Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 39
मन्त्रसिद्ध्यर्थं गुरुपूजा–आज्ञा–पौरश्चर्यविधिः / Guru-Authorization, Offerings, and Puraścaraṇa for Mantra-Siddhi
अंगुष्ठं मोक्षदं विद्यात्तर्जनीं शत्रुनाशिनीम् । मध्यमां धनदां शांतिं करोत्येषा ह्यनामिका । अष्टोत्तरशतं माला तत्र स्यादुत्तमोत्तमा । शतसंख्योत्तमा माला पञ्चाशद्भिस्तु मध्यमा
aṃguṣṭhaṃ mokṣadaṃ vidyāttarjanīṃ śatrunāśinīm | madhyamāṃ dhanadāṃ śāṃtiṃ karotyeṣā hyanāmikā | aṣṭottaraśataṃ mālā tatra syāduttamottamā | śatasaṃkhyottamā mālā pañcāśadbhistu madhyamā
Know the thumb as the giver of liberation, and the forefinger as the destroyer of enemies. The middle finger bestows wealth, while the ring finger indeed brings peace. In this practice, a mālā of one hundred and eight beads is the best of the best; one of a hundred is excellent, and one of fifty is of middling grade.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Instructional japa-vidhi: mapping fingers to specific phalas and ranking mālā sizes (108/100/50).
Significance: General: promotes standardized japa-counts (108) and correct hasta-vyāpāra (finger usage) for siddhi and śānti, culminating in mokṣa-oriented practice.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches disciplined mantra-japa as a Shaiva sadhana: the body and its instruments (fingers and mala) are sanctified for inner purification, leading toward śānti and ultimately mokṣa through Shiva’s grace (Pati).
Japa—commonly of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—is a direct form of Saguna Shiva worship, often performed before the Shiva-linga with devotion; the verse standardizes the practical method (mala counts and finger-associations) that supports steady concentration.
Mantra repetition using a mālā, ideally of 108 beads (or 100/50 as alternatives), with mindful counting; it also implies finger-based counting/nyāsa-style awareness where each finger is contemplated for a specific spiritual fruit (mokṣa, obstacle-removal, prosperity, peace).