Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः कथं पञ्चाक्षरी विद्या प्रभावो वा कथं वद क्रमोपायं महाभाग श्रोतुं कौतूहलं हि नः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ kathaṃ pañcākṣarī vidyā prabhāvo vā kathaṃ vada kramopāyaṃ mahābhāga śrotuṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

诸仙人曰：“五字圣明（Pañcākṣarī vidyā）当如何领解？其威力又当如何得知？噫，大福者，请依次第开示其修持方便；我等实在渴望聆听。”

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages

• ūcuḥ: said

• katham: how

• pañcākṣarī: the five-syllabled (mantra/vidyā)

• vidyā: sacred knowledge/mantric science

• prabhāvaḥ: power, efficacy, spiritual potency

• vā: or/indeed

• katham: how

• vada: tell, explain

• krama-upāyam: the sequential method/graded means

• mahābhāga: O noble one/O greatly blessed one

• śrotum: to hear

• kautūhalam: curiosity, keen interest

• hi: indeed

• naḥ: for us/our

Speaker

Sages (Ṛṣis) at Naimiṣāraṇya (addressing Sūta or the current narrator)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It formally opens the teaching on the Pañcākṣarī—the core mantra used in Śiva-liṅga worship—asking for its prabhāva (efficacy) and the proper krama (procedure) for practice.

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

By centering the Pañcākṣarī as “vidyā” with transformative power, the verse implies Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose mantra reveals His grace and loosens pāśa (bondage) upon the paśu (individual soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-sādhana in a graded method—especially Pañcākṣarī japa aligned with Śiva-pūjā—requesting the correct sequential upāya (means) rather than mere repetition.