None of the things in this world are seen to act on their own, without an intelligent cause behind them. The very understanding of righteousness and unrighteousness, as well as the notions of bondage and liberation, arises only from discernment. Without the presence of the all-knowing One, the original creation of beings does not occur—just as, without a physician, the suffering of the afflicted cannot be relieved. Therefore, Sadashiva, who is beginningless, all-knowing, and complete, exists as the Lord—the savior who rescues beings from the vast ocean of worldly existence. He is beyond beginning, middle, and end, pure by His very nature, the Lord who is all-knowing and complete. Shiva is to be known through the sacred Shiva scriptures. His very name is this mantra, and He is remembered as the One signified by it. Because of the deep relationship between name and the named, the mantra itself is established as the supreme Shiva. This alone is the true knowledge of Shiva, this alone is the supreme state: the six-syllabled Shiva mantra—'Om Namah Shivaya.' This Shaiva statement is not mere praise but an injunction, and is of the very nature of Shiva Himself—who is all-knowing, perfectly complete, and pure. As the benefactor of all worlds, how could He ever speak falsely? Whatever exists, with its qualities and its faults, exists by its own nature. And whatever result is perfect, the all-knowing One teaches accordingly; only someone afflicted by faults such as passion and ignorance would speak untruth. But such faults do not exist in the Lord—how could He speak otherwise? What is composed by Shiva, the all-knowing and free from every unknown flaw, is a pure and authoritative statement, beyond all doubt. Therefore, the words of the Lord are to be trusted by the wise. In matters of merit and demerit as they truly are, one who lacks faith in His words falls from the path. Whatever noble words have been spoken by the great sages—peaceful and wise—for the attainment of heaven and liberation, those too are to be known as well-spoken. Speech that follows attachment, aversion, falsehood, anger, desire, or craving is called harsh speech, for it leads to suffering and hell. What use is even the most gentle or elegant Sanskrit if it is spoken with ignorance and attachment, causing the suffering of worldly existence? That speech, even if unrefined, which when heard brings about welfare and casts doubt upon attachment and the like, should be known as auspicious. Though there are many mantras, none is equal anywhere to the pure mantra composed by the all-knowing Shiva. Even the Vedas and their branches, established in the six-syllable mantra, are not equal to it; nor is any other mantra comparable. Though there are seventy million great mantras and countless subsidiary mantras, the six-syllable mantra stands apart, like a thread running through woven cloth. All the teachings about Shiva and all sources of knowledge are, in essence, commentaries on the six-syllable mantra. What is the use of many mantras or scriptures with elaborate explanations, for one whose heart is established in the mantra 'Obeisance to Shiva'? All that is studied, heard, or performed is accomplished by one who has firmly practiced the mantra 'Obeisance to Shiva.' For one whose tongue always utters the three syllables 'to Shiva,' joined with acts of salutation, his life is truly fruitful. Whether outcaste, lowest-born, ignorant, or learned—whoever is steadfast in reciting the five-syllable mantra is freed from the cage of sin. Thus has it been spoken by the Lord, the Trident-bearer, in response to the Goddess's question, for the benefit of all mortals, especially the twice-born. In the Kali age, when the times are corrupt, unconquerable, and hard to overcome, when the world is covered by the greatest impurity and has turned away from righteousness—when the practices of caste and stage of life have declined, when hardship has arisen, and all authority is in doubt or transition—when instruction has ceased and the tradition of teacher and disciple is lost, the Goddess asks: by what means are Your devotees liberated, O Great Lord? The Lord replies: Those men of the Kali age who take refuge in my supreme, heartfelt five-syllable mantra, and who are devoted in mind, are liberated. For those corrupted by faults of mind, speech, and body—for the ungrateful, the slanderers, and the deceitful, who are unable even to speak or remember—even for the greedy and those with crooked minds, if their hearts are inclined toward me, my five-syllable mantra carries them across the fear of worldly existence. O Goddess, I have declared this again and again on earth: even if my devotee falls, by means of this knowledge he is liberated. But if a mortal is unfit for action and falls in every way, then by that ineligibility, whatever deed is done leads to hell; so how could one fallen be freed by this knowledge alone? What you have said is true, O beautiful one. Therefore, listen to this secret which I once concealed, considering it so. If one who has fallen, deluded, worships me with a mantra, there is no doubt he becomes hell-bound if it is without my five-syllabled mantra. Those who subsist on water or air, and others who are emaciated by vows—by these vows alone, they do not attain my world. But whoever worships me even once with devotion using the five-syllabled mantra, he too attains my abode, due to the greatness of this mantra. Therefore, austerities, sacrifices, vows, and observances—even in a fraction of a crore—are not equal to the worship of the five-syllabled mantra. Whether bound or liberated from bonds, whoever worships me with the five-syllabled mantra is freed—there is no need for further consideration. Whether without anger or with anger, whoever worships with the five-syllabled mantra, even if fallen or deluded, that person is liberated. O Goddess, whether with the six-syllabled or the five-syllabled mantra, if one worships me with devotion in the proper manner, he is liberated.