Aum Namah Shivaya

Aum Namaḥ Śivāya (IAST transliteration, refer to Sanskrit for pronunciation, Devanagari: ॐ नमः शिवाय, Kannada: ಓಂ ನಮಃ ಶಿವಾಯ, Malayalam: ഓം നമത് ശിവായ, Tamil: ஓம் நம சிவாய, Telugu: ఓం నమః శివాయ ) is among the foremost mantras. Its general translation is "adoration (namas) to Śiva", preceded by the mystical syllable Aum. It is called Panchakshara, or "having five syllables". Śaivite mystics hold that within its celestial tones and hues resides all of the intuitive knowledge of Śaivism. The Aum namah Śivāya mantra appears for the first time, still without the Aum, in a traditional Vedic prayer to Rudra called Śri Rudram (Rudra is considered an earlier aspect and name of Lord Śiva). In this context, retains its original meaning as an adjective meaning "auspicious, benign, friendly", a euphemistic epithet of Rudra.
==A Hindu Śaivite view==
The meaning of the Namaḥ Śivāya mantra was explained by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: 
The book The Ancient Power of Sanskrit Mantra and Ceremony, Volume I defines Om Namah Shivaya as:
"Na" refers to the Gross Body (annamayakosa), "Ma" refers to Pranic Body (pranamayakosa), "Shi" or "Chi" refers to Mental Body (manonmayakosa), "Va" refers to Intellectual Body (vignanamayakosa) and "Ya" refers to Blissful Body (anandamayakosa) and "M" or the "silence" beyond these syllables refers to the Soul or Life within.
==Additional Notes==
#Adi Shankaracharya says that the name "Shiva" means "the one who purifies the one that repeats His name."
#The Universe is said to be made up of vibrations. Vibrations give rise to form. As the name "Rama" gives rise to the form of Rama, similarly, the name "Shiva, in Aum Namah Shivaya" gives rise to the form of Shiva (Maheshwara). (Sivananda)
#Namaḥ Shivaya is called Panchakshari (5 syllable mantra) whilst Aum Namah Shivaya is called Sadakshari (6 syllabled mantra). Namah Shivaya is recommended to be chanted by householders, whereas the prefix "Aum" is added to the mantra by those who have renounced the world. However, according to Sivananda, Aum Namaḥ Shivaya is also alright for practise by worldly people, as gradual repetition makes the mind proceed from the gross to the subtle.
#Upamanyu said that if you practise this mantra enough so that it vibrates continuously in your heart, then you don't need to do any yoga or further practises like pranayam.
#Brahmamuhurta, or the time at around 4 o'clock in the morning is the peak optimum time for spiritual practises like japa because at that time the whole world is asleep and the mind is like a blank sheet of paper on which any impressions to be made last long.
#Variations of Panchakshari: 
##Namah Shivaya
##Namaha Shiva 
##Shivaya Shiva 
##Shivaya Namah
##Shiva Shambo
==See also==
*Śiva
*Shri Rudram Chamakam
*Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
*Yajurveda
Category:Hindu worship
Category:Shaivism
Category:Hindu mantras
es:Aum namah shivaya
it:Om Namah Shivaya
pl:Om Namaha Śiwaja
pt:Om Namah Shivaya
ru:Ом намах Шивая