পঞ্চাক্ষরমন্ত্র স্তোত্র

           A Shivastotra by ShankarAchArya

The term Shiva means  “auspicious.” The God Shiva is
all-auspiciousness . The mantra namaH ShivAya, used
to offer salutations to Shiva, is an effective
prayer to propitiate Shiva . This mantra appears in
many places in Vedic and Puranic literature.
For example, the famous shrI Rudram hymn from the
Yajur Veda, commonly employed to perform the worship
of the Shiva linga, says:নমঃ শিবায চ .

The dAridrya dahana stotra of VasishhTha says:

দারিদ্র্যদুহ্খ-দহনায নমঃ শিবায .

Salutations to Shiva who burns up the grief caused
by poverty! Here poverty does not necessarily mean
material poverty; it also means spiritual poverty.

This pa.nchAkshara (five syllabled) mantra namaH ShivAya
is sometimes called the mUla mantra or basic mantra
of Shiva . Each of the five syllables, na, ma, shi, vA, and
ya, is held to be so sacred that it represents Shiva even
by itself.

The following is the ShivapanchAkshara stotra composed by
Adi SankarAchArya . One may worship the Shiva linga by
reciting this stotra and offering bilva leaves.
 

          শিবপংচাক্ষরস্তোত্র

নাগেন্দ্রহারায ত্রিলোচনায ভস্মাঙ্গরাগায মহেশ্বরায .
নিত্যায শুদ্ধায দিগম্বরায তস্মৈ নকারায নমঃ শিবায .. ১..

Salutations to Shiva, who wears the King of snakes as a
garland, the Three-eyed God, whose body is smeared with
ashes, the great Lord, the eternal and pure One, who wears
the directions as His garment, and who is represented by the
“na ” kAra (term).

মন্দাকিনি-সলিলচন্দন-চর্চিতায
নন্দীশ্বর-প্রমথনাথ-মহেশ্বরায .
মন্দারপুষ্প-বহুপুষ্প-সুপূজিতায
তস্মৈ মকারায নমঃ শিবায .. ২..

I bow to Shiva, who has been worshipped with water from the
gangA (mandAkini) and annointed with sandalwood paste, the
Lord of nandI, the Lord of the host of goblins and ghosts,
the great Lord, who is worshiped with mandAra and many other
kinds of flowers, and who is represented by the
syllable  “ma. ”

শিবায গৌরীবদনাব্জ-বৃন্দ-
সূর্যায দক্ষাধ্বরনাশকায .
শ্রীনীলকণ্ঠায বৃষধ্বজায
তস্মৈ শিকারায নমঃ শিবায .. ৩..

Salutations to Shiva, who is all-auspiciousness, Who is the
sun that causes the lotus face of GaurI (PArvatI) to blossom,
Who is the destroyer of the Yajna of daksha, whose throat is
blue (nIlakaNTha), whose flag bears the emblem of the bull,
and who is represented by the syllable  “shi. ”

বসিষ্ঠ-কুম্ভোদ্ভব-গৌতমার্যমুনীন্দ্র-দেবার্চিতশেখরায .
চন্দ্রার্ক-বৈশ্বানরলোচনায তস্মৈ বকারায নমঃ শিবায .. ৪..

VasishhTha, agastya, Gautama, and other venerable sages, and
Indra and other Gods have worshipped the head of (Shiva’s
linga). I bow to that Shiva whose three eyes are the moon,
sun and fire, and who is represented by the syllable  “va. ”

যক্ষস্বরূপায জটাধরায পিনাকহস্তায সনাতনায .
দিব্যায দেবায দিগম্বরায তস্মৈ যকারায নমঃ শিবায .. ৫..

Salutations to Shiva, who bears the form of a Yaksha, who
has matted hair on His head, Who bears the pinAka bow
in His hand, the Primeval Lord, the brilliant God,
who is digambara (naked), and who is represented by the
syllable  “ya. ”

পংচাক্ষরমিদং পুণ্যং যঃ পঠেচ্ছিবসন্নিধৌ .
শিবলোকমবাপ্নোতি শিবেন সহ মোদতে ..

Anyone who recites this sacred five-syllabled mantra,
(namaH shivAya) near the Shiva (linga), attains the abode
of Shiva and rejoices there with Shiva.

  .. ইতি শ্রীমচ্ছংকরাচার্যবিরচিত শিবপঞ্চাক্ষর স্তোত্রং সমাপ্তং ..