Linga Purana

वाच्यः पञ्चाक्षरैर्देवि शिवस्त्रैलोक्यपूजितः वाचकः परमो मन्त्रस् तस्य पञ्चाक्षरः स्थितः

O goddess, Śiva, worshipped in the three worlds, is the one denoted by the five-syllabled mantra; the supreme mantra is its denoter, and that five-syllabled mantra is established in him.

ज्ञात्वा प्रयोगं विधिना च सिद्धिं लब्ध्वा तथा पञ्चमुखो महात्मा प्रोवाच पुत्रेषु जगद्धिताय मन्त्रं महार्थं किल पञ्चवर्णम्

Having understood its application according to the proper method and attained its accomplishment, the great-souled, five-faced one spoke to his sons, for the welfare of the world, the great mantra of five syllables, truly of great import.

ते लब्ध्वा मन्त्ररत्नं तु साक्षाल्लोकपितामहात् तमाराधयितुं देवं परात्परतरं शिवम्

Having received that jewel of a mantra directly from the ancestor of the worlds, they sought to worship the god Śiva, who is higher than the highest.

ततस्तुतोष भगवान् त्रिमूर्तीनां परः शिवः दत्तवानखिलं ज्ञानम् अणिमादिगुणाष्टकम्

Then the blessed Lord, Śiva, supreme among the Trimūrti, was pleased and granted all knowledge and the eight powers such as aṇimā.

ते ऽपि लब्ध्वा वरान्विप्रास् तदाराधनकाङ्क्षिणः मेरोस्तु शिखरे रम्ये मुञ्जवान्नाम पर्वतः

Those wise ones, having obtained boons and desiring further worship, on the beautiful summit of Mount Meru, on the mountain named Muñjavān,

मत्प्रियः सततं श्रीमान् मद्भूतैः परिरक्षितः तस्याभ्याशे तपस्तीव्रं लोकसृष्टिसमुत्सुकाः

Ever dear to me, always glorious, protected by my attendants, near that place, eager to create the worlds, they undertook intense austerity.

दिव्यवर्षसहस्रं तु वायुभक्षाः समाचरन् तिष्ठन्तो ऽनुग्रहार्थाय देवि ते ऋषयः पुरा

For a thousand divine years, subsisting on air, those ancient sages performed austerity, standing, for the sake of receiving grace, O goddess.

तेषां भक्तिमहं दृष्ट्वा सद्यः प्रत्यक्षतामियाम् पञ्चाक्षरम् ऋषिच्छन्दो दैवतं शक्तिबीजवत्

Seeing their great devotion, I immediately appeared before them, with the five-syllabled mantra, in the meter of the seers, with its deity, power, and seed.

न्यासं षडङ्गं दिग्बन्धं विनियोगमशेषतः प्रोक्तवानहमार्याणां लोकानां हितकाम्यया

I explained to those noble ones the six-limbed nyāsa, the protective boundary of the directions, and all the applications, desiring the welfare of the worlds.

तच्छ्रुत्वा मन्त्रमाहात्म्यम् ऋषयस्ते तपोधनाः मन्त्रस्य विनियोगं च कृत्वा सर्वमनुष्ठिताः

Hearing the greatness of the mantra, those ascetic sages performed all the applications of the mantra as instructed.

तन्माहात्म्यात् तदा लोकान् सदेवासुरमानुषान् वर्णान्वर्णविभागांश् च सर्वधर्मांश् च शोभनान्

By the greatness of that, at that time, the worlds with gods, demons, and humans, the castes and their divisions, and all the excellent dharmas came into being.

पूर्वकल्पसमुद्भूताञ् छ्रुतवन्तो यथा पुरा पञ्चाक्षरप्रभावाच्च लोका वेदा महर्षयः

Just as in former ages the worlds, the Vedas, and the great sages arose from previous cycles, so too have they heard, through the power of the five-syllabled mantra.

तिष्ठन्ति शाश्वता धर्मा देवाः सर्वमिदं जगत् तद् इदानीं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणु चावहिताखिलम्

The eternal dharmas, the gods, and this entire universe remain; now I shall explain this—listen with full attention to all of it.

अल्पाक्षरं महार्थं च वेदसारं विमुक्तिदम् आज्ञासिद्धमसंदिग्धं वाक्यमेतच्छिवात्मकम्

This statement, concise in syllables yet vast in meaning, is the essence of the Veda, bestowing liberation, established by command, free from doubt, and of the nature of Shiva.

