Question about initiation into Panchachara mantra

[GodisLove]

I was just wondering I have been a practicing Saivite for about a year now and I just came across somewhere that one should not use the Panchachara mantra unless one has not been initiated into it by a guru. Is this so because I have been doing Japa for quite a while now using that mantra, is this wrong? Any responces will be helpful

[Divine Kala]

Vanakkam, GodIsLove

It really, really depends on who you ask. Some will say that yes, you must be initiated, others will say you only need to be initiated if you start the mantra with 'Om' and yet others will say (and I agree with this) that Shiva is the first Guru and that chanting that panchakshari mantra does not require initiation.

Finding a Guru is hard, I am still searching and I have been a practising Shaiva since 2006. As I am currently bereft of a flesh and blood Guru, Shiva - and a personal manifestation of Shiva/Shakti that I worship - is my present Guru, until I meet my flesh and blood Guru.

Om Shri Kalaya Namah

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam GodisLove:

My take is that chanting it before initiation won't do any harm, but chanting it after initiation has the power of the Guru behind it so it would be more beneficial. The initiation gives correct pronunciation, perhaps specific directions for you and you alone, etc. Of course this would vary from Guru to Guru.

I guess the real question is how do you feel about its effects so far?

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Where can there be sin ( pāpa¹) with the Lord's name on one's lips ?
The pañcākṣara can be used for japa¹ or ajapa.

The question then is proper use and effectiveness.

praṇām

words

pāpa - misfortune, sin; crime
japa - whipsering , muttering
ajapa - rooted (√) in jap means one who does not repeat prayers; what is inferred here is repeating prayers outloud, hence ajapa suggests internally, silently within one's consciousness.

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste GodisLove,

As Kala said, it really depends on who you ask. I personally believe that guru initiation will make the effects of the mantra more powerful and effective, as Eastern Mindji alluded to. But I have been a Hindu my entire life and I don't have a guru. I've learned to adhere to the statement "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." For now, God is my guru.

Just go with what you are doing, especially if the mantra has been working for you. When you are ready, you will have a guru and he/she will help you on your path.

Jai Sri Ram