O Goddess, listen to the wondrous power and glory of my mantra. Whether my devotee is fallen or steadfast, whether he has conquered anger or not, whether he has attained spiritual heights or still strives, it matters not. Whoever worships me with this mantra, in whatever state, is many millions of times greater than others. Therefore, O Goddess, after attaining me, one should continue to worship me with this sacred formula. Yet among those who have attained, the devotee who worships me with qualities of friendliness, celibacy, and unwavering devotion, attains likeness to myself. Why speak at length? All my devotees are capable of everything, but among them, the one devoted to the five-syllabled mantra shines as the most excellent. By the power of this five-syllabled mantra, the worlds, the Vedas, the great sages, the eternal laws, the gods, and all of creation are sustained. When dissolution arrives and all that moves and does not move is destroyed, everything returns to its original nature and merges there. Then, O Goddess, I alone remain; there is no second anywhere. At that time, the Vedas and all scriptures are established within the five-syllabled mantra. They do not reach destruction, for my power protects them. Then, from me, creation arises again, through the distinction of nature and self. When the dissolution of 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, the five-faced Grandfather—Brahmā—was born. Desiring to create the three worlds, unattached and without assistance, he first brought forth from his mind ten great sages, each possessing immense energy. For their attainment and growth, the Grandfather addressed me, saying, “O Great Lord, bestow power upon my sons, O Maheśvara.” Thus requested, I, bearing five faces, spoke the five sacred syllables in order to the Lotus-born. The Grandfather of the worlds, with his five faces, received them, and through the relationship of word and meaning, he came to know me, Maheśvara. Understanding their various applications, the Lord of creatures, accomplished in mantra, gave the mantra and its meaning to his sons, just as it was received. And they, having received this jewel of mantras directly from the Grandfather, followed the prescribed path and desired my worship. On the beautiful summit of Meru stands a mountain named Munjavat, ever dear to me, splendid, and always protected by my devotees. Near that place, eager to create the world, the sages performed intense austerity for a divine thousand years, subsisting on air alone. Seeing their devotion, I immediately became manifest before them, along with the seer, the meter, the pin, the seed-power, and the deity. For the increase of the world’s creation, I taught them the sixfold nyāsa, the binding of directions, and all the applications in their entirety. Then, empowered by the greatness of the mantra, the sages, accomplished in austerity, properly carried out the creation of gods, asuras, and humans. Now, O Goddess, the true nature of this supreme knowledge will be described. First, one must utter “salutation,” then “to Śiva,” followed by the rest. This is the five-syllabled knowledge, found at the head of all the Vedas, the eternal seed of all beings and of everything. First uttered from my own mouth, it is my very speech, resplendent like molten gold, with full and elevated breasts. She is four-armed, three-eyed, adorned with a crescent moon as her crest, holding a lotus and a blue lotus, gentle, with hands granting boons and dispelling fear. Endowed with all marks of beauty, adorned with every ornament, seated on a white lotus, with dark, curly hair. She has five kinds of colors, shining with radiant circles: yellow, black, smoky, golden, and red. These colors are to be applied separately unless adorned with bindu and nāda; the bindu resembles a half-moon, and the nāda is shaped like a lamp’s flame. Among the syllables of this mantra, O beautiful-faced one, the second is the seed; the fourth, which is long at the beginning, is the third; the fifth is declared to be the power. Vāmadeva is the seer, Paṅkti is the meter, and I myself, Śiva, am the deity of this mantra. Gautama, Atri, Viśvāmitra, Aṅgiras, and Bharadvāja—these sages are remembered in order for the syllables. Gāyatrī, Anuṣṭup, Triṣṭup, Bṛhatī, and Virāṭ are the meters; Indra, Rudra, Hari, Brahmā, and Skanda are their respective deities. I am said to have five faces; in their proper places, O beautiful-faced one, from the east upward, the syllables beginning with “na” are arranged in order. The first syllable is unaspirated, the fourth is the second, the fifth is svarita (intoned), and the third is said to be nihata (suppressed). The root-vidyā, Śiva, the Śaiva sūtra, the five-syllable mantra, and my names—know these as my great Śaiva heart. The syllable “na” is called the head, “ma” is said to be the crest, “śi” is the armor, “va” is called the eye, and “ya” is the missile. “Namaḥ,” “svāhā,” “vaṣaṭ,” “huṃ,” “vauṣaṭ,” and “phaṭ”—when these are placed at the end of the syllables, they become its limbs. Even here, this root-mantra, with some variations, has the fifth syllable adorned with twelve vowels. Therefore, with this mantra, one should perform worship of us by mind, speech, and body, as well as recitation, oblation, and similar acts. All this should be done according to one’s understanding, time, scripture, capacity, ability, resources, fitness, and inclination.