OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
Om Namah Shivaya, Panchakshara
(five-syllable mantra, excluding Om) is Beeja Mool Mantra for Lord
Shiva. It is part of the Shri Rudram
Chamakam, a prayer taken from the Yajurveda.
Shivaya is the holy name of Lord
Shiva. Om
Namah Shivaya means "Om and salutations to Lord Shiva."
“Namah
Shivaya”:
There are different meaning of the
two words Namah Shivaya in the
mantra Om Namah Shivaya, such as: in
Namah (Na is the Lord's hidden
grace, Ma is the World) and in Shivaya (Si stands for Shiva,
Va is Shiva’s revealing grace and Ya is the Soul).
Some texts refer to Namah Shivaya - five letters (Panchakshara)
as the forms of Lord Shiva, such as: Na-gendra (one
who wears a garland of snakes), Ma-ndakini (one who is bathed by the
water of the Ganges), Shi (the supreme Lord Shiva), Va-shishta (one who is praised by the Sage
Vashishta), and Ya-ksha (one who takes the form of Yaksha).
As we chant the five syllables Namah Shivaya, the five elements that
comprise the body are purified. Each of the syllables corresponds to one of
these elements, such as: Na to the Earth, Ma to the Water, Shi to the Fire, Va to the Air and the Ya to the Ether (sky)
element. Each syllable purifies its corresponding element. As long as the body
and the mind are not completely pure, one cannot fully benefit from spiritual
practice. Therefore, Om Namah Shivaya
mantra is there to help cleanse our mind and soul from impurity of material
world.
Impact
of Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya:
Om Namah Shivaya means "Om,
I bow to Shiva – Salutation to Lord Shiva". Lord Shiva is the supreme reality, the inner Self. It is the name given to consciousness that dwells in all. Om Namah Shivaya is a very powerful
mantra. Om Namah Shivaya mantra is
free of all Vedic rituals and restrictions; no ceremonies, nor an auspicious
time or a particular place is required to chant and repeat this mantra. It can
be repeated by anyone no matter what state a person is in, it will purify
person’s body, mind, intellect and soul. The mantra is most effective when
synchronized with the breathing. The most effective way to use it is to repeat Om on the in-breath and Namah Shivaya on the out-breath.
The chanting of Om
Namah Shivya is just like meditating upon the energy of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is often referred to as the part of the Trinity which has dominion over death
and destruction. Lord Shiva is also
considered the greatest of the yogis and the lord of meditation. The chanting
of Om Namah Shivaya, brings Lord Shiva and all His energies to
bless and lead us to the highest state of peace and meditation.
Om Namo
Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is known as a Mukti, or liberation, Mantra.
It is a spiritual formula for attaining freedom. Consistent chanting of this
mantra will eventually, free from the cycles of rebirth. Thus mantra can be
translated as:
"Om and salutations to
the Indwelling One, substance of the Divine" OR
“O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I
offer my respectful obeisance unto You”
The mantra is mentioned and
elaborated clearly in the first verse of Srimad
Bhagavatam Canto 1 Ch 1:
“O my Lord, Shri Krishna, son of Vasudeva,
O all-pervading Personality of Godhead,
I offer my respectful obeisance unto You. I meditate upon Lord Shri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause
of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested
universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and
He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who
first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahma ji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages
and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory
representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of
Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the
three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore
meditate upon Him, Lord Shri Krishna,
who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free
from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him,
for He is the Absolute Truth.”
Sources: Wikipedia, Google.com.