Who Should Add Omkara Before Namah Shivaya

How to attain Lord Shiva through mantra sadhana?

What do you mean by attaining Lord Shiva?
To become like Him — not even like Him — to become Him.
As powerful as Him, as knowledgeable as Him.
This can be attained through mantra sadhana.

But then what exactly is this? Let us not define.
If you define, then it will be limited to that.
If you don’t define, then it will be as much as He would give you.
Someone may be thinking about giving you a crore of rupees.
But then you go and ask.
In your thinking, 10 lakhs is big money, a lot of money.
You hesitantly go and ask him, can you give me 10 lakhs?
You are not sure whether you are asking for too much.
Then you get only 10 lakhs.
He wanted to give you a crore.
Now you are getting only 10 lakhs.
So, don’t quantify when asking for blessings. Don’t quantify. You may end up being a loser.
Let Him decide how much to give.
You do only your part — the sadhana.

Here Shiva Purana talks about Panchakshara Mantra Sadhana as the means to attain Him — Shiva Pada.
Shiva’s position.
Shiva’s status.

Panchakshara Mantra is just नमः शिवाय.
It is not Om Namah Shivaya.
In Namah Shivaya itself, five aksharas are there.

Don’t say Namaha Shivaya with visarga.
You should say Namasshivaya — with dvitva in shakara.
Meaning, in that shakara, a half shakara and full shakara are there —
Namasshivaya.

So it is not Namaha Shivaya.
It is not Namah Shivaya.
It is not Nama Shivaya.
It is Namasshivaya.

Only Brahmins can chant Panchakshara Mantra by adding Omkara before it, as:
Om Namasshivaya
प्रणवेनादिसंयुक्तम् ब्राह्मणानां विशिष्यते

It is not mandatory for them. This is optional.
They can also chant Namasshivaya.
But for them, it will be better if they add Omkara before it.

Who are Brahmins?
It is a very complex subject.
Veda says Brahmins are the mouth of Virat Purusha,
Kshatriyas are the hands,
Vaishyas are the thighs,
Shudras are the feet.

In Smritis and Dharma Shastras, there are hundreds of other definitions.
Some would say the offspring of Brahmin parents is a Brahmin.
Some would say, those who pursue the path to Brahma are Brahmins.
Each such definition is context-specific.
You cannot pick one and apply it somewhere else.
Some are in social context, some are in spiritual context, some are in hierarchy context, some are in political context.
Each one is specific.

Here in mantra sadhana, since the purpose is attainment of Shiva’s position,
I think it would be more appropriate if we take a definition as whom Devas consider as a Brahmin.
This is given in Mahabharata:

येन पूर्णमिवाकाशं भवत्येकेन सर्वदा
शून्यं येन जनाकीर्णं तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः
Someone who considers that the whole world is he himself, he fills the whole world —
even something like the sky which looks hollow and empty, he has filled even that —
someone who considers a crowded and busy place as empty because he has got nothing to do with it —
him Devas consider as a Brahmin.

येन केनचिदाच्छन्नो येन केनचिदाशितः
यत्र क्वचन शायी च तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः
Someone who covers his body with whatever clothes he gets,
eats whatever he gets,
sleeps wherever he gets place —
him Devas consider as a Brahmin.

अहेरिव गणाद्भीतः सौहित्यान्नरकादिव
कुणपादिव च स्त्रीभ्यः तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः
Someone who fears the society, social mingling, social activities as if it’s a snake,
someone who fears tasty food as if it is Naraka itself,
someone who considers the body of a woman as a dead body —
him Devas consider as a Brahmin.

न क्रुद्ध्येन्न प्रहृष्येच्च मानितोऽमानितश्च यः
सार्वभूतेष्वभयदः तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदुः
Someone who doesn’t feel happy if he is praised,
someone who doesn’t get angry if he is insulted,
someone whom no one has to fear —
him Devas consider as a Brahmin.

For such people, it will be even more beneficial if they add Omkara before Namasshivaya and chant.
For others, it will be better if they just chant Namasshivaya.

Mantra will produce result only if received through proper Deeksha Vidhi
from a Jnana Guru, who takes you through the procedure of Kalasha Snana, Mantra Grahana, and teaches you the techniques such as Nyasa.
Only such sadhana will take you to the result which Shiva Purana talks about.

Mantra Deeksha given with 10,000 people sitting in the audience,
or — Guruji, I am in trouble.
Ok, chant this mantra 108 times every day —
this is not mantra Deeksha.
It may or may not yield result — I don’t know.
But if proper procedure of Deeksha and Sadhana are followed,
then it will 100% produce results.

There are many more rules pertaining to Panchakshara Mantra Sadhana.
We will see them later.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi