Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 18
षडध्ववेदनम् (Ṣaḍadhva-vedanam) — The Sixfold Path: Sound, Meaning, and Tattva-Distribution
परस्याः प्रकृतेरादौ पञ्चधा परिणामतः । कलाश्च ता निवृत्त्याद्या व्याप्ताः पञ्च यथोत्तरम्
parasyāḥ prakṛterādau pañcadhā pariṇāmataḥ | kalāśca tā nivṛttyādyā vyāptāḥ pañca yathottaram
في مطلعِ البراكْرِتي العُليا، وبفعل التحوّل، تنشأ تجلّياتٌ خماسية. وتلك الكَلاّات الخمس—ابتداءً من نِفْرِتّي (Nivṛtti)—تسري في مراتب الوجود على الترتيب، وكلّ لاحقةٍ أوسعُ امتدادًا من سابقتها.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: cosmogonic emanation (pariṇāma) of kalās from Parā Prakṛti
FAQs
It outlines a Shaiva metaphysical scheme where the Supreme’s Prakṛti unfolds in five ordered kalās, indicating how bondage and liberation are structured across levels of existence, ultimately pointing the seeker back to Pati (Shiva) as the transcendent ground.
Though the verse is philosophical, it supports Saguna worship by explaining manifestation: the kalās describe how the unmanifest becomes accessible. Linga-worship is a disciplined approach to move from manifest supports toward realization of Shiva beyond Prakṛti.
A practical takeaway is graded meditation: begin with disciplined purification (bhasma/tripundra and mantra-japa such as Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and proceed inward from outer manifestation toward nivṛtti (withdrawal), aligning the mind to Shiva as Pati.