्रह्मोद्भवं शृणु
svaraḥ kriyāśaktijāto hyakārastu munīśvara | ityuktā praṇavotpattiḥ paṃcabrahmodbhavaṃ śṛṇu
О владыка среди мудрецов, гласный звук — то есть буква «А» — рождается из Шакти Деяния (kriyā-śakti). Так изложено происхождение Пранавы (Оṃ); ныне же выслушай её проявление, исходящее от Пяти Брахманов — пяти ликов Шивы.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: creative
FAQs
It frames Oṃ (Praṇava) as a Shaiva revelation: sound arises from Śiva’s śakti, and the mantra-principle is rooted in the fivefold Śiva (Pañcabrahma), guiding the seeker from ritual action toward liberating knowledge.
Pañcabrahma is commonly contemplated as the five faces/aspects of Saguna Śiva that sanctify Linga worship; meditating on Oṃ as arising from these aspects integrates mantra-japa with Linga-upāsanā.
A practical takeaway is Praṇava-japa (Oṃ) with contemplation of Pañcabrahma—beginning from ‘A’ as the impulse of kriyā-śakti—performed as a focused meditation before or during Śiva-pūjā.