Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 49

शिवतत्त्वे परापरभावविचारः

Inquiry into Śiva’s Principle and the Parā–Aparā Paradox

Devanagari script

स्ववाहनमविज्ञाय वृषेन्द्रं वडवानलः । सगलग्रहमानीतस्ततो ऽस्त्येकोदकं जगत्

Transliteration

svavāhanamavijñāya vṛṣendraṃ vaḍavānalaḥ | sagalagrahamānītastato 'styekodakaṃ jagat

Translation

ولمّا لم يتعرّف نارُ الفرس (ڤَḍَڤانالا) على ملك الثيران فِرِشِندرا بوصفه مركبه، قبض على دائرة العالم كلّها وجذبها إليه؛ فصار الكونُ كلّه بساطًا واحدًا من الماء.

Word by Word

• sva-vāhanam: his own mount/vehicle
• sva-vāhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य वाहनम्)

• avijñāya: not recognizing
• avijñāya: Kriyā (क्रिया; पूर्वकालिक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-vi-jñāya (कृदन्त; √jñā ज्ञा + क्त्वा/क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), नकारार्थक-उपसर्गयुक्त; ‘not recognizing/without knowing’

• vṛṣendram: the bull-lord (Nandin)
• vṛṣendram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वृषाणाम् इन्द्रः)

• vaḍavānalaḥ: Vaḍavānala (submarine fire)
• vaḍavānalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaḍavā + anala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वडवायाः अनलः)

• sakala-graham: the entire planet/world
• sakala-graham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक) + graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सकलः ग्रहः)

• ānītaḥ: was brought
• ānītaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया; कर्मणि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ānīta (कृदन्त; ā-√nī नी + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP)

• tataḥ: thereupon, then
• tataḥ: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान-अर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (ablatival adverb)

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• eka-udakam: single-water, all water
• eka-udakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (एकं उदकम्)

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Cosmic hazard motif: Vaḍavānala (submarine fire) mistakenly seizes the bull-king (Nandin/Śiva’s vāhana), drawing in the world-sphere and producing ekodaka (a single watery expanse). This reads as a mythic explanation of pralaya-like inundation triggered by misrecognition (avidyā).

Significance: Teaches discernment (viveka): failure to recognize Śiva’s signs (Nandin, dharma) leads to cosmic disorder; devotion restores order.

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Pralaya-like ekodaka (world becoming a single expanse of water)

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabha (Bull-king)
• Vaḍavānala

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It points to the fragility of the manifested cosmos and the power of pralaya-like forces; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such upheavals remind the soul (paśu) to seek refuge in Pati (Śiva), the stable Lord beyond changing elements.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse frames the world as subject to elemental collapse, while Saguna Shiva—worshipped as the Linga—serves as the accessible anchor of grace and protection within the changing universe, guiding devotees toward the transcendent (nirguṇa) reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate impermanence (pralaya-bhāvanā) while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and stabilize devotion through daily Linga worship with water abhiṣeka as a remembrance of the Lord’s mastery over the elements.