Importance of the five-lettered mantra

पंचाक्षरमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः
Description of the greatness/importance of the five-lettered mantra – Chapter 12

उपमन्युरुवाच |
Upamanyu said (to Lord Krishna)

नमस्कारादिसंयुक्तं शिवायेत्यक्षरत्रयम् |
जिह्वाग्रे वर्तते यस्य सफलं तस्य जीवितम् || 36 ||
अंत्यजो वाधमो वापि मूर्खो वा पंडितोऽपि वा |
पंचाक्षरजपे निष्ठो मुच्यते पापपंजरात् || 37 ||
इत्युक्तं परमेशेन देव्या पृष्टेन शूलिना |
हिताय सर्वमर्त्यानां द्विजानां तु विशेषतः || 38 ||
One on whose front of the tongue exists the triplet of letters Shivaya with Namah in the beginning, his living (his life) is successful (has been worthwhile).
A person of the lowest caste or a person of lowest quality or a fool or even a scholar (if) oriented towards chanting the five-lettered mantra, gets released from the cage of sins.
Such (was) spoken by the supreme God Shiva (holding the spear) on being asked by the Goddess, for the good of all mortals, but particularly for Brahmins.

Importance of five lettered mantra

पंचाक्षरमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः
Description of the greatness/importance of the five-lettered mantra – Chapter 12

उपमन्युरुवाच |
Upamanyu said (to Lord Krishna)

एतावत्तु शिवज्ञानमेतावत्परमं पदम् |
यदोंनमश्शिवायेति शिववाक्यं षडक्षरम् || 20 ||
This much is the knowledge about Lord Shiva; this is the highest state, which is Om Namah Shivaya, the six-lettered Shiva-sentence.

Shloka 34 of chapter 17 in Vidyeshwara Samhita mentioned that the five-lettered mantra should always be chanted with the Pranava (Om) in the beginning.

Importance of five lettered mantra

पंचाक्षरमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः
Description of the greatness/importance of the five-lettered mantra – Chapter 12

उपमन्युरुवाच |
Upamanyu said (to Lord Krishna)

पंचाक्षरस्य माहात्म्यं वर्षकोटिशतैरपि |
अशक्यं विस्तराद्वक्तुं तस्मात्संक्षेपतः शृणु || 2 ||
It is impossible to speak of the importance of the five-lettered mantra (Namah Shivaya) in (full) detail in even ten million years. Therefore, hear (it) in short.

Mind Fixation

शिवज्ञानवर्णनं नामैकादशोऽध्यायः
Description of the knowledge about Lord Shiva – Chapter 11

उपमन्युरुवाच |
Upamanyu said (to Lord Krishna)

नैकाग्रं चेच्छिवे चित्तं किं कृतेनापि कर्मणा |
एकाग्रमेव चेच्चित्तं किं कृतेनापि कर्मणा || 53 ||
तस्मात्कर्माण्यकृत्वा वा कृत्वा वांतर्बहिःक्रमात् |
येन केनाप्युपायेन शिवे चित्तं निवेशयेत् || 54 ||
If the mind does get fixed on Lord Shiva, (then also) what is the use of even doing (various) deeds?
Therefore after doing or not doing (various) deeds internally or externally, by some means or the other, the mind should be fixed on Lord Shiva.

Devotion to Lord Shiva

शिवभक्तिवर्णनं नाम दशमोऽध्यायः
Devotion to Lord Shiva – description Chapter 10

ईश्वर उवाच |
God said (to the supreme Goddess Parvati)

न मे प्रियश्चतुर्वेदी मद्भक्तो श्वपचोऽपि यः | 71
One who knows four Vedas is not my favourite (but) my devotee (is a favourite) even if a dog eater.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति || 72 ||
One who gives me a leaf, a flower, a fruit (or) water with devotion – I do not keep away from him and he does not disappear from me.

These half-shlokas appear in Bhagavad Gita in two places. The first line is in Chapter 9, shloka 26 and the second one is in Chapter 6, shloka 30. Chapter 9, shloka 26 of Bhagavad Gita appears also in Bhagavat Purana, skandha 10, Chapter 81, shloka 4.

Devotion to Lord Shiva

शिवभक्तिवर्णनं नाम दशमोऽध्यायः
Devotion to Lord Shiva – description Chapter 10

ईश्वर उवाच |
God said (to the supreme Goddess Parvati)

द्विधा मत्पूजनं ज्ञेयं बाह्यमाभ्यंतरं तथा |
वाङ्मनःकायभेदाच्च त्रिधा मद्भजनं विदुः || 47 ||
My worship should be known to be of two kinds, external and internal, (and is) known to be (done in) three ways – by speech, by mind and by the body.

