Shiva raksha stotram -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

Charitham deva devasya, maha devasya pavanam,
Aparam paramodharam, chathur vargasya sadhanam., 1

The story of God of Gods,
The blessed story of Lord Shiva,
Which is great, which is elevating,
And blesses one with four types of wealth.

Gowri vinayakopetham, pancha vakthram trinethrakam,
Shivam dyathwa dasa bhujam Shiva Rakshaam paden nara., 2

After meditating on Lord Shiva,
Who has five necks and three eyes,
And who is accompanied by Parvathi and Ganesa,
Men should read the protection of Lord Shiva.

Gangadhara sira pathu, Phalam ardendu shekara,
Nayane madana dwamsi, karnou sarpa vibhooshana., 3

Let he who carries Ganga protect my head,
Let he who keeps the crescent of moon protect my forehead,
Let the killer of Cupid protect my eyes,
Let he who wears Snakes as ornament protect my ears.

Granam pathu purar aathi, mukham pathu jagath pathi,
Jihwam vaggeswara pathu, kandharam shiva kandhara., 4

Let my nose me protected by the destroyer of puras(cities),
Let my face be protected by Lord of Universe.
Let my toungue be protected by the Lord of words,
And let my neck be protected by Shiva who lives in caves.

Sri Kanda pathu may kandam, skandhou viswa durandhara,
Bhujow bhoo bhara samhartha, karou pathu pinaka dhruk., 5

Let my throat be protected by the God with a blessed throat,
Let my shoulders be protected by, he who removes ills of the world,
Let my arms be protected by he who lessens the burden of earth,
And let he who holds Pinaka bow protect my hands.

Hrudayam Shankara Pathu, jataram girija pathi,
Nabhim mruthyunjaya pathu, katim vyagra jinambara., 6

Let Shankara protect my heart,
Let my belly be protected by consort of Girija,
Let my navel be protected by he who won over death,
And let my waist be protected by he who dresses in Tiger skin.

Sakthinee pathu deenartha, saranagatha vathsala,
Ooru maheswara pathu, janunee jagad easwara., 7

Let the God who takes mercy on the oppressed,
Who is dear to those who surrender to him protect my joints,
Let my thighs be protected by the great God,
And knees by the God of the universe.

Jange pathu jagath kartha, gulphou pathu ganathipa,
Charanou Karuna Sindhu, sarvangani sada shiva., 8

Let my calves be protected by the creator of the world,
Lat my ankles be protected by leader of Ganas,
Let my feet be protected by ocean of mercy,
And let all my body parts be protected by Sada Shiva.

Yetham shiva balo petham., raksam ya sukruthee padeth,
Sa bhukthwa sakalan kaamaan, shiva sayujyamapnuyath,
Graha bhootha pisachadhya, trilokyepi charanthi ye,
Dhoorad aasu palayanthe Shiva namabhi rakshanath., 9

That blessed one who reads this protection,
Which is blessed with power of Lord Shiva,
Would get all his desires fulfilled,
Attain nearness to Lord Shiva after death,
And planets, ghosts and ghouls,
Which travel in any of the three worlds,
Would run immediately, far, far away,
Due to the protection given by names of Shiva.

Abhayam kara namedham kavacham Parvathi pathe,
Bhakthya bibarthee ya kande, thasya vasyam jagat thrayam,
Imam Narayana swapne Shiva Raksham yadha disath,
Prathar uthaya yogeendro, Yagna valya sthadha likath., 10

This armour of the names of the consort of Parvathi,
Would remove fears and provide protection,
To the devotees who sing these often,
And the lord of the three worlds would be within his hold,
For this protection of Lord Shiva was revealed,
By Lord Vishnu in the dream to Yagna Valkya,
Who wrote it, as he was told, as soon as he woke up in the morning.

