Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 32
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
अव्यक्तं कारणं यत्तत्त्रिगुणं प्रभवाप्ययम् । प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चेति यदाहुस्तत्त्वचिंतकाः
avyaktaṃ kāraṇaṃ yattattriguṇaṃ prabhavāpyayam | pradhānaṃ prakṛtiśceti yadāhustattvaciṃtakāḥ
Jenes unmanifestierte ursächliche Prinzip—aus den drei Guṇa bestehend und Ursprung wie auch Auflösung der Welt—nennen die Wirklichkeitsschauer «Pradhāna» und ebenso «Prakṛti».
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It identifies the unmanifest, three-guṇa Prakṛti (Pradhāna) as the material cause behind creation and dissolution, implying that liberation requires discerning the Lord (Pati) as distinct from this changeful causal nature and transcending bondage to guṇas.
By defining Prakṛti as the source of worldly manifestation, the verse indirectly points the seeker toward worship of Shiva—especially through the Linga—as the transcendent Lord who is not merely the guṇic cause but the supreme consciousness guiding and granting release beyond Prakṛti.
A practical takeaway is guṇa-viveka (meditative discrimination of sattva, rajas, tamas) alongside japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to shift awareness from Prakṛti’s fluctuations toward Shiva as the liberating Pati.