Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 54
श्रद्धामाहात्म्यं तथा देवीप्रश्नः
The Greatness of Śraddhā and Devī’s Question to Śiva
ध्यानम्मद्रूपचिंताद्यं नात्माद्यर्थसमाधयः । ममागमार्थविज्ञानं ज्ञानं नान्यार्थवेदनम् । बाह्ये वाभ्यंतरे वाथ यत्र स्यान्मनसो रतिः । प्राग्वासनावशाद्देवि तत्त्वनिष्ठां समाचरेत्
dhyānammadrūpaciṃtādyaṃ nātmādyarthasamādhayaḥ | mamāgamārthavijñānaṃ jñānaṃ nānyārthavedanam | bāhye vābhyaṃtare vātha yatra syānmanaso ratiḥ | prāgvāsanāvaśāddevi tattvaniṣṭhāṃ samācaret
Meditation ist die Betrachtung, die mit Meiner Gestalt beginnt; sie ist nicht bloßes Versenken in Gegenstände wie das Selbst und dergleichen. Wahres Wissen ist das Verstehen des Sinnes Meiner Āgamas, nicht das Erkennen anderer weltlicher Dinge. O Devī, ob nach außen oder nach innen—wo immer der Geist Freude findet—soll man unter dem Einfluss früherer Neigungen standhaft das feste Verweilen in der Wirklichkeit (tattva) üben.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It defines authentic Śaiva meditation and knowledge as God-centered: dhyāna begins with contemplation of Śiva, and jñāna is the realized meaning of Śaiva Āgamas, culminating in tattva-niṣṭhā (steadfast abidance in the highest Reality) rather than mere object-focused mental states.
By stating that meditation begins with “My form,” the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—such as worship of Śiva as Liṅga or as a personal form—as a legitimate doorway to inner absorption, which then matures into stable abidance in tattva (the ultimate Śiva-principle).
It suggests sustained dhyāna on Śiva (form-based contemplation) guided by Āgamic meaning, and training the mind to rest inwardly or outwardly wherever devotion naturally arises—then converting that attraction into steady tattva-niṣṭhā through regular practice (often supported in Śaiva praxis by mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī).