Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 9
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
प्राणायाममुखा सैव स्पर्शे योगोभिधीयते । स मंत्रस्पर्शनिर्मुक्तो भावयोगः प्रकीर्तितः
prāṇāyāmamukhā saiva sparśe yogobhidhīyate | sa maṃtrasparśanirmukto bhāvayogaḥ prakīrtitaḥ
Eben diese Übung—beginnend mit Prāṇāyāma—heißt Yoga, wenn sie von „Berührung“ (unmittelbarer innerer Erfassung) begleitet ist. Wird sie von der Abhängigkeit vom Mantra und solcher äußeren „Berührung“ frei, so wird sie als Bhāva-Yoga verkündet: Yoga reiner innerer Hingabe und Ausrichtung.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It distinguishes technique-based yoga (starting with prāṇāyāma and supported by methods like mantra) from bhāva-yoga—absorption in Shiva through purified inner disposition—highlighting that liberation is ultimately rooted in inward transformation and grace-oriented devotion to Pati (Shiva).
Mantra and meditative ‘contact’ support saguna upāsanā—steadying the mind on Shiva’s form, Linga, and divine qualities—while bhāva-yoga emphasizes that the culmination of worship is unwavering inner surrender and remembrance, where external supports become secondary to direct devotion.
Begin with prāṇāyāma to stabilize attention, then use japa (e.g., the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to deepen concentration; finally, mature the practice into bhāva—continuous inward Shiva-bhakti—rather than relying only on technique.