Kala Bhairawa Pancha Rathnam -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

(Kalabhairava is the God who is the protector of Benares. He is supposed to be the fearsome aspect of Lord Shiva. Once Brahma insulted Lord Shiva and his fifth head teasingly laughed at Lord Shiva. From Lord Shiva came out the Kalabhairava (BlackBhairava) who tore off the fifth head of Lord Brahma. On the entreaties of Lord Vishnu, Shiva pardoned Lord Brahma. But the sin (in the form of a lady) of beheading Lord Brahma followed Kalabhairava everywhere. Also the head of Brahma stuck to him. To keep away the sin and punishment which were chasing him, Kalabhairava entered the city of Benares. The sin could not enter the city. Kalabhairava was made as the Kotwal (Inspector general) of the city of Benares. Kalabhairava rides on a dog. A pilgrimage to Kasi (Benares) is not supposed to be complete without visiting the temple of Kalabhairava. 
Another story identifies Kalabhairava with Veerabhadra who cut off the head of Daksha the father of Sathi Devi, when he insulted lord Shiva. Sathi’s body was cut into pieces and strewn all over India giving rise to Shakthi Peetas. Outside every Shakthi Peeta is the temple for Bhairava. 
There is also another interpretation. He is the form of Shiva who controls the growth and management of time. (Kala means time). Whoever wants to spend, manage or ration their time in a proper manner should pray him. 
He is also considered as the guardian of temples of Lord Shiva. After locking the doors of the temple of Lord Shiva, the keys are ceremonially offered to Bhairava and taken back in most of the Shiva temples.) 


1.Gadgam , kapalam , Damarugam , Trisoolam, 
Hasthambhuje santhathum trinethram . 
Digambaram basma Vibhooshithangam, 
Namyaham Bhairavam Induchoodam. 

I salute Bhairava who wears the crescent, 
Who holds in his lotus like hand, 
Sword , skull , drum and trident , 
Who wears the directions as cloth, 
And who has coated his body with ash. 

2.Kavithvadham sath varameva modhaan, 
Nathalye shambhu manobhiramam, 
Namami yasee krutha sara meyam, 
Namyaham Bhairavam Induchoodam. 

I salute Bhairava who wears the crescent, 
Who is poetic and grants good boons, 
Who is Shambhu in the mind of his devotees, 
Who is bewitching to the mind, 
And Salutations to one who has made his dog famous. 

3.Jaradhi dukhouga vibhedha daksham, 
Viragi samsevya Padaravindam, 
Narapathipathwa prathamasu nandre, 
Namyaham Bhairavam Induchoodam. 

I salute Bhairava who wears the crescent, 
Who removes the sorrow of old age, 
Whose lotus like feet is worshipped by saints, 
And who is the Lord of men and great saints. 

4. Samadhi sampatj prathamana thebhyo, 
Rema thwad yachitha pada padmam, 
Samadhi nishtai sthara sadhi gamyam, 
Namyaham Bhairavam Induchoodam. 

I salute Bhairava who wears the crescent, 
Whose first wealth is Samadhi, 
Whose lotus like feet is begged by Rema, 
And who enters in to Samadhi easily. 

5.Grama gamyam, manasabhi dhooram, 
Characharasya prabhaavathi hethum, Karaba soonya mathabhiramyam, 
Namyaham Bhairavam Induchoodam. 

I salute Bhairava who wears the crescent, 
Who goes to the villages and is far away by his mind , 
Who is the cause of dazzle of moving and unmoving things, 
Who is produced from nothing and entertains his mother. 

Shiva Panchanana Stotram -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

Normally Lord Shiva is worshipped as Shiva Linga. Shivalingas with five faces are also found in some places. The Names of the five faces are:

• Sadyojat,
• Vamdev,
• Aghoraa,
• Tatpurush and
• Îshana.

These four faces of Shiva represent the four directions. The fifth face which points skywards is the universal face symbolic of purity and spiritual progress.

This rare prayer in each stanza addresses each one of these five faces of Shiva, the 4 Vedas and Om.

Praleyachala mindu kunda davalam goksheera phena prabham,
Bhasmabhyanga mananga deha dahana jwaala valee lochanam,
Vishnu brahmarul ganarchitha padanjargwedha nadhodhayam,
Vandeham sakalam kalanga rahitham Sthanormukham paschimam., 1

I salute the western face of the ever stable God,
Who is everything and without any trace of stain,
Who is as white as snow mountain, moon and the jasmine,
Who is as shining as the foam of the boiling milk,
Who has a body applied with white sacred ash,
Who has eyes which burnt the body of god of love,
Who is worshipped by Vishnu, Brahma and Ganas,
And whose reverberations give rise to Rig Veda.

Gouram kumkuma pangilam suthilakam vyapandu ganda sthalam,
Broovikshepa kadaksha veekshshana lasad samsaktha karnodhphalam,
Snighdham bimbaphaladharam prahasitham neelala kalamkrutham,
Vande yajusha veda gosha janakam vakthram harsyotharam., 2

I salute the northern face of Lord Shiva,
Which gives rise to the sound of Yajur Veda,
Who is white and has a thilaka of Kumkum,
Who shines with an extremely white neck,
Who shines with shifting side long glances,
Who is affectionate and has lips as red as a cherry,
And who is pretty with his blue hair locks and his smile.

Samvarthagni thadith prathaptha kanaka praspardhi thejo mayam,
Gambeera dhwani sama veda janakam thamradharam sundaram,
Ardhendu dhyuthi phaala pingala jata bhara prabhadhoragam,
Vande sidha surasurendra namitham poorvam mukham soolina., 3

I salute the eastern face of the holder of the trident,
Who is worshipped Sidhas, devas, asuras and their kings,
Who has more shine than the Gold purified again and again,
Who is the source of Sama Veda recited in regal tone,
Who has red pretty lips of the colour of copper,
And who has decorated his matted locks,
With the crescent of the moon and a serpent.

Kalabhra bramaranjana dhyuthi nibham vyavartha pingekshanam,
Karnodhbasitha bhoghi masthaka maniprothphulla damshtrakuram,
Sarpa prothaka pala shukthisaka lavyakeernasachhekaram,
Vande dakshina meswarasya vadanachaadharva vedhodhayam., 4

I salute the southern face of the God of all,
Which gives rise to the Atharva Veda,
Who has the shine of black cloud, bee and Collyrium,
Who has brown eyes which rotate,
Who has teeth which are clearly seen in the shine in the light,
Of the Gem in the heads of the snakes which reside in his ears,
And who has the shine of the crescent in the head decorated by the snake.

Vyaktha vyaktha niroopitham cha paramam shad thrimsa thathwadhikam,
Thasmad uthara thatwa maksharamithi dheyyam sada yogibhi,
Omkaaradhi samastha manthra janakam sookshmadhi sookshmam param,
Vande panchamamneeswarasya vadanam Kham vyapi thejo mayam., 5

I salute that fifth face facing the sky of Iswara,
Which is divine and greater than greatest,
Which is greater than the thirty six principles,
That cannot be classified as clear or unclear,
Which is meditated upon by great sages,
As the greatest and deathless principle,
Which is the origin of mantras like “Om”,
And which is smaller than the smallest.

Yethani pancha vadananbi Maheswarasya,
Ye keerthayanthi purusha sathatham pradoshe,
Gachanthi they Shiva purim ruchirair vimanai,
Kredanthi nandana vane saha loka palai.

Than man who reads this great prayer,
Addressed to the five faces of the great God,
Without fail on the Pradosha days,
Would travel in a pretty airplane to the town of Shiva,
And would spend his time playing with Gods.

Pradosha Mahima -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

Kailasa shaila bhuvane thri jaga janithreem,
Gowreedha nivesye kanakanchitha rathna peete,
Nrutham vidhthu mabhi vanchithi Soolapanau,
Deva Pradosha samaye anubhajanthi sarve., 1

During the time of Pradosha,
The Lord who holds the trident,
Makes Goddess Gowri,
Who is the mother of all the three worlds,
Sit on a golden seat inlaid with precious gems,
And prepares to dance himself,
And all the devas sing his praise at this time.

Vagdevi drutha vallaakee sathamukho
venum dhadhan padmaja-,
Sthallo nidhra karo ramaa bhagawathi,
geya prayogaanvithaa,
Vishnu saandra mrudanga vaadana patur
devas samanthath sthithaa,
Sevanthe thamara pradosha samaye
devam mrudaaneepathim., 2

The goddess of Knowledge plays Veena,
The hundred faced Indra plays the flute,
The Brahma who was born in a lotus keeps time,
The Goddess Lakshmi starts to sing,
The God Vishnu plays the drum with ease,
And all the devas stand all round in service,
And pray Lord Shiva during the time of pradosha.

Gandarwa Yaksha patha goraga siddha saadhya.
Vidhyadaraamaraapsaraso ganaascha,
Yeanyethi loka nilaya saha bhootha varga,
Prapthe pradosha samaye hara parswa samstha., 3

When the time of Pradosha arrives,
Gandarwas, Yakshas, birds, snakes, saints,
Vidhyadaras, devas, the celestial dancers, Bhoothas,
And all the beings in the three worlds,
Come and stand near The Lord Shiva.

Atha pradoshe shiva eka eva,
Poojyodhananye hari padmajadhya,
Thasmin mahese vidhinejyamane,
Sarve praseedanthi suradhi natha.., 4

So at the time of Pradosha,
There is need to worship only Shiva,
Instead of Vishnu, Brahma and others,
For the proper worship of Lord Shiva then,
Would give the effect of worshipping all gods.

Lokanahooya sarvaan vividha damarukair gora samsara magnan,
Dathwaabheetham dayalu pranatha bhava haram kunchitham vaama bhaagam,
Uddruthyedham vimukherayanamithi karadarshayan prathyayartham,
Bibradwanhim sabhaayaam kalaathi natanam ya shivo na sa paayal., 5

Let us be protected by that dancing Shiva,
Who uses the various sounds of the shaking drum,
To call all those people drowned in the fearful life,
Who indicates protection to them using his right hand held down,
Who lifts his left leg capable of killing all sorrows,
To those who fall at his feet,
Who indicates the path of salvation by his left hand held up,
And who shows that all this is true by carrying fire in the other left hand,

Sathyam braveemi, paraloka hitham braveemi,
Saaram braveemi upanishadyadhyam braveemi,
Samsaramuthbanamasar vaapya jantho,
Saroyameeswarapadhamburuhasya seva., 6

I tell the truth,
I tell what is good for the other world,
I tell the views of the Upanishads,
For every insignificant animal that is born,
The only meaningful thing is the service to God.

Yenarchayanthi gireesam samaye pradoshe,
Ye na architham shivamapi pranamanthichanye,
Ethath kadhaam sruthi putair na pibanthi mooda,
Stheya janma subhavanthi naraa daridra., 7

He who does not worship Lord Shiva during Pradosha,
He who does not at least bow before him at that time,
He who does not at least listen to the story of Shiva at that time,
Is a foolish soul who would be always poor,birth after birth.

Ye vai pradosha samaye parameswarasya,
Kurvanthyananya mansangri saroja poojaam,
Nithya pravrudha thara puthra kalathra mithra,
Soubhagya sambadadhikastha ihaiva loke., 8

He who during the time of Pradosha, worships Lord Shiva,
With full concentration using lotus flowers,
Would forever along with his children, wife and friends,
Get all wealth and all luck in a very large measure.

Linga Ashtakam -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

Brahma Murari Sura architha Lingam,
Nirmala bashitha Shobitha Lingam,
Janmaja dukha vinasaka lingam.
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and other Devas,
Which is pure and resplendent,
And which destroys sorrows of birth.

Deva Murari pravarchitha Lingam,
Kama dahana Karunakara lingam,
Ravana darpa vinashana lingam,
That pranamami sad shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is worshipped by great sages and devas,
Which destroyed the god of love,
Which showers mercy,
And which destroyed the pride of Ravana.

Sarva sukandhi sulepitha lingam,
Budhi vivarthana karana lingam,
Siddha surasura vandhitha lingam,
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is anointed by perfumes,
Which leads to growth of wisdom,
And which is worshipped by sages, devas and asuras.

