Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 22

त्रिमूर्तिसाम्यं तथा महेश्वरस्य परमार्थकारणत्वम् | Equality of the Trimūrti and Maheśvara as the Supreme Cause

Devanagari script

स वै शरीरी प्रथमः स वै पुरुष उच्यते । आदिकर्ता स भूतानां ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत

Transliteration

sa vai śarīrī prathamaḥ sa vai puruṣa ucyate | ādikartā sa bhūtānāṃ brahmāgre samavartata

Translation

Er ist wahrlich der Erste, der einen Leib annahm; darum wird er Puruṣa genannt. Er ist der uranfängliche Schöpfer aller Wesen, schon vor Brahmā vorhanden und an der vordersten Spitze der Schöpfung stehend.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he/that one
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; pronoun

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) emphasizing assertion

• śarīrī: embodied
• śarīrī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śarīrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; possessive adjective ‘having a body’

• prathamaḥ: first
• prathamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; superlative/ordinal ‘first’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• puruṣaḥ: Person/Puruṣa
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• ucyate: is called
• ucyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• ādi-kartā: the primordial creator
• ādi-kartā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक; from √kṛ/कृ ‘to do’)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; कर्मधारयः: ‘आदिः कर्ता’ = the primordial creator

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• bhūtānām: of beings
• bhūtānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• brahma-agre: at the beginning of Brahmā
• brahma-agre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) ‘brahma’ (stem brahman), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुषः: ‘ब्रह्मणः अग्रे’ = at the beginning of Brahmā/Brahman (context: before/at Brahmā’s beginning)

• samavartata: came to be/existed
• samavartata: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (वृत्, धातु) with sam-ā- prefix
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: cosmogonic prelude (prior to Brahmā; emergence of creator-principle)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahma

FAQs

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

It establishes Shiva as the supreme Pati—the first principle who precedes even Brahmā—affirming that all embodied existence and cosmic order arise from Him, and liberation is attained by recognizing His primacy.

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

Calling Him the first embodied Puruṣa supports Saguna worship: the Linga is revered as Shiva’s accessible, worship-worthy presence through which the transcendent Lord is approached and realized as the source of creation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate Shiva as the primal cause while repeating the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and worshipping the Linga with bhakti; this aligns the mind to the Pati beyond Brahmā and the created world.