Panchanana
Every question on the site tagged Panchanana, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Shiva's five-faced form — its origin, along with the Panchakshari mantra and Pranava/Tripada Gayatri initiation, is dated to the same Agni Stambha episode that produced Kaal Bhairava.
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What Mahashivratri marks: Panchanan, the Panchakshari and the Gayatri
The speaker says that on the day Shiva gave Brahma his boon, many other boons were given too: the Panchanana form of Mahadev came into being, the Panchakshari Mantra was taught and given in diksha, the Pranava Gayatri was taught, and the Tripada Gayatri appeared. All of this, he says, happened on the tithi of Phalgun Krishna Paksha Trayodashi joined with Chaturdashi, and that is what is called Mahashivratri. On that day Shiva bestows grace on everyone in a special way. So Mahashivratri marks these events, not Shiva's first appearance as the pillar of fire.
The first mantropadesh: Sadashiva in the Panchanan form, at the site in Arunachal
The speaker says the Shiv Puran describes Bhagavan Sadashiva manifesting in his five-faced Panchanana form after the boons, and giving upadesh through those five mouths to Brahma and Vishnu. The Shivling in which he appeared for them is said to be situated in Arunachal Pradesh, as described in the Purana, and that is the place where Sadashiva gave mantropadesh to Vishnu and Brahma for the first time.
The Pranava as the first upadesh, and its birth from the five faces
The speaker says the first upadesh Bhagavan Sadashiva gave was the Pranav: Omkar is the vachak and Shiva the vachya, the mantra is his own form, and daily remembrance of the Pranava is remembrance of him. A-kara came from the northern face, u-kara from the western, ma-kara from the southern, Bindu from the eastern and Nada from the middle face; with these five parts the Pranava expanded fully and became one syllable, and from it the whole world arose. He asks listeners to keep in mind that the form of bindu is the form of Mahamaya, as the Devi Atharvashirsha says bindu rupena: Bhagavati herself emerged as the bindu from the eastern face and took the form of Omkar.
Shiva's mala mantra, the Panchanana mantras or the Shiv Raksha Kavach may carry it, as may Virabhadra, Renuka, Sokha Baba or Banni Mata for whoever holds them as kula deities.
If the listener is making Bhagwan Shiva's prayoga — his mala mantra, or the mantras relating to his Panchanana swaroop if he has done their japa, or the Shiv Raksha Kavach — he may. Along with that, the subject of Bhagwan Virabhadra has been placed on the channel, and of Bhagavati Renuka; and those whose kula devi-devatas are Sokha Baba or Banni Mata may make their prayoga properly too.
What is the panchakshari mantra actually made of?
The speaker says the five-lettered mantra people japa — whether one places "namah" after or before it, according to one's adhikara — is the sayujya form of the five principal avatars that occurred in five kalpas of Bhagwan. The Panchanan swaroop is the mool swaroop of Bhagwan Shiva, the form of the Parabrahma Parameshwar.
How did the Sadyojata form appear?
While Brahma ji was seated in the dhyana of Parabrahma, a kumar of white and lohit hue arose from his own shikha. Brahma ji recognised him at once as Brahm-swaroop Ishwar, folded his hands and bowed. The swaroop of Bhagwan Shiva that manifested in that kalpa bears the name Sadyojata.
With which mantra did Brahma praise Sadyojata Shiva?
With the mantra सद्योजात प्रपद्यामि and the rest, Brahma ji offered stuti to Bhagwan Shiva and did japa of it.
A whole kalpa passes for a single face of Panchanan, the Sadyojata form borne when Brahma could not create
In the nineteenth kalpa, named Shwet Lohit, when Brahma ji offered stuti and was not capable of creating the srishti, Bhagwan Shiva bore his first swaroop, that of Sadyojata. The speaker asks listeners to consider that the whole form of one entire kalpa stands within one single face of Bhagwan Panchanan.
What colour should be meditated for Sadyojata and for Vamadeva?
When you sit in a place to do dhyana and pujan of the Sadyojata swaroop, the speaker says, you are to meditate Shiva ji of white hue. When you do dhyana of the swaroop named Vamadeva Shiva, he is of red hue — Bhagwan Shiva wearing a garment of red hue, with a mala of red hue, with red eyes and red ornaments, produced in such a kumar form.
Which form is meditated with the Shiva Gayatri?
