Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 17

पूजाविधान-व्याख्या (Pūjāvidhāna-vyākhyā) — Exposition of the Procedure of Worship

Devanagari script

सर्वोपचारवद्भक्त्या भावपुष्पैस्समर्चयेत् । अथवा परिकल्प्यैवं मूर्तिमन्यतमां विभोः

Transliteration

sarvopacāravadbhaktyā bhāvapuṣpaissamarcayet | athavā parikalpyaivaṃ mūrtimanyatamāṃ vibhoḥ

Translation

وبمحبّةٍ تعبّديةٍ كأنما تُقدَّم جميعُ ضروبِ الخدمةِ المقدّسة، فليُعبَدْ هو مُتَوَّجًا بـ«أزهار» الإجلال الباطني. أو، بعد أن يُتَصَوَّر حضوره على هذا النحو، يمكن عبادةُ الربّ الشامل في أيّ صورةٍ يختارها العابد.

Word by Word

• sarva-upacāra-vat: with all (proper) offerings/attendances
• sarva-upacāra-vat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + upacāra (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुष (sarvaiḥ upacāraiḥ yuktam); अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (adverbial sense)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental)

• bhāva-puṣpaiḥ: with flowers of feeling (mental offerings)
• bhāva-puṣpaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुष (bhāvasya puṣpāṇi); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• samarcayet: should worship
• samarcayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+√arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• athavā: or else
• athavā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: athavā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: 'or else')

• parikalpya: having conceived/arranged
• parikalpya: Kriyā (क्रिया; पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari+√kḷp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; 'having imagined/arranged'

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus')

• mūrtim: a form/image
• mūrtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• anyatamām: any one (whichever)
• anyatamām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anyatama (प्रातिपदिक; superlative/indefinite 'one of many')
• Form: विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (mūrtim इति विशेष्ये)

• vibhoḥ: of the Lord
• vibhoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (genitive)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that the essence of Śiva-worship is bhakti: even without external materials, the devotee can offer ‘flowers’ of pure inner feeling and thereby perform complete worship, turning the mind into a sanctified shrine of Pati (Śiva).

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

The verse supports saguna-upāsanā: Śiva may be approached through any chosen mūrti, including the Śiva-liṅga, because the all-pervading Lord accepts worship offered with sincere devotion, whether through form (liṅga/mūrti) or through inward visualization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to mānasa-pūjā and dhyāna—mentally offering all upacāras (services) and worshipping Śiva through visualization; the practical takeaway is to perform heartfelt inner worship alongside (or in place of) external ritual.