Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 7

ध्यानप्रकारनिर्णयः / Determination of the Modes of Meditation

on Śrīkaṇṭha-Śiva

Devanagari script

सूक्ष्माश्रयं निर्विषयं नापरं परमार्थतः । यद्वा सविषयं ध्यानं तत्साकारसमाश्रयम्

Transliteration

sūkṣmāśrayaṃ nirviṣayaṃ nāparaṃ paramārthataḥ | yadvā saviṣayaṃ dhyānaṃ tatsākārasamāśrayam

Translation

Meditation that rests upon the subtle and is free from objects is, in truth, nothing other than the Supreme Reality itself. But when meditation is performed with an object, it depends upon a form—a concrete, manifest support.

Word by Word

• sūkṣma-āśrayam: having a subtle support / resting on the subtle
• sūkṣma-āśrayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक) + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; तत्पुरुष-समासः (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

• nir-viṣayam: objectless
• nir-viṣayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirviṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; उपसर्ग-पूर्वक-विशेषणम्

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negative particle)

• aparam: other; different
• aparam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; विशेषणम्

• paramārthataḥ: in the ultimate sense
• paramārthataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paramārtha (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिल्/तस्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययम्; अर्थे—‘in reality/ultimately’

• yad: if/when; that which
• yad: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे/सम्बन्धे प्रयुक्तं यद् (correlative ‘if/when/that which’)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम् (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• sa-viṣayam: with an object
• sa-viṣayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saviṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; विशेषणम्

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; सर्वनाम-विशेषणम्

• sākāra-samāśrayam: having support in a form (with form as its basis)
• sākāra-samāśrayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + samāśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; तत्पुरुष-समासः (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It distinguishes two valid modes of Shaiva meditation: object-free absorption in the subtle (pointing to the Supreme Reality) and object-based contemplation supported by a manifest form—both guiding the seeker from practice toward realization.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Object-based meditation aligns with saguna supports such as the Shiva Linga, a murti, or a chosen visualization of Shiva; these provide a concrete basis for dhyana that can mature into subtler, object-free contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests dhyana with a support (e.g., Linga-focused contemplation with mantra like Om Namaḥ Śivāya) for most practitioners, and progressively refining attention toward subtle, object-free meditation as steadiness and purity increase.