Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 50
न्यासत्रैविध्य-भूतशुद्धि-प्रक्रिया
Threefold Nyāsa and the Procedure of Elemental Purification
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वाचिरादेव शिवसायुज्यमाप्नुयात् । तस्मान्मुक्तो शिवाज्ञप्तः कर्मयज्ञो ऽपि देहिनाम् । अकामः कामसंयुक्तो बन्धायैव भविष्यति । तस्मात्पञ्चसु यज्ञेषु ध्यानज्ञानपरो भवेत्
jñānaṃ labdhvācirādeva śivasāyujyamāpnuyāt | tasmānmukto śivājñaptaḥ karmayajño 'pi dehinām | akāmaḥ kāmasaṃyukto bandhāyaiva bhaviṣyati | tasmātpañcasu yajñeṣu dhyānajñānaparo bhavet
Wer wahres Wissen erlangt, erreicht bald sāyujya, die Vereinigung mit Śiva. Darum binden selbst die von Śiva für die Verkörperten gebotenen rituellen Opfer den Befreiten nicht mehr als verpflichtende Handlung. Doch wer begehrlos war und sich mit Begehren verbindet, fällt gewiss in Fesselung. Daher soll man unter den fünf Opfern der Meditation und dem geistigen Wissen hingegeben sein.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that jñāna and dhyāna are the direct means to Śiva-sāyujya, while desire (kāma) is the root of bondage; even divinely enjoined rituals become non-binding for one established in liberation.
Linga-worship and other Śiva-enjoined rites are valuable as purifying disciplines, but the verse emphasizes that their highest fulfillment is inner realization—meditation and knowledge culminating in union with Śiva beyond mere external action.
Prioritize dhyāna (steady meditation on Śiva) and jñāna (discernment of Pati, paśu, and pāśa), performing prescribed rites without desire for results—turning worship into a means of purification rather than bondage.