Shloka 5
Umāyāḥ Kriyāyoga-Rahasya
The Esoteric Teaching on Umā’s Kriyāyoga
कीदृक्च लक्षणं तस्य किं कृते च फलं भवेत् । प्रियं यच्च पराम्बायास्तदशेषं वदस्व मे
kīdṛkca lakṣaṇaṃ tasya kiṃ kṛte ca phalaṃ bhavet | priyaṃ yacca parāmbāyāstadaśeṣaṃ vadasva me
“What are its characteristics, and what fruit arises when it is performed? And whatever is dear to the Supreme Mother (Pārvatī)—tell me all of that in full.”},{
A devotee/inquirer addressing a narrator or teacher within the Umāsaṃhitā discourse (contextually a question posed to learn what pleases Pārvatī)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Significance: Asking for lakṣaṇa (marks) and phala (fruit) aligns with dharma-śāstric and āgamic pedagogy: correct performance yields purification and eligibility for grace.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse frames bhakti as a disciplined path: it asks for the right “lakṣaṇa” (authentic marks) of a practice and its “phala” (spiritual fruit), emphasizing that liberation-oriented worship must align with what truly pleases the Divine Mother, inseparable from Shiva in Shaiva-Shakta understanding.
By asking what is dear to Parāmbā (Pārvatī), the verse points to Saguna worship where Shiva is approached with forms, rites, and devotion; in the Shiva Purana, devotion to Shiva’s Linga is often taught as most fruitful when performed with reverence that also honors Shakti, the power and grace that makes worship effective.
The verse itself is an inquiry, implying a seeker should learn the correct method and results of worship—typically including mantra-japa (such as Panchākṣarī), pūjā with purity and devotion, and observances that please Pārvatī and Shiva; the specific rite is expected to be detailed in the surrounding verses.