Shloka 12

Umāyāḥ Kriyāyoga-Rahasya

The Esoteric Teaching on Umā’s Kriyāyoga

Devanagari script

मायान्तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान्मायावि ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् । अभिन्नं तद्वपुर्ज्ञात्वा मुच्यते भवबन्धनात्

Transliteration

māyāntu prakṛtiṃ vidyānmāyāvi brahma śāśvatam | abhinnaṃ tadvapurjñātvā mucyate bhavabandhanāt

Translation

Know Māyā to be Prakṛti, and know the eternal Brahman to be the wielder of Māyā. Realizing that His very being is non-different from that power, one is released from the bondage of worldly becoming (saṃsāra).

Word by Word

• मायाम्: māyā (illusion/power)
• मायाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—विरोध/विशेष (particle)

• प्रकृतिम्: as Prakriti (nature)
• प्रकृतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विधेय-रूपेण (as)

• विद्यात्: should know
• विद्यात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मायावि: possessing māyā
• मायावि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मायाविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (ब्रह्मणः)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• शाश्वतम्: eternal
• शाश्वतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (ब्रह्मणः)

• अभिन्नम्: non-different
• अभिन्नम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म-विशेषण (तद्वपुः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वपुः: form/body/essence
• वपुः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having known)

• मुच्यते: is liberated
• मुच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• भवबन्धनात्: from the bondage of worldly existence
• भवबन्धनात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भवस्य बन्धनम्)

Speaker

Lord Shiva (teaching Umā/Devī in the Umāsaṃhitā philosophical discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Maya
• Prakriti
• Brahman

FAQs

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

It teaches that bondage is sustained by misunderstanding Māyā and the Lord; liberation arises when one discerns Māyā as Prakṛti and recognizes Shiva/Brahman as the conscious Lord who wields it, inseparable from His power yet ever transcendent—this right knowledge cuts the fetters of saṃsāra.

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

Linga-worship trains the mind to perceive Shiva as the eternal Pati (Lord) beyond changing nature, while also acknowledging His immanent power (Māyā/Śakti). This verse supports Saguna upāsanā leading to Nirguna realization: the devotee sees the Lord as the master of Māyā, not a product of it.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditatively discriminate (viveka) between Prakṛti/Māyā and the conscious Lord (Shiva) while doing japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steadying attention on the Shiva-Linga—contemplating that the Lord is the Māyā-wielder and the remover of bhava-bandha.