Yoga

शिवभक्तिवर्णनं नाम दशमोऽध्यायः
Devotion to Lord Shiva – description Chapter 10

ईश्वर उवाच |
God said (to the supreme Goddess Parvati)

वैराग्याज्जायते ज्ञानं ज्ञानाद्योगः प्रवर्तते || 36 ||
योगज्ञः पतितो वापि मुच्यते नात्र संशयः | 37
From non-attachment emerges knowledge, from knowledge, Yoga prevails. One who knows Yoga, even if fallen, get released (liberated from the cycle of births and deaths), there is no doubt about this.

Four legs of Dharma

शिवभक्तिवर्णनं नाम दशमोऽध्यायः
Devotion to Lord Shiva – description Chapter 10

ईश्वर उवाच |
God said (to the supreme Goddess Parvati)

ज्ञानं क्रिया च चर्या च योगश्चेति सुरेश्वरि |
चतुष्पादः समाख्यातो मम धर्मस्सनातनः || 30 ||
पशुपाशपतिज्ञानं ज्ञानमित्यभिधीयते |
षडध्वशुद्धिर्विधिना गुर्वधीना क्रियोच्यते || 31 ||
वर्णाश्रमप्रयुक्तस्य मयैव विहितस्य च |
ममार्चनादिधर्मस्य चर्या चर्येति कथ्यते || 32 ||
मदुक्तेनैव मार्गेण मय्यवस्थितचेतसः |
वृत्त्यंतरनिरोधो यो योग इत्यभिधीयते || 33 ||
Goddess of the Devas, knowledge, Kriya/procedures and Charya/conduct/behaviour and Yoga – these are called the four legs of my eternal Dharma.
Knowledge of pashu (being), cord (that which ties a living being), lordship is called knowledge. Shadadhva purification (initiation) procedure depending on a Guru is called Kriya (procedure).Behaviour according to Varnashrama Dharma determined by me only and activities related to my worship, etc. is called Charya (conduct).

On the path spoken by me, with the mind fixed in me, suppression/prevention of chitta/thinking, that is called Yoga.

Bhagavat Purana lists truth, compassion, penance and charity as the four legs of Dharma in one shloka, and austerity, purity, mercy and truth in another shloka.

Faith

शिवभक्तिवर्णनं नाम दशमोऽध्यायः
Devotion to Lord Shiva – description Chapter 10

ईश्वर उवाच |
God said (to the supreme Goddess Parvati)

न कर्मणा न तपसा न जपैर्नासनादिभिः |
न ज्ञानेन न चान्येन वश्योऽहं श्रद्धया विना || 15 ||
श्रद्धा मय्यस्ति चेत्पुंसां येन केनापि हेतुना |
वश्यः स्पृश्यश्च दृश्यश्च पूज्यस्संभाष्य एव च || 16 ||
साध्या तस्मान्मयि श्रद्धा मां वशीकर्तुमिच्छता |
श्रद्धा हेतुस्स्वधर्मस्य रक्षणं वर्णिनामिह || 17 ||
स्ववर्णाश्रमधर्मेण वर्तते यस्तु मानवः |
तस्यैव भवति श्रद्धा मयि नान्यस्य कस्यचित् || 18 ||
I am not brought under control without faith, not by deeds, not by penance, not by japa (chanting), not by postures, etc., not by knowledge and not by other (means).
If one has faith in me for just any purpose, for controlling, for touching, for seeing, and for worshipping and for hearing (me), (it can control me).
Those who want to control me should therefore try to achieve my faith. To achieve that faith, (one should) protect/follow one’s Varnashrama Dharma (duties of different professions at different ages) on the earth.
A human who follows his Varnashrama Dharma, only he gets my faith, and nobody else.

Unperishable

पशुपतित्वज्ञानयोगो नाम पंचमोऽध्यायः
Pashupati lordship knowledge Chapter 5

उपमन्युरुवाच |
Upamanyu said (to Lord Krishna)

क्षरस्सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोऽक्षर उच्यते | 11
All living beings (are) perishable/temporary, (while) the unchanging (supreme soul) is called eternal/permanent.

The same half-shloka appears in Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 15, shloka 16.