Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 2

समयाह्वय-संस्कारः — Rite of ‘Samayāhvaya’ and the Preparatory Layout

Maṇḍapa, Vedi, Kuṇḍas, Maṇḍala, Śiva-kumbha

Devanagari script

परीक्ष्य भूमिं विधिवद्गंधवर्णरसादिभिः । शिल्पिशास्त्रोक्तमार्गेण मण्डपं तत्र कल्पयेत्

Transliteration

parīkṣya bhūmiṃ vidhivadgaṃdhavarṇarasādibhiḥ | śilpiśāstroktamārgeṇa maṇḍapaṃ tatra kalpayet

Translation

Nachdem man den Boden vorschriftsgemäß geprüft hat—an Duft, Farbe, Geschmack und anderen Merkmalen—soll man dort eine Maṇḍapa errichten, gemäß dem Verfahren, das in den Schriften der Baumeister dargelegt ist.

Word by Word

• parīkṣya: having examined
• parīkṣya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), from धातु √ईक्ष् with उपसर्ग pari-, ‘having examined’

• bhūmim: the ground/land
• bhūmim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vidhi-vat: according to prescribed rule
• vidhi-vat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi-vat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverbial ‘according to rule’

• gandha-varṇa-rasa-ādibhiḥ: by/with smell, color, taste, etc.
• gandha-varṇa-rasa-ādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चयार्थ: ‘with smell, color, taste, etc.’

• śilpi-śāstra-ukta-mārgeṇa: by the method stated in the architectural treatise
• śilpi-śāstra-ukta-mārgeṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilpi (प्रातिपदिक) + śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त, √vac) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘(by) the path/method stated in the śilpi-śāstra’

• maṇḍapam: a pavilion/mandapa
• maṇḍapam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśādhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of place ‘there’

• kalpayet: should construct/arrange
• kalpayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kalp (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that Śiva’s worship is not casual: the worshipper first purifies and verifies the very foundation (the place), so the external order supports inner sattva, steadiness, and devotion—key Shaiva Siddhanta prerequisites for grace (anugraha).

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

The maṇḍapa is the immediate sacred environment for Liṅga-pūjā; selecting a proper site and building according to śāstra ensures the ritual space becomes a worthy seat for Saguna Śiva’s presence and for precise upacāras (offerings) without obstacles.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It primarily suggests correct pūjā-preparation: examine the site’s qualities and then establish a maṇḍapa as per śilpa-śāstra; inwardly, the practitioner should mirror this by testing and refining one’s own mind before japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).