Om Namah Shivaya - Interpretation in Modern Shaivaism

Interpretation in Modern Shaivaism

The meaning of the Namaḥ Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami:

Namaḥ Śivāya is the most holy name of God Śiva, recorded at the very center of the Vedas and elaborated in the Śaiva Agamas.

Na is the Lord's concealing grace, Ma is the world, Śi stands for Śiva, Va is His revealing grace, Ya is the soul. The five elements, too, are embodied in this ancient formula for invocation. Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā is air, and Ya is ether, or Ākāśa. Many are its meanings.

Namaḥ Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward in salvaging the soul from bondage of the treacherous instinctive mind and the steel bands of a perfected externalized intellect. Namaḥ Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.

The holy Natchintanai proclaims, "Namaḥ Śivāya is in truth both Āgama and Veda. Namah Śivāya represents all mantras and tantras. Namaḥ Śivaya is our souls, our bodies and possessions. Namaḥ Śivāya has become our sure protection."|Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.

The book "The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony: Volume I" by Thomas Ashley-Farrand defines Om Namah Shivaya as:

"This mantra has no direct translation. The sounds relate directly to the principles which govern each of the first five chakras on the spine...Earth, water, fire, air, ether. Notice that this does not refer to the chakras themselves which have a different set of seed sounds, but rather, the principles which govern those chakras in their place. A very rough, non-literal translation could be something like, 'Om and salutations to that which I am capable of becoming.' This mantra will start one out on the path of subtle development of spiritual attainments. It is the beginning on the path of Siddha Yoga, or the Yoga of Perfection of the Divine Vehicle."

The Sanskrit Sloka and its translation:

naagEndrahaaraaya trilOchanaaya
bhasmaangaraagaaya mahESvaraaya |
nityaaya Suddhaaya digambaraaya
tasmai na kaaraaya namaH Sivaaya ||

I offer my humble salutations to Lord Mahesvara - who has a garland of serpents around the neck; who has three eyes; whose body is covered with vibhuti; who is eternal; who is pure; who has the entire sky as His dress and who is embodies as the first letter Na.

mandaakinee salila chandana charchitaaya
nandeeSvara pramathanaatha mahESvaraaya |
mandaara mukhya bahupuShpa supoojitaaya
tasmai ma kaaraaya namaH Sivaaya ||

I bow to Lord Mahesvara, who is embodied as Makaara (letter Ma), whose body is anointed with holy waters from the river Ganges and sandal paste, who is the sovereign king of the Pramatha Ganas and who is adorned with innumerable divine flowers such as Mandaara.

Sivaaya gauree vadanaabja bRunda
sooryaaya dakShaadhvara naaSakaaya |
Sree neelakaNThaaya vRuShabhadhvajaaya
tasmai Si kaaraaya namaH Sivaaya ||

I offer my salutations to Lord Shiva, who is the resplendent sun for mother Gauri's lotus face (sun causes the lotus flower to open up and bloom; Lord Shiva makes mother Gauri's face bloom), who is the destroyer of Daksha's sacrificial ritual, who is the blue necked Lord (due to the Haalahala poison which He agreed to consume), whose banner bears the emblem of a bull and who is embodied as the letter Shi.

vaSiShTha kumbhOdbhava gautamaarya
muneendra dEvaarchita SEkharaaya |
chandraarka vaiSvaanara lOchanaaya
tasmai va kaaraaya namaH Sivaaya ||

I prostrate before the God of Gods, who is worshipped and prayed to by great sages such as Vashishta, Agastya and Gautama, whose eyes are sun, moon and the fire and who is embodied as Vakaara (letter Va).

yagnya svaroopaaya jaTaadharaaya
pinaaka hastaaya sanaatanaaya |
divyaaya dEvaaya digambaraaya
tasmai ya kaaraaya namaH Sivaaya ||

Prostrations to the sacred Lord who is the Yaksa incarnate, whose hair is long and matted, who holds Pinaaka (trident) in His hand, who has the entire sky as His attire and who is embodied as the letter Ya.

panchaakSharamidam puNyam yaH paThEcChiva sannidhau |
SivalOkamavaapnOti SivEna saha mOdatE ||

Whoever repeats this prayer composed with the five holy letters before Lord Shiva, attains that supreme abode of His and enjoys eternal bliss.
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