Aum Namah Śivāya (IAST transliteration, refer to Sanskrit for pronunciation, Devanagari: ॐ नमः शिवाय) is among the foremost Vedic mantras. Its general translation is "adoration (namas) to Śiva", preceded by the mystical syllable Aum. It is called Panchakshara, or "having five syllables". Śaivite mystics hold that within its celestial tones and hues resides all of the intuitive knowledge of Śaivism. The Aum namah Śivāya mantra appears for the first time, yet without the Aum, in a traditional Vedic prayer to Rudra called Śri Rudram (Rudra is considered an earlier aspect and name of Lord Śiva). In this context, śiva retains its original meaning as an adjective meaning "auspicious, benign, friendly", an euphemistic epitheton of Rudra. IAST, or International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is the academic standard for writing the Sanskrit language with the Latin alphabet and very similar to National Library at Calcutta romanization standard being used with many Indic scripts. ... The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... The religion of the Vedic civilization is the predecessor of classical Hinduism, usually included in the term. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... Namaste or Namaskar ( in Hindi, from Sanskrit ) is a South Asian greeting originating in India, which is used when both hello and goodbye would be used in English. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Aum (also Om or Ohm, ) is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the infinite Brahman and the entire Universe. ... Saivite: of Saivism; belonging to Saivism, the Hindu denomination that worships God Siva as the Supreme God. ... Shaivism, also Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ... Aum (also Om or Ohm, ) is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the infinite Brahman and the entire Universe. ... Rudra (Howler) is a Rigvedic god of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature and the Wind. ... The Shri Rudram Chamakam (TS 4. ...

A Hindu Śaivite view on the Aum namah Śivāya mantra

The meaning of the Namah Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Aum namah Śivāya mantra written in Devanagari

"Namah Śivāya is the most holy name of God Śiva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Śaiva Agamas. Image File history File links Aumnamasivaya. ... Image File history File links Aumnamasivaya. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ...

Na is the Lord's concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul. The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā is air, and Ya is ether, or akasha. Many are its meanings. Akasha is the Hindi/Sanskrit word meaning aether in both its elemental and mythological senses. ...

Namah Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondages of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect. Namah Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.

The holy Natchintanai proclaims, Namah Śivāya is in truth both Āgama and Veda. Namah Śivāya represents all mantras and tantras. Namah Śivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions. Namah Śivāya has become our sure protection."

Additional Notes

1. Adi Shankaracharya says that the name "Shiva" means "the one who purifies the one that repeats His name."
2. The Universe is said^{[Please name specific person or group]} to be made up of vibrations. Vibrations give rise to form. As the name "Rama" gives rise to the form of Rama, similarly, the name "Shiva, in Aum Namah Shivaya" gives rise to the form of Shiva (Maheshwara). (Sivananda)
3. Namah Shivaya is called Panchakshari (5 syllable mantra) whilst Aum Namah Shivaya is called Sadakshari (6 syllabled mantra). Namah Shivaya is recommended to be chanted by householders, whereas the prefix "Aum" is added to the mantra by those who have renounced the world. However, according to Sivananda, Aum Namah Shivaya is also alright for practise by worldly people, as gradual repetition makes the mind proceed from the gross to the subtle.
4. It is said^{[Please name specific person or group]} that if you practise this mantra enough so that it vibrates continuously in your heart, then you don't need to do any yoga or further practises like pranayam, because this mantra is enough to make the practitioner attain liberation.
5. Brahmamuhurta, or the time at around 4 o'clock in the morning is the peak optimum time for spiritual practises like japa because at that time the whole world is asleep and the mind is like a blank sheet of paper on which any impressions to be made last long.
6. Variations of Panchakshari:
   1. Namah Shivaya
   2. Shivaya Shiva
   3. Shivaya Namah

See also

• Śiva
• Shri Rudram Chamakam
• Yajurveda