The speaker says this Pitambara form is the Tatpurusha swaroop. Those who do japa of Bhagwan Shiva's Gayatri mantra तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे and the rest should at that time hold the dhyana of Tatpurusha Shiva: Shiva ji of pita hue, pita garments, pita mala — a yellow garment, a yellow mala, a form yellow and like gold — and do japa while meditating that form.
The mantras that belonged to the Rakta and Shwet Lohit kalpas, named again
The speaker names them again. In the Rakta kalpa, the chief mantra of Brahma ji's tapasya was the mantra of Vamadeva Shiva: वामदेवाय नमः श्रेष्ठाय नमः जेष्ठाय नमः. Before that, when the swaroop of Bhagwan was Sadyojata, the mantra was सद्योजात प्रपद्यामि.
How is the Aghor swaroop described?
In this swaroop both were of krishna varna: Brahma ji too bore a form of krishna varna, and Shiva ji here too is of krishna varna, exceedingly valorous, greatly valorous. He wears a black garment, the crown too is black, the yajnopavit too is black, the turban too is black, and he is anointed with fragrant chandan of krishna varna. This krishna-pingala hued wondrous form is the Aghor swaroop.
Which forms should be meditated during panchakshari pujan?
When you do pujan of the panchakshari mantra, the speaker says, do the dhyana of all these five swaroops within it. Raise your own level gradually, he tells those who stay connected; those who are truly sadhaks and have been doing japa of the panchakshari until now, and who meditate the Panchanan swaroop, should take note.
In what order are the four hues to be meditated?
First Bhagwan Sadyojata in white hue; after him the Vamadeva swaroop in red hue; then the third swaroop of Bhagwan Shiva, Tatpurusha, in which the Shiva Gayatri is done, of pita hue; and then the fourth, the Aghor swaroop, in which Shiva ji of krishna varna is meditated.
The Vishwarupa kalpa, in which Saraswati was brought forth and Ishana manifested
In the kalpa named Vishwarupa, Brahma ji again did dhyana and stuti of Shiva ji. In this kalpa Bhagwan Shiva ji first manifested Saraswati ji; and then the Parameshwar Bhagwan Shiva, of a radiance like crystal and adorned with all ornaments, manifested in the form of Ishana. Ishana produced four beautiful boys and also bestowed on Brahma ji the capability of bringing forth the srishti.
What are the five forms, and who is entitled to the panchakshara?
The five principal swaroops are Ishana, Tatpurusha, Aghor, Vamadeva and Sadyojata. These five murtis are renowned in this world by the designation Brahm, and their gathering into one makes Panchanan Mahadev. One letter from each of these five swaroops makes up the panchakshari mantra — and for it, the speaker says, every person of every varna and every woman is authorised, keeping in mind only how "namah" is to be placed, which has been described many times.
What is the phala shruti of the Panchanan forms?
The phala shruti here is that any man who desires his own welfare should daily perform the vandana of these Panchanan swaroops of Shiva ji. By the mere vandana of these Panchanan forms alone, Bhagwan Shiva becomes pleased and grants every kind of bhoga and moksha. And whoever hears or reads the story of the origin of Sadyojata and the rest enjoys all the bhogas and attains param gati.
Knowing which letter holds which Brahm changes the panchakshari one has recited since birth
Because people have heard the panchakshari from birth, in songs and bhajans, but do not know its real mahima — which swaroop is joined how, and how each single letter takes on a single form of Brahm. Once this is heard, the speaker says, one's intention becomes clearer and dedication grows; and when one then sits upon the asana and meditates these five forms, the mantra joins with the mind and assumes a still vaster form.
Three principal swaroops, without which no creation takes place, are situated in every particle of the world and within us
The speaker says three such principal swaroops have been discussed today, without which the srishti of this world cannot take place, and which are situated in every particle of the world — within us and you as well, and within every living being. He hopes that the daily seva-puja listeners now perform will carry greater samarpan and nishtha towards Bhagwan Shiva and Jagadamba, and that their dhyana will now be clearer.
What does the nitya pujan of Shiva ji actually consist of?
The speaker says that if you read the Shiv Mahapuran, the Ling Mahapuran or the Vayu Mahapuran — the Shiv Mahapuran being a portion of the Vayu Mahapuran — all these things are told there in great detail: how the dwar pujan of the nitya pujan karma will be done, how the mandap pujan, how the symbolic shikhar pujan, how the first pujan of Nandi ji, then how the pujan of all Shiva ji's ganas seated in the temple — Ringi, Bhringi, Nagraj Vasuki, Bhairav ji, Mahakal — then Bhagavati Parvati, Skanda ji, Ganapati ji, his trishul, his damaru, and his Panchanan swarup.
