Desiring to bring forth the three worlds, the Grandfather of all, Brahmā, began his work of creation. Without attachment and needing no assistance, he first manifested from his own mind ten great sages, radiant with immense energy. These noble beings, the mind-born sons, were to become the seeds of all further creation. But for their power and growth, Brahmā turned to me, Maheśvara, and addressed me with reverence: “O Great Lord, bestow your power upon my sons, O Maheśvara.” Thus entreated, I, Śiva, bearing five faces, spoke aloud to the Lotus-born Brahmā the five sacred syllables, each in their proper order. Brahmā, himself five-faced, received these divine sounds. Through the union of word and meaning, he came to know me—Maheśvara—in truth. Having grasped the manifold uses of the mantra, Brahmā, master of sacred utterance, imparted both the mantra and its meaning to his sons, just as he had received it. The ten sages, having received this jewel of mantras directly from Brahmā, the Grandfather of all worlds, followed the prescribed path and turned their minds to my worship, eager for its fruits. On the splendid summit of Meru stands a mountain named Munjavat, ever dear to me, ever radiant, and always guarded by my devoted followers. There, near that sacred place, the sages, intent on world-creation, undertook severe austerities. For a divine thousand years, they subsisted on nothing but air, their focus unwavering. Moved by their devotion, I manifested before them at once, accompanied by the seer, the meter, the pin, the seed-power, and the deity—all aspects of the mantra. For the furtherance of creation, I taught them the sixfold nyāsa, the binding of directions, and all the applications of the mantra, holding nothing back. Thus empowered by the greatness of the mantra, the sages—accomplished in their austerities—proceeded to create the gods, the asuras, and humankind in proper order. Now, hear the true nature of this supreme knowledge. First, one must utter “salutation,” then “to Śiva,” and then the rest. This is the five-syllabled knowledge, foremost among all the Vedas, the eternal seed of all beings and of everything that exists. This mantra, first spoken from my own mouth, is my very speech—resplendent like molten gold, with full and elevated breasts. She is four-armed, three-eyed, adorned with a crescent moon upon her brow, holding a lotus and a blue lotus, gentle, with hands granting boons and dispelling fear. Radiant with all marks of beauty, adorned with every ornament, she is seated upon a white lotus, her hair dark and curly. Her form shines with five colors—yellow, black, smoky, golden, and red—each glowing with radiant circles. 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, the second is the seed, the fourth (which is long at the beginning) is the third, and the fifth is declared to be the power. Vāmadeva is the seer, Paṅkti is the meter, and I, Śiva, am the deity of this mantra. For each syllable, the sages remembered are Gautama, Atri, Viśvāmitra, Aṅgiras, and Bharadvāja, in that order. The meters are Gāyatrī, Anuṣṭup, Triṣṭup, Bṛhatī, and Virāṭ; the corresponding deities are Indra, Rudra, Hari, Brahmā, and Skanda. I am said to have five faces; from the east upward, the syllables beginning with “na” are arranged in their proper places. The first syllable is unaspirated, the fourth is the second, the fifth is svarita (intoned), and the third is 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 the head, “ma” is the crest, “śi” is the armor, “va” is the eye, and “ya” is the missile. When “namaḥ,” “svāhā,” “vaṣaṭ,” “huṃ,” “vauṣaṭ,” and “phaṭ” are placed at the end of the syllables, they become the mantra’s limbs. Even this root-mantra, in some variations, has its fifth syllable adorned with twelve vowels. Therefore, with this mantra, one should worship me with mind, speech, and body, as well as through recitation, oblation, and similar acts—according to one’s understanding, time, scriptural knowledge, capacity, resources, fitness, and inclination. Whenever, wherever, by whomever, and however worship is performed with devotion, O beautiful goddess, it leads to liberation. Whatever is done with a mind devoted to me, whether in proper order or not, if it is dear to me and auspicious, I accept it. Nonetheless, for my devotees who are not utterly helpless, I have established rules for them in all the scriptures. Now, I shall first explain the auspicious collection of mantras, without which recitation is fruitless, and by which it becomes fruitful. A recitation that lacks proper command, lacks correct action, lacks faith, is done without purpose, lacks offering, or is always performed mechanically—such a recitation is fruitless. But when it is established with proper command, action, faith, and offering, then the mantra attains success and yields great fruit. Therefore, one should approach a guru—a learned Brahmin, a teacher who knows the truth, endowed with good qualities, and devoted to meditation and yoga—for instruction in recitation. With pure intent, one should strive to please the teacher by every effort—through speech, mind, body, and wealth. A Brahmin should always worship the teacher with utmost effort, offering elephants, horses, chariots, jewels, lands, and houses. He should also give ornaments, garments, grains, and wealth to the guru with devotion, according to his ability. Thus, through devotion, proper practice, and reverence to the teacher, the supreme mantra bestows its blessings and brings forth the fruit of liberation.