Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 5

शिवज्ञान-प्रश्नः तथा सृष्टौ शिवस्य स्वयमाविर्भावः

Inquiry into Śiva-knowledge and Śiva’s self-manifestation in creation

Devanagari script

कस्याधिकारः पूजादौ ज्ञानयोगादयः कथम् । तत्सर्वं विस्तरादेव वक्तुमर्हसि सुव्रत

Transliteration

kasyādhikāraḥ pūjādau jñānayogādayaḥ katham | tatsarvaṃ vistarādeva vaktumarhasi suvrata

Translation

Wer ist befugt, Verehrung und dergleichen zu beginnen? Und wie sind die Wege von Erkenntnis und Yoga zu üben? O du von vortrefflichem Gelübde, du sollst all dies ausführlich darlegen.

Word by Word

• kasya: of whom / whose
• kasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक, सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; interrogative pronoun

• adhikāraḥ: eligibility, authority
• adhikāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• pūjā-ādau: in worship and the like
• pūjā-ādau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; अव्ययीभाव: ‘pūjāyām ādau’ = ‘in worship etc.’

• jñāna-yoga-ādayaḥ: knowledge, yoga, and others
• jñāna-yoga-ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; समास: द्वन्द्व (jñānaś ca yogaś ca) with ādi-samāsa extension

• katham: how?
• katham: Prakāra (प्रकार/Interrogative manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; interrogative adverb (प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक, सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; used adjectivally with tat

• vistarāt: in detail
• vistarāt: Apādāna (अपादान/Source; ‘in detail/from elaboration’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• eva: indeed, precisely
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निपात)

• vaktum: to tell
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) → vaktum (कृदन्त, तुमुन्)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्); ‘to speak’

• arhasi: you are able/fit
• arhasi: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यम), Singular; Parasmaipada

• suvrata: O one of good vows
• suvrata: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; संबोधन

Speaker

A sage-questioner addressing Suta Goswami (narrative frame of Purana discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

FAQs

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

It frames a core Shaiva Siddhanta concern: spiritual practice must be grounded in adhikāra (fitness and preparedness), and the disciplines of worship, knowledge, and yoga are to be understood as guided, orderly means toward Shiva-realization and liberation.

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

By asking about “pūjā and the like,” the verse points to structured Saguna Shiva worship (often centered on the Linga) and seeks clarification on who may perform it and how inner disciplines like jñāna and yoga integrate with external ritual.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse does not name a specific item (rudrākṣa, bhasma, or a mantra) directly; it signals the need for detailed instruction on proper Shiva-pūjā and complementary yogic/jñāna practices—typically including mantra-japa and meditation as taught in the Vāyavīya discourse.