Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 48

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

महादेवादयस्तत्र तथैकादशमूर्तयः । चतुर्थावरणे पूज्याः सर्व एव गणेश्वराः

Transliteration

mahādevādayastatra tathaikādaśamūrtayaḥ | caturthāvaraṇe pūjyāḥ sarva eva gaṇeśvarāḥ

Translation

Dort sind Mahādeva und die übrigen göttlichen Manifestationen — ja auch die elf Formen — allesamt im vierten Bezirk zu verehren; denn sie alle sind wahrlich Herren der Gaṇas Śivas, seiner begleitenden Scharen.

Word by Word

• mahādeva-ādayaḥ: Mahādeva and others
• mahādeva-ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (आदि-प्रयोगः) — “Mahādeva and others”

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb) — “there”

• tathā: also/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चयवाचक अव्यय — “thus/also”

• ekādaśa-mūrtayaḥ: the eleven forms
• ekādaśa-mūrtayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः — “the eleven forms”

• caturtha-āvaraṇe: in the fourth enclosure
• caturtha-āvaraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः — “in the fourth enclosure/āvaraṇa”

• pūjyāḥ: are to be worshipped
• pūjyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjya (कृदन्त; √pūj पूज् (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; क्तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त — “to be worshipped”

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (particle of emphasis) — “indeed/only”

• gaṇeśvarāḥ: the lords of the gaṇas
• gaṇeśvarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇeśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The fourth enclosure gathers Mahādeva and the ekādaśa-mūrti host as gaṇeśvaras, emphasizing Śiva’s lordship over all divine agencies; contemplating this hierarchy supports surrender (śaraṇāgati) and receptivity to grace (anugraha).

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Mahadeva
• Ganas
• Ekadasha-murtis

FAQs

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

It teaches that Shiva’s worship is holistic: honoring Mahādeva along with His manifest forms and attendant powers (gaṇas) refines devotion and aligns the soul (paśu) toward Pati, the supreme Lord, through ordered, reverent worship.

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

The verse supports saguna-upāsanā through a structured ‘enclosure’ (āvaraṇa) approach: alongside the central focus (often the Liṅga as Shiva’s accessible form), the devotee worships associated manifestations and divine attendants as parts of Shiva’s sacred sphere.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It implies āvaraṇa-pūjā (layered worship): after centering on Shiva, offer respectful worship in successive enclosures—using mantra (such as the Panchākṣarī ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’), with purity practices like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where appropriate.