Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 32
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
प्रवृत्तिस्सर्वशास्त्राणां तन्मुखादभवत्ततः । यदास्य विस्तरं शक्ता नाधिगंतुं प्रजा भुवि
pravṛttissarvaśāstrāṇāṃ tanmukhādabhavattataḥ | yadāsya vistaraṃ śaktā nādhigaṃtuṃ prajā bhuvi
Thus, from His mouth arose the onward flow of all the śāstras. Yet when their vast expanse could not be fully grasped by the beings on earth, (they sought a comprehensible teaching).
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā discourse to the sages)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It presents Shiva (Pati) as the ultimate source of sacred knowledge, while highlighting the human limitation in comprehending endless textual detail—implying the need for an accessible, essence-teaching that leads toward liberation.
Since beings cannot master the entire expanse of śāstra, Shaiva tradition emphasizes approaching Shiva through concrete, compassionate means—Saguna worship such as Linga-upāsanā—through which the same divine knowledge becomes experiential and liberating.
A practical takeaway is to rely on condensed Shaiva sādhanā—steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with devotion, alongside simple Linga worship—rather than getting lost only in endless intellectual expansion.