Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
शिवसंस्कार-दीक्षानिरूपणम् (Śivasaṃskāra and the Typology of Dīkṣā)
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । भगवान्मंत्रमाहात्म्यं भवता कथितं प्रभो । तत्प्रयोगविधानं च साक्षाच्छ्रुतिसमं यथा
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | bhagavānmaṃtramāhātmyaṃ bhavatā kathitaṃ prabho | tatprayogavidhānaṃ ca sākṣācchrutisamaṃ yathā
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O Lord, you have explained the greatness of the divine mantra. Now please teach the proper method of applying it in practice—just as it is, equal in authority to the Vedas.”
Sri Krishna
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Frames mantra as ‘śruti-sama’ (Veda-equivalent) and asks for prayoga-vidhi; this mirrors tīrtha pedagogy where correct procedure (vidhi) is itself a purifier and a means to eligibility (adhikāra).
Role: teaching
FAQs
It shifts the teaching from praising the mantra’s power (māhātmya) to insisting on disciplined practice (prayoga-vidhi), implying that liberation-oriented mantra worship must be done with right method, faith, and scriptural alignment.
By requesting the mantra’s practical procedure, the verse points toward concrete Shaiva worship—typically mantra-japa joined with Linga-upāsanā—where Saguna Shiva is approached through prescribed rites while aiming at the highest realization.
It specifically calls for learning mantra-prayoga: the correct way to perform japa and associated observances (such as purity, nyāsa, dhyāna, and offerings), rather than mere recitation without method.