Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 37

पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः

Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge

Devanagari script

तन्मात्रापञ्चकं चैव भूतपञ्चकमेव च । ज्ञानेंद्रियाणि पञ्चैक्यं पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि च

Transliteration

tanmātrāpañcakaṃ caiva bhūtapañcakameva ca | jñāneṃdriyāṇi pañcaikyaṃ pañca karmendriyāṇi ca

Translation

Wahrlich, es gibt die fünf Tanmātras (feinstofflichen Elemente) und die fünf Bhūtas (grobstofflichen Elemente); ebenso die fünf Erkenntnisorgane als Einheit und auch die fünf Handlungsorgane. All dies bildet das Erfahrungsfeld des verkörperten Wesens, gebunden durch pāśa; und darüber ist Śiva, der Pati, der höchste Herr.

Word by Word

• तन्-मात्रा-पञ्चकम्: the set of five subtle elements (tanmātras)
• तन्-मात्रा-पञ्चकम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanmātrā (प्रातिपदिक) + pañcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numerical: 'group of five tanmātras')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• भूत-पञ्चकम्: the set of five gross elements
• भूत-पञ्चकम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + pañcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numerical: 'group of five elements')

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• ज्ञान-इन्द्रियाणि: the sense organs of knowledge
• ज्ञान-इन्द्रियाणि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: 'of knowledge' → sense-organs of cognition)

• पञ्च-ऐक्यम्: a collective of five
• पञ्च-ऐक्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + aikya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु (numerical: 'fivefold unity/collective of five')

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pañca (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्द (indeclinable numeral used attributively)

• कर्म-इन्द्रियाणि: the organs of action
• कर्म-इन्द्रियाणि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: 'of action' → organs of action)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya philosophical teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It enumerates the subtle and gross constituents of embodied life—tanmātras, bhūtas, and indriyas—showing how the soul (paśu) experiences the world through these bindings (pāśa), and why liberation requires turning awareness toward Śiva, the Pati beyond them.

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

By detailing the instruments of perception and action, the verse implies that Saguna worship (including Liṅga-pūjā) sanctifies these faculties—mind, senses, and actions—so they become offerings, gradually revealing the Lord who transcends the tattvas.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is indriya-nigraha (sense-restraint) supported by Shiva-upāsanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and inner offering of sensory experiences into the Liṅga-consciousness, cultivating detachment from the tanmātra-bhūta field.