Kanaka mahamani bhooshitha lingam,.
Panipathi veshtitha shobitha lingam,
Daksha suyagna vinasana lingam,
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is ornamented by gold and great jewels,
Which shines with the snake being with it,
And which destroyed the Yagna of Daksha.

Kunkuma chandana lepitha lingam,
Pankaja hara sushobitha lingam,
Sanchitha papa vinasana lingam,
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is adorned by sandal paste and saffron,
Which wears the garland of lotus flowers,
And which can destroy accumulated sins.

Deva Ganarchitha sevitha lingam,
Bhavair bakthi pravesa lingam,
Dinakara koti prabhakara lingam,
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is served by gods and other beings,
Which is the doorway for devotion and good thought,
And which shines like billions of Suns.

Ashta dalopari veshtitha lingam,
Sarva samudbhava karana lingam,
Ashta daridra vinasana lingam,
That pranamami sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is surrounded by eight petals,
Which is the prime reason of all riches,
And which destroys eight types of poverty.

Suraguru sura vara poojitha Lingam,
Sura vana pushpa sadarchitha lingam,
Parathparam paramathmaka lingam,
That pranamai sada shiva lingam.

I bow before that Lingam, which is the eternal Shiva,
Which is worshipped by the teacher of gods,
Which is worshipped by the best of gods,
Which is always worshipped by the flowers,
From the garden of Gods,
Which is the eternal abode,
And which is the ultimate truth.

Lingashtakam, Idam Punyam padeth Shiva Sannidhow,
Shivalokam avapnothi shive na sahamodathe.

Any one who chants the holy octet of the Lingam,
In the holy presence of Lord Shiva,
Would in the end reach the world of Shiva,
And keep him company.

Shadakshara Stotram -ॐ नम: शिवाय ψ

Omkaram, Bindu Samyuktham,
Nithyam, dyayanthi yogina,
Kamadam, mokshadam chaiva,
Omkaraya Namo nama., 1

Salutations and salutations to letter “om”,
Which is meditated as a letter Om with a dot,
Daily by great sages,
And leads them to fulfillment of desires,
And attainment of salvation.

Namanthi Rishayo deva,
Namanthyapsarasa gana,
Nara namanthi, devesam,
Nakaraya namo nama., 2

Salutations and salutations to letter “na”,
Which is saluted by great sages,
Which is saluted by groups of divine maidens,
And which is saluted by men and the king of devas.

Mahadevam, Mahathmanam,
Mahadyanaparayanam,
Maha papa haram devam,
Makaraya namonama., 3

Salutations and salutations to letter “ma”,
Which is saluted as greatest god,
Which is saluted by great souls,
Which is greatly meditated and read,
And which is the stealer of all sins.

Shivam Shantham jagnannatham,
Lokanugraha karakam,
Shivamekapadam nithyam,
Shikaraya namo nama., 4

Salutations and salutations to letter “Shi”,
Which is Lord Shiva,
Who is the abode of peace,
Who is the lord of the universe,
Who is the one who blesses the world,
And which is the one word that is eternal.

Vahanam Vrushabho yasya,
Vasuki Kanda Bhooshanam,
Vame Shakthi daram devam,
Vakaraya namo namo., 5

Salutations and salutations to letter “va”,
Which the God who holds in his left Goddess Shakthi,
And who rides on a bull,
And wears on his neck the snake Vasuki.

Yathra yathra sthitho deva,
Sarva vyapi maheswara,
Yo guru sarva devanam,
Yakaraya namo nama., 6

Salutations and salutations to letter “ya”,
Which is the teacher of all the devas,
Who exists wherever gods exist,
And who is the great God spread everywhere

Phalsruthi

Shadaksharamidham sthothram,
Ya padeth Shiva Sannidhou,
Shivalokamavapnothi,’Shivena Saha modathe.

If one reads this prayer of six letters,
In front of God shiva,
He would reach the world of Shiva,
And be always happy with him.

