For Centuries, temples across India have reverberated with the terse yet tremendously potent mantra Om Namah Sivaya. In fact, such is the appeal of the five syllable (Panchakshari) phrase-as well as the deity it celebrates-that the great philosopher-cum-reformer of yore, Sri Adi Sankaracarya, made the mantra the very basis of a hymn he wrote in praise of Lord Shiva. And a delightful, exemplary meditation that hymn is, given that a mantra is intended to be not just repeated mechanically, but also reflected upon by the chanter.
But whilst the Panchakshari Mantra itself has inherited a special place in the heart and life of every Hindu, in literally every corner of the country, it is remarkable that there has not been a proper commentary Adi Shankaracharya's Panchakshari Stotram...until now. To the Advaita master's musings, simultaneously pregnant with devotion and thought, Swami Swaroopananda brings in this book his own meditations, drenched in the desire to experience Shiva the way the original author did. In the process, the reader is benefitted with not just knowledge but also inspiration...to see the Divine not just as a definite form, but as the magnificent, ineffable spirit that supreme Reality truly is.
A bonus dividend of Swamiji's labour of love is that the reader will find the resources to uncover- and overcome - the five fundamental fears that afflict every human being, no matter their age or stature. This is emancipation of the most practical kind.
