The glory of Siva Nama and the Panchakshara japa, meditation on the Namasivaya, is often hailed in the Tirumurais. The true substance of the four Vedas is the Lord’s name Namasivaya, says Gnanasambandar in the hymn ‘Kaadalaahi kasindu.’ He asserts that chanting this name with fervent love and devotion can surely lead one out of samsara.
In a discourse, Sri B. Sundarkumar drew attention to the fact that the sacred Panchakshara mantra, comprising the five aksharas Na-Ma-Si-Va-Ya, is kept safely at the heart of the Vedas. As it is Parama rahasya, it is guarded with great care in the core of the Rudram, which is in the core of the Yajur Veda. Siva Nama is at the core of the Panchakshara. All may not be able or eligible to chant the Vedas or the Rudram. But Namasivaya is common to all and is easy to utter. This is also stressed in the Tiruvachagam of Manikkavachagar, a soul stirring hymn that speaks of the Lord’s boundless compassion for the troubled souls caught in samsara. The hymn begins with ‘Namasivaya Vazhgha’ wherein Siva is extolled as the essence of all Vedas.
The text acquires sacredness as it is believed to be the very word of the Lord. It is also held that Siva, in the guise of a disciple, had requested Manikkavachagar to recite the Tiruvachagam that can alleviate the sorrow of repeated births. As the saint recited, the Lord wrote down the verse in palm leaves and suddenly disappeared. The songs were later found in the temple of Nataraja in Chidambaram and it is stated in it that Manikkavachagar has recited them and that the scribe is Tiru Chittrambalam. When Manikkavachagar is asked to explain meanings of these verses, he takes the people to the temple and points out to the Lord in the sanctum sanctorum. The saint then merged with the feet of the deity.
