Shiva also known as Mahadeva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is one of the supreme beings within Shaivism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Om Namah Shivaya is one of the most popular Hindu Mantra and the most important mantra in Shaivism. Namah Shivaya means “O salutations to the auspicious one!”, or “adoration to Lord Shiva”. It is called Siva Panchakshara, or Shiva Panchakshara or simply Panchakshara meaning the “five-syllable” mantra and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a holy salutation to Lord Shiva. This Mantra appears as ‘Na’ ‘Ma’ ‘Śi’ ‘Vā’ and ‘Ya’ in the Shri Rudram hymn which is a part of the Krishna Yajurveda and also in the Rudrashtadhyayi which is a part of the Shukla Yajurveda.

Om Namah Shivay – Kavita Krishnamurthy and Roopkumar Rathod