Therefore, the wise place their trust in the words of the Lord, for in matters of merit and demerit, as they truly are, one who lacks faith in these divine teachings inevitably falls from the path. The words uttered by the great sages—those peaceful and wise ones—spoken for the attainment of heaven and liberation, are to be recognized as truly well-spoken. In contrast, any speech that arises from attachment, aversion, falsehood, anger, desire, or craving is known as harsh speech, for such words lead one toward suffering and hell. What value is there even in gentle or elegant Sanskrit, if it is spoken with ignorance and attachment, only to increase the suffering of worldly existence? Rather, that speech—even if unrefined—which, when heard, brings about welfare and sows doubt about attachment and similar faults, should be understood as auspicious. Among all mantras, none anywhere equals the pure mantra composed by the all-knowing Shiva. Even the Vedas and their many branches, though established in the six-syllable mantra, are not its equal; nor is any other mantra comparable. Though there are seventy million great mantras and countless subsidiary ones, the six-syllable mantra stands apart, like a thread running through woven cloth. All teachings about Shiva, and all sources of knowledge, are in essence but commentaries on this six-syllable mantra. Of what use are many mantras or scriptures with elaborate explanations for one whose heart is firmly established in the mantra "Obeisance to Shiva"? For such a person, all that is studied, heard, or performed finds its fulfillment through the steadfast practice of this sacred invocation. One whose tongue always utters the three syllables "to Shiva," accompanied by acts of salutation, lives a truly fruitful life. Regardless of whether one is an outcaste, of the lowest birth, ignorant or learned—whoever is steadfast in reciting the five-syllable mantra is released from the cage of sin. Thus has the Lord, the Trident-bearer, spoken these words in response to the Goddess's question, for the benefit of all mortals, and especially for the twice-born. In the age of Kali, when time itself is corrupt, unconquerable, and difficult 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, O Great Lord, are your devotees liberated in such a time?" 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. Even 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 safely across the fear of worldly existence. "O Goddess, I have repeatedly declared this on earth: even if my devotee falls, by means of this knowledge, he is liberated. Yet, if a mortal is unfit for action and falls in every way, then by the ineligibility for action, whatever deed is done leads to hell; so how could one fallen be freed by this knowledge?" The Goddess affirms this, and the Lord continues, "What you have said is true; therefore, listen, O beautiful one, to this secret which I once concealed, considering it to be so. "If one who has fallen and is deluded worships me with a mantra, but without my five-syllabled mantra, there is no doubt he becomes hell-bound. 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, owing 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 offered with 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, whether fallen or deluded, whoever worships with the five-syllabled mantra is liberated. "O Goddess, whether with the six-syllabled or the five-syllabled mantra, if one worships me with devotion in the proper manner, such a person is liberated. Whether fallen or not, whether he has conquered anger or not, whether he has attained realization or not, my devotee who worships me with this mantra is uplifted. Whether attained or not attained here, he is many millions of times greater; therefore, O Goddess, having attained me, one should worship me with this mantra. "But whoever, having attained, worships me with qualities such as friendliness, devoted to celibacy and with true devotion, attains likeness to me. Why say much more? All my devotees are capable of everything; yet among them, the one devoted to the five-syllabled mantra is the most excellent. "By the power of the five-syllabled mantra, the worlds, the Vedas, the great sages, the eternal laws, the gods, and all this universe are sustained. When dissolution arrives and all that is moving and unmoving is destroyed, everything returns to its primal nature and merges there. Then I alone remain, O Goddess; there is no second anywhere. At that time, the Vedas and all the scriptures are established in the five-syllabled mantra. They do not meet destruction, for they are protected by my power; then creation arises from me, through the distinction of nature and self. "Then, when the dissolution of the inner qualities takes place, the god Nārāyaṇa, embodying those qualities, lies down, assuming a body made of Māyā. Reclining upon the serpent-bed in the midst of the waters, from the lotus arising from his navel was born the five-faced Grandfather, the creator himself." Thus, the Lord reveals the supreme secret of liberation in the age of decline, exalting above all the power and grace of the five-syllabled mantra devoted to Shiva.