Listen now to the sacred way in which the limbs of the mantra are established, and how the devotee prepares himself for the highest practice. The praṇava, the holy syllable Om, is to be known as the heart of this process. The syllable ‘na’ is placed upon the head, ‘ma’ upon the crest, ‘śi’ upon the hair tuft, and ‘ka’ serves as the protective armor. The letter ‘a’ is established as the eye, and ‘ya’ is known as the weapon. In this manner, each part of the mantra is thoughtfully assigned to a limb of the body, forming a shield of sacred sound. Once the limbs are thus adorned, the practitioner is to seal the directions, invoking protection from all sides. At the corners, beginning with the southeast and proceeding in order through all four directions, Ganesha, the Mothers, Durgā, the field-knower, and the deities of the directions are invoked. With the tips of the thumb and forefinger, the devotee establishes the auspicious and beautiful face of the deity, and with the utterance “Protect!” bows reverently to each divine presence. At the center of the throat, on the thumb, and upon the forefinger and other fingers, the wise perform the hand placements, using the thumb as the main instrument. This sacred arrangement, once performed, removes all sins, brings auspiciousness, bestows all accomplishments, grants merit, and provides unfailing protection. When the mantra is thus established, the devotee becomes like Śaṅkara himself—so powerful is this practice that even the sins of previous births are destroyed in that very moment. Having completed the placement, the pure and steadfast practitioner, having received the teacher’s grace, should recite the five-syllabled mantra with a heart full of devotion. Next, the collection of mantras is explained, for without these, daily practice yields no fruit; but with them, the practice becomes fruitful indeed. A mantra recited without the teacher’s command, without proper action, without faith, sincerity, instruction, or offerings—even if repeated constantly—bears no result. But a mantra performed with command, correct ritual, faith, a good mind, and offerings succeeds in every way. Therefore, one should approach a guru—a learned brāhmaṇa, wise in the essence and meaning of mantras, possessed of good qualities, and devoted to meditation and yoga. The disciple must strive to please the teacher with a pure heart, right speech, pure mind, clean body, and offerings of wealth. He should worship the teacher with utmost effort, offering whatever he is able—be it elephants, horses, chariots, jewels, fields, or houses. If he has the means, he should also give ornaments, garments, and grains with devotion. There must be no deceit regarding wealth if the disciple desires accomplishment. Then, O goddess, he should dedicate himself and his possessions to the teacher. Having worshipped the guru to the best of his ability and without deception, he should receive the mantra and knowledge from the teacher in the proper way. The satisfied guru, after a year of worship, seeing the disciple attentive, humble, fasting, and pure, bathes the disciple and worships the brāhmaṇas, choosing a pure place—be it seashore, riverbank, cowshed, or temple—at an auspicious time, date, constellation, or conjunction, always free from defects. There, with a serene mind, he blesses the disciple and imparts the supreme knowledge of Śiva, pronouncing it clearly with his own voice, even in solitude. After imparting the mantra, the teacher grants success, saying, “May Śiva be present, may auspiciousness be present, may beauty be present, may affection be present.” Thus, having received the supreme mantra and knowledge from the guru, the disciple should recite it daily with intention and perform the prescribed rites. He should recite the mantra every day throughout his life, one thousand and eight times, abstaining from food and devoted in heart; thus, he attains the highest state. One who recites a hundred thousand syllables, or four times that number, with devotion, observing night-fasting and self-restraint, is known as a performer of puraścaraṇa. Whether one performs puraścaraṇa or is a daily reciter, both quickly attain the desired accomplishment. But he who, having completed puraścaraṇa, continues as a daily reciter—there is no one equal to him in the world; he is accomplished, bestows accomplishment, and is self-controlled. For the recitation, the devotee should arrange a pleasant seat, remain silent, concentrate the mind, and face east or north. At the beginning and end of the recitation, he should practice breath control, and at the close, recite the seed-mantra one hundred and eight times, which is auspicious. Upon completing forty cycles of breath control, he should recall the five-syllabled mantra—this is the practice of prāṇāyāma. Through prāṇāyāma, all sins are swiftly destroyed, and mastery over the senses is gained; thus, one should restrain the breath. Recitation at home is good; in a cow-pen, it yields a hundred times more merit; at a river, a hundred thousand times more; in the presence of Śiva, it is infinite. On the seashore, at a sacred lake, on a mountain, in temples, and in holy hermitages, recitation brings ten million times the merit. Especially is it praised when done before Śiva, the sun, the teacher, a lamp, a cow, or water. As for counting the recitations: on the fingers, each is counted as one; with the lines of the fingers, it is eightfold; with putrajīva fruits, tenfold; with conch or gems, a hundredfold; with coral, a thousandfold; with crystal, ten thousandfold; with pearls, a hundred thousandfold; with lotus seeds, ten hundred thousandfold; with gold, ten millionfold; and with kuśa knots or rudrākṣa beads, the merit is infinite. For specific aims: recite twenty-five times for liberation; twenty-seven for nourishment; thirty for wealth and prosperity; fifty for rites of enchantment. Facing east is for subjugation, south for enchantment, west for wealth, and north for peace. The thumb is used for liberation, the index finger for destroying enemies, the middle finger for wealth, and the ring finger for peace. Such is the sacred path of mantra practice, as revealed by the sages, leading the devoted to the highest accomplishment and the grace of Śiva.