Download PDF

Shiva Panchakshara Stotram

The Shiva Panchakshara Stotram - Adi Shankaracharya's hymn built around the five sacred syllables of "Om Namah Shivaya".

नागेन्द्रहाराय त्रिलोचनाय
भस्माङ्गरागाय महेश्वराय।
नित्याय शुद्धाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै "न"काराय नमः शिवाय॥१॥

मन्दाकिनीसलिलचन्दनचर्चिताय
नन्दीश्वरप्रमथनाथमहेश्वराय।
मन्दारपुष्पबहुपुष्पसुपूजिताय
तस्मै "म"काराय नमः शिवाय॥२॥

शिवाय गौरीवदनाब्जबृन्द
सूर्याय दक्षाध्वरनाशकाय।
श्रीनीलकण्ठाय वृषध्वजाय
तस्मै "शि"काराय नमः शिवाय॥३॥

वसिष्ठकुम्भोद्भवगौतमार्य
मुनीन्द्रदेवार्चितशेखराय।
चन्द्रार्कवैश्वानरलोचनाय
तस्मै "व"काराय नमः शिवाय॥४॥

यक्षस्वरूपाय जटाधराय
पिनाकहस्ताय सनातनाय।
दिव्याय देवाय दिगम्बराय
तस्मै "य"काराय नमः शिवाय॥५॥

पञ्चाक्षरमिदं पुण्यं यः पठेच्छिवसन्निधौ।
शिवलोकमवाप्नोति शिवेन सह मोदते॥

nagendraharaya trilochanaya
bhasmangaragaya maheshvaraya।
nityaya shuddhaya digambaraya
tasmai "na"karaya namah shivaya॥1॥

mandakinisalilachandanacharchitaya
nandishvarapramathanathamaheshvaraya।
mandarapushpabahupushpasupujitaya
tasmai "ma"karaya namah shivaya॥2॥

shivaya gaurivadanabjabrinda
suryaya dakshadhvaranashakaya।
shrinilakanthaya vrishadhvajaya
tasmai "shi"karaya namah shivaya॥3॥

vasishthakumbhodbhavagautamarya
munindradevarchitashekharaya।
chandrarkavaishvanaralochanaya
tasmai "va"karaya namah shivaya॥4॥

yakshasvarupaya jatadharaya
pinakahastaya sanatanaya।
divyaya devaya digambaraya
tasmai "ya"karaya namah shivaya॥5॥

panchaksharamidam punyam yah pathechchhivasannidhau।
shivalokamavapnoti shivena saha modate॥

Frequently asked questions about Shiva Panchakshara Stotram

How is this stotram built?

Adi Shankaracharya took the five syllables of Om Namah Shivaya and gave each a verse - na, ma, shi, va, ya - so the hymn is a commentary on the mantra in the shape of a praise. Each verse ends with namah shivaya on that syllable.

When is it recited?

Mondays, Pradosh, Shravan and Maha Shivaratri, and daily by those keeping a short Shiva practice. Five verses take a minute, which is part of why it is so widely used.

Should the Panchakshari mantra be chanted with it?

Naturally, yes - the stotram is the hymn and the Panchakshari the japa drawn from it. Recite the five verses and then keep a mala of the mantra.

What do the five syllables stand for?

The tradition maps them onto the five elements, earth through space, and onto Shiva's five faces. Shankara's verses do not labour the correspondence; they simply describe Shiva afresh under each sound.

Is initiation needed?

No. Both the stotram and the mantra it is built on are open to everyone - the Panchakshari is the most freely chanted of all Shiva mantras.

About the Shiva Panchakshara Stotram

The Shiva Panchakshara Stotram - Adi Shankaracharya's hymn built around the five sacred syllables of "Om Namah Shivaya".

Meaning

Each of the five verses begins with one syllable of "Na-Ma-Shi-Va-Ya", praising Shiva adorned with serpents, smeared with ash, lord of Gauri and the gods.

Benefits

Recited to invoke the power of the Panchakshari mantra for peace, purification and Shiva's blessings; said to grant a place in Shiva's world.

The Shiva Panchakshara Stotram above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with - switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.

A stotram is a longer Sanskrit hymn of praise, not a forty-verse chalisa and not the lamp-song of an aarti. Browse every stotra on the Stotram index. For japa of a short formula use a mantra. The steps of worship around the recitation are in Puja Vidhi.