namaha shivaya-auspicious mantra

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Shiva means ``auspicious. '' The God Shiva

is<br>all-auspiciousness .<br>the five syllabled mantra namaH

ShivAya<br>is sometimes called the mUla mantra or basic mantra

of Shiva . Each of the five syllables, na, ma, shi,

vA, and ya, is held to be so sacred that it

represents Shiva even by itself.<br><br>ShivapanchAkshara

stotra byAdi SankarAchArya . One may worship the Shiva

linga by reciting this stotra and offering bilva

leaves.<br><br>Salutations to Shiva, who wears the King of snakes as a

garland, the Three-eyed God, whose body is smeared with

ashes, the great Lord, the eternal and pure One, who

wears the directions as His garment, and who is

represented by the `na '' kAra (term).<br><br>I bow to Shiva,

who has been worshipped with water from the gangA

(mandAkini) and annointed with sandalwood paste, the Lord of

nandI, the Lord of the host of goblins and ghosts,the

great Lord, who is worshiped with mandAra and many

other<br>kinds of flowers, and who is represented by

the<br>syllable ``ma. ''<br><br><br>Salutations to Shiva, who is

all-auspiciousness, Who is the sun that causes the lotus face of

GaurI (PArvatI) to blossom,Who is the destroyer of the

Yajna of daksha, whose throat is<br>blue (nIlakaNTha),

whose flag bears the emblem of the bull, and who is

represented by the syllable ``shi. ''<br>VAsishhTha, agastya,

Gautama, and other venerable sages, and Indra and other

Gods have worshipped the head of (Shiva'slinga). I bow

to that Shiva whose three eyes are the moon,sun and

fire, and who is represented by the syllable ``va.

''<br><br><br>Salutations to Shiva, who bears the form of a Yaksha, whohas

matted hair on His head, Who bears the pinAka bow in His

hand, the Primeval Lord, the brilliant God,who is

digambara (naked), and who is represented by the syllable

``ya. ''