Om Namah Shivaya Mantra: Yoga Meditation, Vedanta, Tantra

Om Namah Shivaya is a most potent and popular mantra, which is at the heart of the Vedas and Tantra, and is widely used in this and other variations in the Himalayan tradition, as well as by others. This is a more traditional pronunciation of the mantra, unlike the many modern "singing" versions.

While there are other descriptions of the mantra, the following focuses on meanings for mantra meditation leading to Self-Realization.

OM/AUM: The three parts of Om (A-U-M) encompass the three states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep, the three levels of gross, subtle, causal, and the three levels of conscious, unconscious, subconscious, as well as the three universal processes of coming, being, and going. Absolute silence beyond the three levels is the silence after AUM. It also refers to Tripura, the one who live in the "three cities" as in Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, as well as the light referred to in Gayatri Mantra.

Namah/Namaha: Adoration, homage, respect. Nothing is mine (as an individual person); everything is thine (as the Absolute Reality). The three levels of Om, the three worlds of gross, subtle, and causal, along with the three states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states of consciousness, as well as the three levels of conscious, unconscious, and subconscious themselves are "not mine" as the true properties of who I really am. Truly, "nothing is mine." Rather, everything, all of these triads is "thine" or the "other" as the Absolute Reality.

Shivaya/Shiva: That Absolute Reality that is the ground out of which the others emerge. It is that "ink," so to speak, that is not separate from the many forms which may appear to manifest or be created from that ink. In the Realization of this, one comes to see that he or she is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. The Mahavakyas, the great utterances, are seen to be true. Shiva (the static or ground) and Shakti (the active or creative) are seen to be one and the same. She (Shakti), while one with Shiva is realized in direct experience as the one in the three worlds (Tripura) outlined in Om.

http://www.swamij.com

• Category

  Education

[yogabindu]

This is a more traditional pronunciation of the mantra, unlike the many modern "singing" versions.

[RamaSubramanianS Iyer]

Excillarating.... Intoxicating......Deeply to delve into Silence..Like diving in to Deep sea...

[Kchemical100]

Very centering and beautiful. Thank you.

[loveunidad]

Love is Unity

[adept2u]

I'd like to thank you very much for this.  It is very useful.

[LENNIN WIN]

thank for the explaination

[yogabindu]

It is not about Buddhism. Besides, consider from where Buddhism "borrowed" the use of 108 japa or counting beads.

[MrBrightStar01]

Thanks for this. I am new to this and now i can say it correctly now.

[mayreepee]

I thought the "v" was supposed be pronounced like a "W". Is it ShiVaya or ShiWaya?

[TheHappyCoder]

Why exactly 108? Curious.

[AquarianAscent]

Why does he say 'Aum namaha Shivai', and then 'Aum namah Shivaya'? These are both different, and both have six syllables, not five. I don't understand it.