Sanatan Marg
Bhajans & Aarti

Why We Chant Om Namah Shivaya

The Panchakshari mantra, and how to make it a daily practice

2 September 2026 · 1 min read · Updated on 2 September 2026

Written by Meera Iyer
Reviewed by Pandit R. K. Sharma · Karmakand scholar, Temple priest (30+ years)

Writer on temple art, festivals and devotional music.

💬f
Shiva with Parvati and Nandi
Shiva, Parvati and Nandi · Raja Ravi Varma — "Shiva, Parvati and Nandi" (via Wikimedia Commons)

Om Namah Shivaya is called the Panchakshari — the five-syllable mantra: na-mah-shi-va-ya. It appears in the Yajurveda within the Shri Rudram, and is chanted today by householders and renunciates alike.

What the syllables mean

ॐ नमः शिवाय

oṃ namaḥ śivāya

Om, salutations to Shiva — the auspicious one, the innermost Self.

  • Na — the earth, and the concealing grace
  • Mah — water, and the world of forms
  • Shi — fire, and the revealing grace of Shiva
  • Va — air, and the pull of the soul toward the divine
  • Ya — ether, and the Self

A simple daily practice

Sit at the same time each day. Take three slow breaths. Chant the mantra 108 times on a mala, keeping the mind on the sound rather than counting. Close by sitting quietly for a minute.

The mantra is not a request. It is a remembering.

Written by Meera Iyer
Reviewed by Pandit R. K. Sharma · Karmakand scholar, Temple priest (30+ years)

Meera Iyer writes about temple art, Carnatic and bhajan traditions, and the stories behind the festivals of the Hindu year.