नानासिद्धियुतं दिव्यं लोकचित्तानुरञ्जकम् सुनिश्चितार्थं गंभीरं वाक्यं मे पारमेश्वरम्

Endowed with various perfections, divine, pleasing to the minds of beings, of certain meaning and profound—such is my supreme utterance.

मन्त्रं मुखसुखोच्चार्यम् अशेषार्थप्रसाधकम् तद्बीजं सर्वविद्यानां मन्त्रमाद्यं सुशोभनम्

The mantra, easily pronounced, accomplishes all purposes; it is the seed of all knowledge, the foremost and most beautiful of mantras.

अतिसूक्ष्मं महार्थं च ज्ञेयं तद्वटबीजवत् वेदः स त्रिगुणातीतः सर्वज्ञः सर्वकृत्प्रभुः

Extremely subtle yet of great import, to be known like the seed of the banyan tree; that Veda transcends the three gunas, is all-knowing, and the lord of all actions.

ओमित्येकाक्षरं मन्त्रं स्थितः सर्वगतः शिवः मन्त्रे षडक्षरे सूक्ष्मे पञ्चाक्षरतनुः शिवः

The one-syllabled mantra 'Om' is Shiva, present everywhere; in the subtle six-syllabled mantra, Shiva abides as the five-syllabled form.

वाच्यवाचकभावेन स्थितः साक्षात्स्वभावतः वाच्यः शिवः प्रमेयत्वान् मन्त्रस्तद्वाचकः स्मृतः

Abiding as both the signified and the signifier, directly by his own nature, Shiva is the signified because he is the object of knowledge, and the mantra is called the signifier.

वाच्यवाचकभावो ऽयम् अनादिः संस्थितस्तयोः वेदे शिवागमे वापि यत्र यत्र षडक्षरः

This relationship of signified and signifier is beginningless and established between the two, whether in the Veda or in the Shaiva scriptures, wherever the six-syllabled mantra is found.

मन्त्रः स्थितः सदा मुख्यो लोके पञ्चाक्षरो मतः किं तस्य बहुभिर् मन्त्रैः शास्त्रैर्वा बहुविस्तृतैः

The mantra always stands as the principal one; in the world, the five-syllabled mantra is considered foremost. What need is there for many mantras or for scriptures with much elaboration?

यस्यैवं हृदि संस्थो ऽयं मन्त्रः स्यात्पारमेश्वरः तेनाधीतं श्रुतं तेन तेन सर्वमनुष्ठितम्

For one in whose heart this supreme mantra abides, whatever is studied, heard, or practiced by him—all is accomplished.

यो विद्वान्वै जपेत्सम्यग् अधीत्यैव विधानतः एतावद्धि शिवज्ञानम् एतावत्परमं पदम्

Whoever, being learned, recites it properly after studying according to the rule—this alone is knowledge of Shiva, this alone is the supreme state.

एतावद् ब्रह्मविद्या च तस्मान्नित्यं जपेद्बुधः पञ्चाक्षरैः सप्रणवो मन्त्रो ऽयं हृदयं मम

This alone is Brahma-knowledge; therefore, the wise should always recite the five-syllabled mantra with the praṇava—this is my heart.

गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं साक्षान् मोक्षज्ञानम् अनुत्तमम् अस्य मन्त्रस्य वक्ष्यामि ऋषिच्छन्दो ऽधिदैवतम्

I shall explain the most secret, direct, unsurpassed knowledge of liberation, more secret than the secret, regarding this mantra—its seer, meter, and presiding deity.

बीजं शक्तिं स्वरं वर्णं स्थानं चैवाक्षरं प्रति वामदेवो नाम ऋषिः पङ्क्तिश्छन्द उदाहृतः

The seed, the power, the tone, the letter, the place for each syllable—Vamadeva is the seer, Paṅkti is the meter, as declared.

देवता शिव एवाहं मन्त्रस्यास्य वरानने नकारादीनि बीजानि पञ्चभूतात्मकानि च

O beautiful-faced one, I myself am Shiva, the deity of this mantra; the syllables beginning with 'na' are the seeds, and they are of the nature of the five elements.

आत्मानं प्रणवं विद्धि सर्वव्यापिनमव्ययम् शक्तिस्त्वमेव देवेशि सर्वदेवनमस्कृते

Know the praṇava as the Self, all-pervading and imperishable; and you, O goddess, revered by all the gods, are indeed the power.

त्वदीयं प्रणवं किंचिन् मदीयं प्रणवं तथा त्वदीयं देवि मन्त्राणां शक्तिभूतं न संशयः

Your praṇava is one thing, mine is another; your praṇava, O goddess, is the source of the mantras—of this there is no doubt.