Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 22
शैवधर्मप्रशंसा तथा पञ्चविधसाधनविभागः / Praise of Śaiva Dharma and the Fivefold Classification of Practice
ततः स्यान्मुक्तसंसारो मुक्तः शिवसमो भवेत् । ब्रह्मप्रोक्त इत्युपायः स एव पृथगुच्यते
tataḥ syānmuktasaṃsāro muktaḥ śivasamo bhavet | brahmaprokta ityupāyaḥ sa eva pṛthagucyate
ثمّ يصير المرء متحرّراً من السَّمسارة؛ فإذا تحرّر غدا مساوياً لشِيفا. وهذه الوسيلة عينها—كما نطق بها براهما—تُعلَّم هنا على أنها منهجٌ مستقلّ.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: liberating
FAQs
It states that by following the prescribed upāya (means), one is released from saṃsāra and attains Śiva-like liberated status—emphasizing Śiva as the supreme goal (Pati) and liberation as freedom from bondage (pāśa).
In the Shiva Purana’s devotional-ritual framework, Linga/Saguṇa worship functions as an upāya that purifies the soul and leads toward liberation; the verse summarizes the promised fruit of such Śaiva means as culminating in Śiva-sāmya.
The verse points to a specific “means” taught elsewhere in the discourse; in the Vāyavīya philosophical setting this typically aligns with Śiva-bhakti joined to japa/dhyāna (often of the Pañcākṣarī) and disciplined Śaiva observances that remove bondage.