Why do I feel fear at home, and what should be done for a competitive exam?
Stop being confused, the speaker tells a questioner who feels fear: fear is felt at home because there is a dosha in that place, so bhay will certainly manifest; to come out of the fear you will have to make an effort of that level outside. Asked what sadhana or puja should be done to clear a UPSC or competitive examination, he says he has told this separately — for competition, the sadhana of one of the Panchanan mantras of Bhagwan Rudra, the Ishan mantra.
What happened on the night of Mahashivratri?
On the night of Mahashivratri, he says, Shiva appeared before Brahma and Vishnu in an embodied form, in the Panchanan swaroop. The Pranav, the Gayatri and the Panchakshari mantra — all three — arose that day from the mouth of Shiva, and the guru diksha of these three was received by Brahma and Vishnu.
How did Brahma receive the capacity to create?
Shiva appeared once in the Panchanan swaroop; after that, in different kalpas, whenever Brahma made the effort to create the world, Shiva assumed a different form each time — whether the form of Sadyojat, the form of Vamdev, the form of Ishan, the form of Aghor, or the form of Tatpurush. Assuming these five forms in different kalpas he gave Brahma knowledge again and gave him the capacity. It was by Shiva's capacity that he became vidhata.
Who may do Gayatri and who must do the Panchakshari?
Those who have the adhikar for Gayatri and who live by the Vedic vidhi should do Gayatri, he says; the remaining people should do the Panchakshari. Women, and those who do not wear the yogopavit, should place the namah — the fourth vibhakti namah — afterwards and do the jap in that manner. That itself is Gayatri. It arose from his five faces: from those five faces the Panchmukhi vidya, the Panchakshari vidya appeared, each face represented by one letter.
Which five faces give the five letters, and what is the Panchakshari called?
Sadyojat, Vamdev, Aghor, Tatpurush, Ishan: from these five mouths the five letters came out and the Panchakshari was made. It is described in the Shiv Mahapuran, he says — we are not speaking from our own mind. And that Panchakshari has been called Gayatri directly, in the form of the laghu Gayatri. Those who have no adhikar for Gayatri will do this. And it was told that if you cannot do ten malas of the Gayatri mantra, which is long, then do ten malas of the Panchakshari. No other mantra has been given that value.
Can the Panchanana mantra be used for Shiva's abhishek?
You may make use of the Panchanana mantra for the purpose of the abhishek, while performing the abhishek of Shiva ji.
The special pujan and deepdaan of Arunachaleshwar Mahadev takes place on this same Margashirsha Purnima on a very large scale.
The special pujan of Arunachaleshwar Mahadev and his deepdaan also takes place on this very Margashirsha Purnima on a very large scale, the speaker relates, and the listener asked him to tell people to certainly perform deepdaan on this day — whether in the name of Bhagavan Shiva, or of Panchanan Mahadev, or of Bhagavan Datta, but deepdaan must be done. However much deepdaan is done that day, that much is the mahima.
What is the Panchakshari purascharan prayoga with ghrita and mishri ahuti for obtaining Lakshmi?
You are doing the Panchakshari and have completed five lakh japa; Shani Deva is in the eleventh bhava for the sake of labh, he says. There is a vidhan of doing its purascharan and then making ahuti with ghee mixed with the mishri that goes with the ghrita, along with bilva patra and the rest, for the sake of obtaining Lakshmi. If such a person does this thing vidhivat after accomplishing the siddhi — purascharan being the point at issue — then the vidhan of the pujan of the Panchanan Mahadev forms applies, which he says is discussed in full in the Shiv Mahapuran; he tells listeners to read the Dvaishva Samhita of the Shiv Mahapuran, where it is discussed how the purascharan of the Panchakshari mantra is done.
What does the pujan of Shiva's five forms with their shaktis consist of?
In it the five forms of Bhagavan Shiva are seated along with their shaktis and worshipped — before the Brahmin who is the guru, whether guru ma or guru dev, he says. If you perform pujan in that manner, awaken the mantra and then do such a prayoga, then you will obtain a very good fruit. If there is debt, very great release from debt occurs; they bring you into labh and only then leave you. In this you are bound to come into labh.
Who should do the brihad nyasa and the panchanana nyasa?
After this, the brihad nyasa that is done nowadays, the nyasa of the Panchanana svarupa and so on — it remains better if one who is initiated does that. So this much is the vidhi of the nyasa. Having done the nyasa, for Panchakshari there is first the Viniyoga.
