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Hymn to Shiva
OM, I bow down to Shiva, who is Na,
the first letter of His mystic mantra,
who has the King of snakes for a garland,
the Three-eyed One,
with ashes for His cosmetics,
the Great God, the Eternal, the Perfect One,
who has the quarters of the world for His garments.
I bow down to Shiva, who is Ma,
the second letter of his mystic mantra,
who is annointed with the water
of the river Mandakini (Ganga) and sandal paste,
the Lord of Nandi and of the goblins,
the Great God, who is adorned with Mandara
and various other kinds of flowers.
I bow down to Shiva, who is Shi,
the third letter of his mystic mantra
who is the rising sun causing to blossom
the lotus face of Gauri (the Divine Mother),
the destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice,
the Blue-necked One,
who has the bull for his ensign.
I bow down to Shiva, who is Va,
the fourth letter of His mystic mantra,
who is worshipped as the most distinguished of gods
by the great Rishis of the Aryas like
Vasishtha, Agastya, and Gautama
as also by the gods, and who has the moon,
sun and the fire for His three eyes.
I bow down to Shiva, who is Ya,
the fifth letter of his mystic mantra,
who is the embodiment of sacrifice,
whose locks are matted, who wields the Pinaka bow,
the Eternal, the Divine, the Shining One,
having the quarters of the world for His garments.
He who reads this sacred Hymn of five letters
before Shiva attains the sphere or Shiva and enjoys bliss with Him. |
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