Shloka 5
Mukti-bheda-nirūpaṇa (Classification of Liberation) and Śiva as the Sole Bestower of Mokṣa
ब्रह्माद्यास्त्रिगुणाधीशाश्शिवस्त्रिगुणतः परः । निर्विकारी परब्रह्म तुर्यः प्रकृतितः परः
brahmādyāstriguṇādhīśāśśivastriguṇataḥ paraḥ | nirvikārī parabrahma turyaḥ prakṛtitaḥ paraḥ
Brahmā and the other deities preside over the three guṇas, but Śiva is beyond the three guṇas. He is the changeless Supreme Brahman—the ‘Fourth’ (turya), transcending Prakṛti itself.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Significance: Encourages contemplation of Śiva as nirvikāra parabrahman beyond guṇas and prakṛti—supporting jñāna-bhakti at tīrthas and temples as a means to transcend māyā.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as Pati—the Supreme Reality—who is beyond the guṇas and beyond Prakṛti, indicating that liberation comes from realizing and worshiping Him as the changeless Parabrahman rather than remaining bound to guṇa-driven experience.
Though Śiva is described as nirguṇa and turya, the Shiva Purana teaches that devotees approach this transcendent truth through saguna supports like the Śiva-liṅga and mantra; the form leads the mind beyond guṇas toward the formless Parabrahman.
Meditate on Śiva as ‘turya’—the witness beyond waking, dream, and deep sleep—while japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and liṅga-dhyāna help the mind rise above rajas and tamas into sāttvika steadiness, then beyond even sattva.