Steps of a Puja - ॐ नम: शिवाय:

Steps of a Puja
Each and every sect, family or an individual have their own way of doing Puja. Every time when you say ''samarpayami'' (I m offering), offer two akshatha with love and devotion to the lord.
(Akshatha is uncooked rice; if possible color it with kumkum, saffron powder, turmeric and a little bit of water. This can be made for a week in advance and can be kept near the Alter)
A typical Puja involves the following 27 steps:

• Dhyaanam Samarpayami (Think or meditate on the Lord)
• Aawaahanam Samarpayami (Offering invitation the Lord)
• Aasanam Samarpayami (Offer a seat to the Lord)
• Paadyam Samarpayami (Offer water to wash the feet)
• Arghyam Samarpayami (Offer water to wash the hands)
• Aachamaneeyam Samarpayami (Offer water to drink)
• Snaanam Samarpayami (Give bath to the Lord)
• Maha Abhishekam Samarpayami (Give main head bath to the Lord)
• Pratishtaapayaami (Make him seated)
• Vasthram Samarpayami (Offer clothes to the Lord)
• Yajnopaveetham Samarpayami (Offer the Holy Thread)
• Gandham Samarpayami (Offer sandalwood paste/powder)
• Akshatham Samarpayami (Offer Akshatha/ Rice)
• Pushpam Samarpayami (Offer Flowers to the Lord)
• Ashthothtra Poojam Samarpayami (Offer the holy 108 names)
• Dhoopam Aaghraapayaami (Offer Fragrance / Agarbatti)
• Deepam Darshayaami (Offer light to the lord)
• Neivedyam Samarpayami (Offer Food to the Lord)
• Phalam Samarpayami (Offer Fruits to the Lord)
• Taamboolam Samarpayami (Offer betel nut and leaves)
• Dakshinam Samarpayami (Offer money to the Lord)
• Maha Nirajanam Samarpayami (Offer aarti to the Lord)
• Pradakshinam Samarpayami (Taking clockwise rounds of arti)
• Namaskaram Samarpayami (Offer Prostrations)
• Mantra Pushpam Samarpayami (Offer incantations and flowers)
• Praarthanaam Samarpayami (Offer prayers, request your desires)
• Kshamaapanam Samarpayami (Offer apologies & ask for forgiveness)

Pradosha in 2013- ॐ नम: शिवाय:

Date	Day	Pradosham	Paksha
09 January	Wednesday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
24 January	Thursday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
08 February	Friday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
23 February	Saturday	Shani Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
09 March	Saturday	Shani Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
24 March	Sunday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
07 April	Sunday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
23 April	Tuesday	Bhauma Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
07 May	Tuesday	Bhauma Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
22 May	Wednesday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
05 June	Wednesday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
21 June	Friday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
05 July	Friday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
20 July	Saturday	Shani Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
04 August	Sunday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
18 August	Sunday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
02 September	Monday	Soma Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
17 September	Tuesday	Bhauma Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
02 October	Wednesday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
16 October	Wednesday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
01 November	Friday	Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
15 November	Friday	Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
30 November	Saturday	Shani Pradosh	Krishna Paksha
14 December	Saturday	Shani Pradosh	Shukla Paksha
30 December	Monday	Soma Pradosh	Krishna Paksha

Lingodbhavar - ॐ नम: शिवाय:

Divine, out of the symbol (lingam) that arose out of the quarrel of prime-ness (between brahma and vishnu), matted hair crested, keeping the hand on the hip, with the other hands holding deer and protection sign, in the right holding axe, having the brahma and vishnu (who sought) the transcending feet and crown, as the swan above and boar below, that lingodbhava i meditate.


Lingodbhavar: the lord appearing from the symbol. (the principle behind linga worship)
once before the creation started, a quarrel broke between brahma and vishnu as to who is great. brahma claimed he is as he is the creator of the whole world. vishnu rejected the claim saying the creation would not be useful without his sustenance of the world. the war of words between these two great divines worsened. at that point of time to make them realize the truth there appeared a pillar of fire. it was huge that both of them were astonished to see that. now as a solution to their debate they wanted to decide who is the greatest by reaching the tip of that pillar. brahma took the form of a hamsa (swan) and went up to reach the top of that pillar, vishnu took the form of a wild pig and went down to reach the bottom of that pillar and it was agreed that whoever sees the either tip would be the greatest.


