Shiva Panchakshara Stotramशिवपञ्चाक्षर स्तोत्रम् శివపఞ్చాక్షర స్తోత్రమ్ ஶிவபஞ்சாக்ஷர ஸ்தோத்ரம் ಶಿವಪಞ್ಚಾಕ್ಷರ ಸ್ತೋತ್ರಮ್ શિવપઞ્ચાક્ષર સ્તોત્રમ્ শিবপঞ্চাক্ষর স্তোত্রম্ ଶିଵପଞ୍ଚାକ୍ଷର ସ୍ତୋତ୍ରମ୍ ശിവപഞ്ചാക്ഷര സ്തോത്രമ്

{|| pa~nchAkSharamantrastotra ||}

A Shivastotra by ShankarAchArya
by Anand Hudli
ahudli at iupucs.iupui.edu
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: namaH shivAya cha |
The dAridrya dahana stotra of VasiShTha says:

dAridryaduhkha-dahanAya namaH shivAya |

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