Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 37

षडध्ववेदनम् (Ṣaḍadhva-vedanam) — The Sixfold Path: Sound, Meaning, and Tattva-Distribution

Devanagari script

अस्यैव विस्तरं प्राहुः शास्त्रजातमशेषतः

Transliteration

asyaiva vistaraṃ prāhuḥ śāstrajātamaśeṣataḥ

Translation

Sie erklären, dass der gesamte Bestand der Schriften, ohne jeden Rest, nichts anderes ist als eine ausgedehnte Darlegung eben dieser Lehre.

Word by Word

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) — genitive relation
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.)/Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Ṣaṣṭhī (Gen. 6), Ekavacana (sg.); सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta-avyaya (particle of emphasis)

• vistaram: expansion, detailed exposition
• vistaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana (sg.)

• prāhuḥ: they have said / declare
• prāhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√ah (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathamapuruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana (pl.); Parasmaipada

• śāstra-jātam: the body/collection of scriptures
• śāstra-jātam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + jāta (कृदन्त, √jan)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc. 1/2), Ekavacana (sg.); here as Karma-apposition to vistaram

• aśeṣataḥ: completely, without remainder
• aśeṣataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (adverb), tasil-anta; manner adverb

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

FAQs

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

It asserts that the many śāstras ultimately converge on one essential Shaiva truth—realization of Pati (Śiva) as the supreme liberator—while the rest is explanatory detail meant to guide the bound soul (paśu) beyond bondage (pāśa).

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

By stating that all scripture is an expansion of a single core teaching, it supports focused devotion: Linga-worship and Saguna Śiva-upāsanā become practical gateways to grasp and embody that essence, leading the devotee toward the higher, transcendent realization of Śiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is disciplined simplification: steady japa of the Panchākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with Linga-dhyāna, supported by Shaiva markers like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where appropriate, as a direct way to live the scripture’s ‘essence’ rather than only its breadth.