One of the greatest gifts of शैवम् to me on a personal level is the insight that मन्त्र-s are not mere non-living sounds but living souls with bodies made of sounds, just like we are souls with bodies made of flesh & blood.

We are hierarchically far inferior to the मन्त्र-s we recite & we must thus approach them with immense reverence & some self-awareness of our relative position vis-a-vis these मन्त्र-s. We approach them on their terms; not as we please.

Given that in this world degeneracy has eroded the proper mode of interacting with our superiors, the culture of flippancy carries over to religious practice.

What is so profound & wonderful about the शैव insight? The मन्त्र was once a person like you & me, bound by space & time. After countless eons, that soul has become a ‘मन्त्र’. Yes, this is a birth. The same way, a human may be born as an animal in his next life.

शैवम् teaches that मन्त्र-s are very high up in the hierarchy of beings. They are far closer to शिव than ourselves. So, we note that their capacities are much more expanded than us or even the ordinary देव-s. How so?

Their ability to pervade is much much more manifest than that of ourselves. Ordinary souls like us could be at only one place at a time. However, a मन्त्र can be recited at 2 different places 1000s of kilometres apart & can bless at both places accordingly.

Such being their superiority, how should you approach them? With respect; with requisite purity as the शास्त्र-s & आचार्य-s instruct you. Those who arrogantly discard the rules pertaining to अधिकार & think of मन्त्र-s as tools available at their disposal; अधोगति is their lot.

When one does जप of a मन्त्र, one is manifesting the presence of a very very exalted deity in his mind and/or body (if he moves his lips or verbalises from his throat). By proper, repeated practice, he becomes an embodiment of the मन्त्र.

The nature of a मन्त्र is paradoxical. It allows itself to be invoked & employed by beings far lower than itself. Why does this happen? Beings who use it are working out their कर्म with the मन्त्र-s. Those who use it for higher ends are on a better path.

But why do the मन्त्र-s undergo this? Remember that they have attained this very exalted state after several eons. They too have an innate impurity called मल, like all of us here. But, unlike us, their मल is far more refined & matured (पक्व).

The मल is so refined that they have no base desires & they have no suffering due to any material degradation (ageing, hunger, disease, loss of vigour, etc). However, a remnant of it is there. To wipe this out, a मन्त्र is given an office & authority.

Since a मन्त्र is close to शिव as said before, it is given divine authority (अधिकार). Hence, this remnant of impurity in a मन्त्र is called अधिकार-मल.

It doesn’t do fruit-bearing कर्म-s or enjoys the fruits of actions. But it facilitates the enjoyment of fruits by other—i.e. The fruit of employing a मन्त्र properly.

After carrying out this function for an incalculable amount of time, the मन्त्र finally gets exhausted of this high office. Its residual मल starts eroding away & the मन्त्र-देव proceeds to attain मुक्ति.

The “body” (i.e. the particular sound of that मन्त्र) it leaves behind is taken up by another soul next in line & qualified to become this मन्त्र, by the grace of शिव. Such is the ocean of profound wisdom about मन्त्र-s from शैव scriptures.

Therefore, let one approach मन्त्र-s with due reverence as instructed by scriptures. Arrogance & waxing poetic about “rights” will not be of help. /End

I will ever be grateful to the शैव sages, who have left behind their works with grace & immeasurable compassion, which have allowed me to develop humility & genuine reverence towards the मन्त्र-s I recite. I did not have that level of respect before.

From श्रीमत्-पौष्करागम

The text captures the last thoughts of a मन्त्र before it attains मुक्ति.