That pillar was not any ordinary column of fire, it was the supreme itself, the one that is beyond form, color and qualities ! who knows the start and end of that supreme !! the two who set out on their strength to explore the endings of it went on and on only to become more and more tired and it was hopeless to find the end of it. vishnu returned realizing that it should be the parashiva which is beyond the limits that can be measured by knowledge, which has come out of its grace to bless them and make them realize the truth easily. he accepted his failure. brahma on the other hand, though realizing it is impossible to see the top of the fire column, returned lying that he saw the tip. the lie stood exposed and hence he is not worshipped. now both of them realizing the greatness of the supreme worshipped the lord shiva, the gracious one, with lots of devotion and sincerity. the lord out of the grace to bless all the pashus (souls) with a way they could easily understand and worship the supreme, which is unexplainable, unexplorable, appeared as a lingam which is a vertical pillar resembling the flame. as it resembles the flame, it is neither a form nor a formless, but is just a symbol of the supreme jyoti. the lord later appeared in a form and blessed vishnu and brahma. this lord is called lingodbhavar.

This form which came out of the formless supreme out of its grace to bless the sincere worship of brahma and vishnu and which is a from but represents the formlessness of the supreme is considered very holy by the shaivites. the shiva linga (meaning symbol of shiva) is the foremost of all the shaivite worships. as the ash would be closely associated with the fire, holy ash is associated with this Fire pillar lord and sacred for the shaivites.

Birth of the Tantras- ॐ नम: शिवाय:

"In the beginning of the satyuga, Lord Siva appeared in the form of Svacchandanatha. As Svacchandanatha, He appeared with five heads and eighteen arms. The five heads came into manifestation through His five great energies, cit sakti, all consciousness, ananda sakti, all bliss, iccha sakti, all will, jnana sakti, all knowledge, and kriya sakti, all action. And these five energies, which appeared in His five mouths and which are known as Isana, Tatpurusa, Sadyojata, Vamadeva and Aghora, because of the grace (anugraha) of Lord Siva, experienced the sensation of illuminating the Universe."

"You see, Lord Siva wanted to enlighten the universe by manifesting the existence of the Tantras. In order to accomplish this, He manifested the Tantras through His five mouths. Initially each of these mouths, Isana, Tatpurusa, Sadyojata, Vamadeva and Aghora, created one Tantra. Then two mouths joined together and created one Tantra from each of the combination of two mouths. And then three mouths joined together [and] created one Tantra from each combination of three mouths. And then four mouths joined together, and then five mouths, and these combinations of mouths produced all of the Tantras of our Saivism."

~Source: Swami Lakshman Jee. Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme. 1988. The State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.

Swami Lakshman Jee (Joo) goes on to say how the Tantras manifested from the five faces of Siva came under three classes of Saiva Tantras ~ the Siva, Rudra and Bhairava.

How does this correlate with the five classes of Saiva Tantras (Agamas) previously mentioned? Well, the three classes of Tantras - Siva, Rudra and Bhairava fall within the two of the five catagories of Tantras that make up the greater Saivite Tantric canon. The Siva + Rudra Tantras together are referred to as Siddhanta Agamas and number 28. The Bhairava Tantras are referred to as Dakshina Agamas and number 64.

An alternative tradition tells us that each of the class of Saiva Tantras manifested from a different face of Siva. This tradition is as follows:

1. Bhuta Tantras ~ emanated from the Sadyojata or western face
2. Garuda Tantras ~ emanated from the Tatpurusa or eastern face
3. Vama Tantras ~ emanated from the Vamadeva or northern face
4. Dakshina Tantras ~ emanated from the Aghora or southern face
5. Siddhanta Tantras ~ emanated from the Isana or upper face

Among other places, the above is mentioned in a commentary of Tantraloka called Viveka, which quotes the Srikanthi Samhita. In the Saivite Tradition, therefore, the four Vedas and all the Saiva Agamas are revelations of Siva Himself.

॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥

Pancha-Brahma Mantras- ॐ नम: शिवाय:

पञ्चब्रह्म मन्त्र

Below are the Pancha-Brahma mantras that come to us from the Taittiriya Aranyaka (X.17-21) of the Krsna Yajurveda. The tenth chapter of the Taittiriya Aranyaka is also called the Mahanarayan Upanishad. Therefore, these mantras can also be said to belong to the Mahanarayana Upanishad (17-21). These mantras are used frequently in Shiva Pujas, and alluded to often in Shiva worship protocols and manuals. The Pancha-Brahma mantras exalt Shiva through His five forms (faces) – Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusa and Isana. The five faces or forms of Shiva represent the five functions or acts (panchakrityas) – creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealing grace and revealing grace, respectively. The five forms or faces of Shiva also correspond to the five syllables in the holy pentasyllabic mantra – na-mah-shi-vā-ya. Note that the Tatpurusa mantra is but the Rudra Gayatri.

1. Sadyojāta Mantra

सद्योजातं प्रपद्यामि सद्योजाताय वै नमो नमः।
भवे भवे नाति भवे भवस्व मां भवोद्भवाय नमः॥

sadyojātaṁ prapadyāmi sadyojātāya vai namo namaḥ
bhave bhave nāti bhave bhavasva māṁ bhavodbhavāya namaḥ

I take refuge in the First Born, verily I bow to the First Born
Do not consign me to birth after birth;
Guide me beyond birth, I bow to the Causer of birth.

2. Vāmadeva Mantra

वामदेवायनमो ज्येष्ठाय नमः श्रेष्ठाय
नमो रुद्राय नमः कालाय नमः।
कलविकरणाय नमो बलाय नमो
बलविकरणाय नमो बलप्रमथनाय नमः।
सर्वभूतदमनाय नमो मनोन्मनाय नमः॥

vāmadevāya namo jyeṣṭhāya namaḥ śreṣṭhāya
namo rudrāya namaḥ kālāya namaḥ
kalavikaraṇāya namo balāya namo
balavikaraṇāya namo balapramathanāya namaḥ
sarvabhūtadamanāya namo manonmanāya namaḥ

I bow to the Noble One, the Eldest; to the Best, to Rudra and to Time,
I bow to the Incomprehensible, to Strength,
To the Causer of various forces, and to the Extender of Strength.
I bow to the Subduer of all beings, and to the One who kindles the Light.

3. Aghora Mantra

अघोरेभ्योऽथ घोरेभ्यो अघोरघोरेतरेभ्यः।
सर्वतः शर्वः सर्वेभ्यो नमस्ते रुद्र रूपेभ्यः॥

aghorebhyo'tha ghorebhyo aghoraghoretarebhyaḥ
sarvataḥ śarvaḥ sarvebhyo namaste rudra rūpebhyaḥ

I bow to those not terrible and those who are terrible,
And to those who are both terrible and not terrible.
Everywhere and always, Śarva, I bow to all Thy Rudra forms.

4. Tatpuruṣa Mantra

तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे महादेवाय धीमहि।
तन्नो रुद्रः प्रचोदयात्॥

tatpuruṣāya vidmahe mahādevāya dhīmahi
tanno rudraḥ pracodayāt

May we know that Supreme Person
And mediate on that Great God,
May Rudra impel us!

5. Īśāna Mantra

ईशान सर्वविद्यानामीश्वरः सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्मादिपति ब्रह्मणोऽधिपतिर्।
ब्रह्मा शिवो मे अस्तु स एव सदाशिव ओम्॥
īśāna sarvavidyānāmīśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ brahmādipati brahmaṇo'dhipatir
brahmā śivo me astu sa eva sadāśiva om

Ruler of all knowledge, Master of all beings,
Commander of all study and devotion,
That God Auspicious to me,
Be He just so, the Ever-Auspicious Om.