ॐOm Namah Shivay
ENहिं

ॐ

Everything the scriptures tell of Śiva — in their own words, with every verse traced to its source.

Enter the versesThe twelve lights
पञ्चाक्षरThe five syllables

Five syllables. Five elements. One Lord.

Na · maḥ · śi · vā · ya — the whole world is chanted in five sounds.

न
na
Earth
पृथ्वी
मः
maḥ
Water
जल
शि
śi
Fire
अग्नि
वा
vā
Air
वायु
य
ya
Space
आकाश
Source
The words “namaḥ śivāya” appear in the Śrī Rudram of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā 4.5.8). Read the verse →
The pairing of each syllable with an element is a traditional Śaiva interpretation, not a line of scripture — and we mark it that way.
द्वारSix doors

Enter where you are drawn

ॐ
वाणीShlokasVerses in their original wordsकथाStoriesTold in full, from the textsरूपFormsHis faces & their meaningक्षेत्रJyotirlingasThe twelve sacred lightsजपJapaA mālā of 108ग्रन्थSourcesThe library of texts
कथाStories

The great stories, told in full

नीलकण्ठ

The Poison and the Blue Throat

When gods and demons churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality, a poison rises first — and only Śiva can hold it.

3 min read →
शिवपार्वतीविवाह

Pārvatī's Tapas and the Wedding of Śiva

Beauty could not win Śiva, so Pārvatī turns to austerity so fierce it frightens the gods. Then a young stranger comes to test her.

4 min read →
कण्णप्प नायनार्

Kaṇṇappa, the Hunter Who Gave His Eyes

A young tribal hunter knows nothing of rituals. He worships Śiva with meat, mouthfuls of river water and flowers from his own hair — and when the Liṅga's eye bleeds, he offers his own.

3 min read →
रावणानुग्रह

Rāvaṇa Lifts Kailāsa

Flushed with victory, Rāvaṇa tries to lift Śiva's mountain out of his way. Śiva presses down with one toe — and the ten-headed king's cry echoes through the worlds.

3 min read →
All stories (56)
श्लोकA verse to begin

The Great Death-Conquering Mantra

मूल Original text
त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ॥
tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam |urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya mā'mṛtāt ||
अनुवाद Translation — by Om Namah Shivay

We worship the Three-Eyed One, the fragrant, who makes all life flourish. As a ripe cucumber is freed from its vine, may I be freed from death — and not from immortality.

प्रमाण Source
Verse
located
Ṛgveda
Maṇḍala 7, Sūkta 59, Ṛk 12
RV 7.59.12
Read the full explanation
प्रतिज्ञाOur promise

The text stays the text

Scripture, translation and explanation are never blended together. You always know which one you are reading — and where it came from.

मूल

Original text

The verse exactly as the source gives it, in Devanāgarī with transliteration. Never edited.

अनुवाद

Translation

Always credited — to a public-domain translator, or marked as our own.

भाष्य

Explanation

Our commentary, clearly labelled as ours. Commentary, not scripture.

How we cite sources
ज्योतिर्लिङ्गThe twelve lights

A constellation across the land

Twelve shrines where Śiva is said to have appeared as a column of light — placed by their true positions, joined in the order of the ancient hymn.

10°N15°N20°N25°N30°NहिमालयARABIAN SEABAY OF BENGALSomanāthaMallikārjunaMahākālaOṅkāreśvaraVaidyanāthaBhīmaśaṅkaraRāmeśvaraNāgeśaViśveśvaraTryambakeśvaraKedāraGhuśmeśvara
Placed by latitude & longitude · joined in the order of the stotra
जपBefore you go

Take 108 breaths with Him

A mālā of 108 beads, one tap at a time.

Begin japa