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The Power of Mantras like the Panchakshari Shiva Mantra
The World of mantras is fascinating. Mantras have the power to integrate our dispersed consciousness. Our mind, which includes our intellect and ego, in its so-called normal state, is not aligned.
Our thoughts and emotions are so out of sync that we fail to strike a balance within and without. Therefore Mantras can serve as the right tool not only to balance ourselves but also to attract all those energies which we lack within ourselves. The Namah Shivaya Mantra is one such formula that can give us all that we lack.
Syllables of the Panchakshari Shiva Mantra
I have deliberately left out the Beeja Aum out of the Mantra. Panchakshari means 5 syllables. If Om is included then it becomes a six syllabled mantra. Na-Mah-Shi-Va-Ya adds up to exactly 5 syllables which can be chanted by both men and women.
It is important that children only recite this mantra under the guidance of their parents.
Chanting this Namah Shivaya Panchakshari Mantra comes with untold benefits. The mantra becomes extremely powerful if one observes fasts on Mondays and Pradosha days.
7/8 Questions from Sanatana Dharma
The scores generated in this Quiz may or may not be absolute. There may be right or wrong answers to each Question. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
What is the Pradosham?
The thirteenth day of every fortnight of the Hindu calendar is marked as Pradosham.
One needs to observe fasts without fail, especially when one has taken up the chanting of the Namah Shivaya Mantra.
Ideally one requires to chant this mantra 1008 times daily, starting from Shivaratri Night, after having a bath in the evening. It is ideal to chant the mantra in a Shiva temple every evening sitting in front of the Shiva Lingam.
Some Immediate Benefits of Chanting the Panchakshari Mantra
Having a bath is important before one enters the Shiva temple, especially when one has taken up chanting the Namah Shivaya Mantra for a purpose. It is common observation that even chanting Namah Shivaya continuously during one’s waking hours, is said to relieve one from court cases.
Even deadly diseases are cured. The relief from diseases does not mean that one will be simply cured without medication. Chanting the Panchakshari mantra will get the right doctor and medication quite magically and cure one of all physical and mental illnesses.
One should understand that we have to do whatever that needs to be done, in terms of our effort to attain a certain goal. The mantra chanting will remove all unprecedented obstacles from the path just as water dissolves salt without a trace.
The Shiva Panchakshari Mantra is effective for Goal Attainments
The mantra shall also start giving you the right inspiration to start new projects and motivate you to perform actions, which you would never have dreamed of taking up under normal conditions. The chanting of the Panchakshari mantra also stops you from being sentimental and overtly result driven.
It will stop you from taking unnecessary projects or coming to wrong conclusions.
I have myself benefited greatly from the Panchakshari Mantra.
Realizations on Lord Shiva
Why should Shiva Mantras be chanted?
Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati are the Masters of the Material Universe. Lord Shiva of the Material Universe is called Shankara and Devi Parvati is called Devi Durga, in the material universe. Lord Shiva also represents Guru. Without Guru, higher attainments are impossible. So, without Lord Shiva’s consent nobody can rise to spiritual heights. Just as the Guru is not optional for spiritual growth, Worship of Lord Shiva is not optional if at all we want to rise spiritually.
Why do people worship Lord Shiva more naturally compared to Lord Vishnu, especially in Kaliyuga?
People believe that Lord Shiva fulfills material desires. On the other-hand people of the religious kind feel that Lord Vishnu tests the devotee too much and may even take away things that people own. Lord Shiva has also earned the name Bholenath, means the simple innocent Lord who satisfies all desires of the devotee unconditionally. This is the reason why Lord Shiva seems to have more following on this material plane, when compared to Lord Vishnu.
General Rules for Chanting the Shiva Mantra
The Panchakshari Mantra becomes particularly safe without the Beeja Akshara AUM.
This makes the mantra highly generic with minor restrictions. You have to take up a Sankalpa or a solemn promise of how long you are about to chant the mantra.
If you decide to chant the mantra for a month, then you should avoid drinking, smoking, eating non-vegetarian or indulging in illicit sex for the period that you are going to chant the mantra.
Mantra Punishes Miscreant Careless Mantra Chanters
So it goes without saying that if you like to chant the mantra lifelong then you have to give up these habits once and for all. I have heard of cases where the mantra punishes people who indulge in bad habits when they are under solemn oath of chanting the mantra.
Yet the mantra is like our parent and the punishments although are sometimes painful, it can be compared to the punishment of a loving but strict father on his disobedient son.
However if we behave ourselves really well, when we are under oath, the mantra can shower untold benefits on us.
Long Term Benefits of Chanting the Panchakshari Mantra
The Panchakshari Mantra is said to bless the chanter with wealth, if one does the practice with that desire. Yet the receipt of such wealth is for a higher purpose. It cannot be squandered away for sense enjoyment. Some practitioners are known to attain certain siddhis or spiritual attainments so that they can serve society.
Simple Process to Chant the Panchakshari
I am detailing a simple process of taking up the Panchakshari mantra sadhana process.
We can begin this practice from Shivaratri night. After having a bath, one has to dress oneself in white. White is a representation of the Moon God, Chandra Deva. This will keep our body cool.
Ladies can wear light coloured Indian attire while men can wear white coloured Dhoti with upper wear. We have to create a small image of Lord Ganesha with wet turmeric powder.
We should be sitting facing east, if we are doing the ritual in the morning and sitting facing west when we perform the ritual in the evening. Place the deity of Ganesh in front of you. Offer 108 red coloured Hibiscus flowers saying the mantra “Om Gam Ganapataye Namah”.
If 108 flowers are not available, one can offer 11 such flowers to Lord Ganesha.
You can find the video Incredible Benefits of Chanting Ganesh Mantra on our channel useful. As you offer flowers to Lord Ganesha, we pray in the heart that all obstacles prior to taking up the chanting of the Namah Shivaya mantra should be removed.
After we complete the offering of the flowers to Lord Ganesha, we take up a Panchmukhi Rudraksha or the five faced rosary beads of Rudraksha. We wash the Rudraksha lightly with rose water.
Then holding a little water on the right palm we take a solemn promise to perform the chanting of the Namah Shivaya Mantra for 11, 21 or 41 days.
We avoid the basic rules of no meat eating, no intoxicants, no gambling and no illicit sex during the course of sadhana. We should also avoid having garlic and onions during the course of sadhana.
We then chant the Namah Shivaya Mantra on the Rudraksha beads which are 108 in number. After we chant the fixed number of rounds (108 X 11 or 108 X 21) we prostrate in the direction in which we chanted the rounds with the mood that Lord Shiva is present before us and accepting our chants.
After we conclude chanting, we should take the Ganesha image of turmeric and dissolve it under flowing water. Ideally this process is to be carried out every day. But creating the Ganesha image on a daily basis can be optional.
We can still chant Ganesha Mantra 11 times daily before starting to chant the Shiva Mantra. Once we conclude the prescribed number of chanting as per our solemn promise, we should visit our nearest Shiva Temple and offer Water, milk, Yogurt, Honey, Sugar etc to the Shiva Lingam, as the concluding part of our sadhana of chanting. This will ensure the fructification of our chanting endeavour.
