Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 26

षडध्व-शुद्धिः

Purification of the Six Adhvans / Sixfold Cosmic Path

Devanagari script

चैतन्यं समुपादाय द्वादशांते निवेद्य च । सूत्रं सूत्रेण संयोज्य संरक्ष्यास्त्रेण वर्मणा

Transliteration

caitanyaṃ samupādāya dvādaśāṃte nivedya ca | sūtraṃ sūtreṇa saṃyojya saṃrakṣyāstreṇa varmaṇā

Translation

Nachdem man das innere Bewusstsein (caitanya) gesammelt und es am Ende des dvādaśānta dargebracht hat, und Faden mit Faden verbindend, soll man es mit dem schützenden Waffen-Mantra (astra) sichern, gleichsam wie mit einem Panzer.

Word by Word

• चैतन्यम्: consciousness / sentience
• चैतन्यम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैतन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• समुपादाय: having taken up
• समुपादाय: पूर्वक्रिया (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) with सम्+उप उपसर्ग
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), from √दा/√दा(दाने) in causative sense via upa-ā-?; standard usage: sam-upa-ā-√dā ‘to take up’; ‘having taken up’

• द्वादश-अन्ते: at the dvādaśānta (end-of-twelve) point
• द्वादश-अन्ते: अधिकरण (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण; ‘at the end of the twelve (i.e., dvādaśānta point)’

• निवेद्य: having offered / presented
• निवेद्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु) with नि उपसर्ग (निवेदयति causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), from √विद् with ni in causative sense ‘to present/offer/inform’; ‘having offered/presented’

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• सूत्रम्: thread
• सूत्रम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• सूत्रेण: with the thread
• सूत्रेण: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण

• संयोज्य: having joined
• संयोज्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु) with सम् उपसर्ग
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), from √युज् ‘to join’ with sam; ‘having joined/connected’

• संरक्ष्य: having protected
• संरक्ष्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु) with सम् उपसर्ग
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), from √रक्ष् ‘to protect’ with sam; ‘having protected/secured’

• अस्त्रेण: with the weapon-mantra
• अस्त्रेण: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण; (mantra-weapon)

• वर्मणा: with armor / protective covering
• वर्मणा: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण; ‘by armor/protective covering’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Mantra Metadata

Type: kavaca

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches an inner Shaiva practice: collecting awareness and offering it at dvādaśānta (the breath’s subtle culmination), then stabilizing the sādhana through mantra-protection—so consciousness becomes guarded and oriented to Pati (Shiva), not bound by pasha (limitations).

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

The ‘offering of consciousness’ functions like an internal abhiṣeka: instead of external substances, the devotee dedicates awareness itself to Shiva. The protective ‘astra’ and ‘armor’ mirror temple-ritual safeguards, applied inwardly in yogic Linga-worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A dvādaśānta-focused breath/attention practice, followed by mantra-nyāsa: ‘joining thread to thread’ implies linking the subtle current (nāḍī/breath or japa-thread) continuously, and sealing it with a protective mantra (astra) as spiritual armor (varma).