Shiva Purana — Vidyesvara Samhita, Shloka 55
Praṇava-Māhātmya and the Twofold Mantra (Sūkṣma–Sthūla) in Śaiva Sādhanā
मध्ये मृतश्चेद्भोगांते भूमौ तज्जापको भवेत् । पुनश्च पंचलक्षेण ब्रह्मसामीप्यमाप्नुयात्
madhye mṛtaścedbhogāṃte bhūmau tajjāpako bhavet | punaśca paṃcalakṣeṇa brahmasāmīpyamāpnuyāt
Kung mamatay ang isa sa kalagitnaan (bago matapos ang buong pagtalima), kung magkagayon, matapos tamasahin ang bunga ng karma, isisilang siyang muli sa lupa bilang tagapagjapa ng yaong mismong pagbigkas. At pagkatapos, sa karagdagang limang laksa, matatamo niya ang pagkalapit sa Brahman—ang masidhing pagdikit sa Kataas-taasang Panginoon.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Not site-specific; emphasizes continuity of sādhana across births and culminates in brahma-sāmīpya (nearness to the Supreme), aligning with liberation-oriented Śaiva goals.
Type: panchakshara
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Saṃsāric continuity across death and rebirth; karmic ‘bhogānta’ as the turning point back to embodied practice.
FAQs
It teaches that sincere Shiva-mantra japa is never lost: even if death interrupts the practice, the aspirant returns after exhausting karmic enjoyments and resumes the same sādhanā, ultimately progressing toward liberation-like proximity to the Supreme.
Mantra-japa is a core limb of Saguna Shiva worship (often alongside Linga-pūjā). The verse emphasizes continuity of devotion—japa linked to Shiva’s accessible form and name carries the seeker forward across births until the goal is reached.
Steady mantra-japa with a fixed count (lakṣa-saṅkhyā), ideally with focused remembrance of Lord Shiva; the verse specifically highlights completing additional repetitions (five lakhs) as a disciplined sādhanā leading to higher spiritual attainment.