Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 29
शैवधर्मप्रशंसा तथा पञ्चविधसाधनविभागः / Praise of Śaiva Dharma and the Fivefold Classification of Practice
अनादिमलसंश्लेषः प्रागभावात्स्वभावतः । अत्यंतं परिशुद्धात्मेत्यतो ऽयं शिव उच्यते
anādimalasaṃśleṣaḥ prāgabhāvātsvabhāvataḥ | atyaṃtaṃ pariśuddhātmetyato 'yaṃ śiva ucyate
Because, by His very nature, there is no beginningless association with impurity in Him—such defilement is absent from the start—and because His Self is utterly pure, therefore He is called “Śiva.”
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Type: stotra
FAQs
It defines Śiva as the eternally pure Pati (Lord) who is untouched by mala (impurity) from the very outset; realizing His absolute purity supports the seeker’s conviction that liberation comes through His grace and proximity.
Linga-worship points to the formless, stainless reality of Śiva; even when approached as Saguna (with attributes), the devotee contemplates Him as intrinsically free from impurity, making the Linga a symbol of His untainted consciousness.
Meditate on Śiva as pariśuddhātman (the perfectly pure Self) while repeating the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and, if following Shaiva custom, wear bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) as a reminder of purification and detachment.