Pañcabrahmamantras
By Swami Harshananda
Pañcabrahmamantras literally means ‘five mantras concerning five aspects of Brahman’.
Though Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara are often described as the three aspects of the Supreme Brahman[1] each one of them also is sometimes praised as Brahman Himself. In one such description, the five mantras on the five aspects of Śiva given in the Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad[2] are known as ‘Pañcabrahmamantras’. These five aspects are:
Sometimes, these are shown as five faces of the Śiva. These mantras are employed in the worship and meditation of Mahādeva with these five faces.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore