Listen, dear one, to the profound mystery of the sacred mantra and its ritual, as revealed in the ancient lore. The relationship between the signified and the signifier—the essence and its expression—is without beginning, eternal, and firmly established. This holds true in the Vedas, in the Shaiva scriptures, and wherever the revered six-syllabled mantra is found. Among all mantras, this one stands as the principal, the supreme. Yet, in the world, the five-syllabled mantra is held foremost above all. Truly, what need is there for a multitude of mantras or elaborate scriptures, when this one alone contains the essence? For the one whose heart is graced by this supreme mantra, whatever he studies, hears, or practices—everything is accomplished, all is fulfilled. If a learned person, having studied it in the prescribed manner, recites this mantra properly, that alone becomes his knowledge of Shiva, that alone brings him to the highest state. This is true Brahma-knowledge. Therefore, the wise should always recite the five-syllabled mantra accompanied by the sacred praṇava—this is the very core of my being. Now, O beautiful-faced one, let me reveal to you the most secret, direct, and unsurpassed knowledge of liberation, more hidden than the hidden, concerning this mantra—its seer, its meter, and its presiding deity. The seed, the power, the tone, the letters, and the place of each syllable are to be known: Vamadeva is the seer, and Paṅkti is the meter, as has been declared. Know that I myself am Shiva, the deity of this mantra. The syllables beginning with 'na' are its seeds, each embodying the nature of one of the five elements. The praṇava, O goddess, is to be known as the Self—imperishable and all-pervading. And you, O goddess, revered by all the gods, are indeed the power that animates it. Your praṇava is distinct from mine; your praṇava, O goddess, is the very source of all mantras—there can be no doubt. In my praṇava, the vowels 'a', 'ā', and 'ma' are established, followed in order by 'u', 'ma', and 'a'. Your praṇava is supreme, triple-measured, and prolonged; its sage is Brahma, and its form is radiant white. The meter is the goddess Gāyatrī, the supreme soul is the presiding deity; the first, second, and fourth syllables are udātta, the fifth is svarita, and the middle is called niṣadha. The letter 'na' is yellow in color and faces east, with Indra as its presiding deity, Gāyatrī as its meter, and Gautama as its sage. The letter 'ma' is black and faces south, with Anuṣṭup as its meter, Atri as its sage, and Rudra as its deity. The letter 'śi' is smoky in color, faces west, and is associated with Viśvāmitra as sage, Triṣṭup as meter, and Viṣṇu as deity. The letter 'va' is golden, faces north, with Brahmā as presiding deity, Bṛhatī as meter, and Aṅgirā as sage. The letter 'ya' is red, its place is upward—the Virāṭ—with Ṛṣi as meter, Bharadvāja as sage, and Skanda as deity. Now, hear of the ritual placement, or nyāsa, which grants all accomplishments and is most auspicious. The threefold nyāsa removes all sins and is remembered as threefold according to creation, maintenance, and dissolution. For each stage of life—celibate, householder, or ascetic—the nyāsa is to be performed accordingly: creation for celibates, maintenance for householders, and dissolution for ascetics. Only by this means does success come, and the three kinds are aṅganyāsa (placement on the limbs), karanyāsa (on the hands), and dehanyāsa (on the whole body). Let me explain the threefold division, beginning with creation. First, perform karanyāsa, then dehanyāsa, and then aṅganyāsa, following the proper order of the syllables from head to feet—this is the nyāsa of creation. For dissolution, it is performed from the feet up to the head. For maintenance, nyāsa is done on the heart, mouth, and throat. Thus, for all—celibates, householders, and ascetics—after touching the head, one should touch the whole body with the mantra. This is dehanyāsa, performed the same for all, beginning from the right thumb to the left. This placement is creation; the reverse is dissolution. From thumb to little finger, nyāsa is performed on both hands. Especially for householders, this placement of the limbs brings great fruit. After performing the ritual on the hands, one should proceed to the body, and then to the limbs in the general procedure, enclosing the syllable Oṃ and placing it upon all the limbs. On both hands, on the ten fingertips in order—having washed the feet, rinsed the mouth, and become pure and focused—facing east or north, one should perform the ritual, first remembering the seer, meter, deity, and seed-syllable, as well as the power, the Supreme Self, and the teacher. Rubbing the hands with the mantra, one should place the praṇava on both palms. On all the fingers, at the base and tip joints, and on the five middle joints, the seed-syllables with a dot are to be placed. According to the threefold origin and so on, one should place them in order as prescribed for each stage of life, with both hands, from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head. Touching the body with the mantra and enclosing it with the praṇava, one should place it on the head, mouth, throat, heart, and the secret part. On both feet, the secret part, the heart, the throat, the center of the mouth, and the head, the praṇava and the others are to be placed. On the heart, the secret part, the feet, the head, the speech, and the throat, the praṇava and the others are to be placed according to the threefold distinction. Having thus performed the placement on the limbs, one should arrange the faces—from the east and so on up to the uppermost—beginning with 'na' and so forth, in order. Then, the six limbs are to be beautifully adorned in their proper places, together with the syllables: namaḥ, svāhā, vaṣaṭ, hūṃ, vauṣaṭ, and phaṭ. Thus is revealed the supreme ritual and knowledge of the mantra, a path to liberation, fulfillment, and oneness with Shiva.