By which vidhi is the Shravan deepdaan to be performed?
The third thing is the deepdaan of the Panchanana svarupa of Bhagavan Shiva — the tantric deepdaan vidhi in which, together with the kula devata and kula shakti and together with the Kshetrapal and the rest, deepdaan is made to the five tantric forms of Bhagavan Shiva: Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Tatpurusha, Aghora and Ishana. That vidhi is published on this same channel, he says, and he will put its link and share it again.
What are the grades of mala Pratishtha?
Three. The simplest: bathe the mala in raw milk, hold the whole of it covered in the hand and read the Pran Pratishtha mantra — or, failing that, Shiva's Panchanan mantras once, or the Panchakshari. The second uses the Bhut Lipi Varna Nyasa in brief. The third consecrates each bead separately with the Vamadeva mantra.
Ganesh struck down the Trishul with the staff Parvati had given and brought the Pinaka to the ground as well
He struck the hand holding the Trishul with the staff Parvati had given, and the Trishul fell. Shiva took up the bow Pinaka; Ganeshwar threw the Parigha and brought that to the ground too. Shiva being present in his Panchanan form, Ganesh struck and wounded all five hands of one side.
Which special deepdaan is recommended in the Vaishakh Shukla Paksha?
The speaker says deepdaan is done at home in any case, but for one who wishes a special one in this paksha, do Bhagavan Dattatreya's deepdaan at the time of sandhya — for whatever pitr-related problem there may be, however much loss is occurring, whatever kind of dosha. If a brihad deepdaan is not wanted, do the laghu form; the tantrokta vidhi of Bhagavan Shiva's Panchanan deepdaan has been given on the channel.
Where should Bhagavan Sharabh be worshipped, and where not?
The speaker says that if you worship Bhagavan Sharabh at home, then Bhagavan Narasimha should not have a place there. Sarveshwar Bhairav should be worshipped especially in a Shiva temple itself. On the Chaturdashi, therefore, do the Panchanan Mahadev deepdaan in a Shiva temple, for the sake of Bhagavan Sarveshwar.
The larger yantra with many petals is Bhagavati's, and the one with fewer is Bhagavan Shiva's Panchanan.
Until the full account is posted, the speaker says, understand only this much: the yantra that looks the largest, with many petals around it, is Bhagavati's yantra, and the one with fewer is Bhagavan Shiva's Panchanan. Keep doing the abhishek of all of them. He closes by saying a purashcharan should always be done having taken a sankalpa — without a sankalpa, how will a purashcharan happen at all?
The Panchanan Panchakshari yantra given in the Mahakumbh anushthan, and why a shastrokta means matters when diksha is not to be had
Those who were in the complete Mahakumbh anushthan, he says, will have received Bhagwan Shiva's Panchanan yantra, the Panchakshari yantra. He has said from the beginning that not everyone is initiated, and nobody knows where or how diksha is to be obtained; until then, if one has a shastrokta means over which everyone has the right, one should try to carry that.
Can anyone do the Aghor mantra?
To Harita Mishra ji he answers that yes, there is no such difficulty in doing the Aghor mantra of Shiva ji; be free of worry about it. In the Panchanan mantra of Shiva ji, the five mantras of his five faces, you do not need to think anything of any kind — do the Ishan mantra, do the Vamdev mantra, do the Tatpurush, do the Aghor. Do whichever you wish.
Why does the Batuk Bhairav Brahm Kavach come without its Nyasa?
Because performing Batuk Bhairav's Nyasa brings in his mula mantra — the eighteen-syllable or the twenty-one-syllable — and which one you were given at initiation differs. So the Viniyoga was given and the Nyasa was not. Even without it, a Kavach is running in a Nyasa pattern of its own.
Should a householder do the sadhana of the Mahamrityunjay mantra?
No, he says: you should not do the sadhana of the Mahamrityunjay mantra. Mahamrityunjay is a Vaidik mantra, and its sadhana should be done by Vedic people only. Instead do the sadhana of the Pauranik mantra of Bhagwan Sadashiva which has been held as the equal of the Gayatri — the Panchakshari mantra, in which "namah" comes at the end. You can obtain the kripa of Mahamrityunjay from that too.
What is the Aghor mantra within the Panchanan?
The Aghor mantra is in itself a complete sadhana paddhati of Aghor. It is one mantra among the Panchanan. Tatpurush, Aghor, Vamdev, Ishan — for all these mantras vidhi-vidhans are required, and it is by observing those very rules that maximal japa and siddhi can be done. Not otherwise.
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