Shloka 13
पञ्चकृत्यलक्षणनिर्णयः
Definition of Śiva’s Five Cosmic Acts—Pañcakṛtya
रूपे वेशे च कृत्ये च वाहने चासने तथा । आयुधादौ च मत्साम्यमस्माभिस्तत्कृते कृतम्
rūpe veśe ca kṛtye ca vāhane cāsane tathā | āyudhādau ca matsāmyamasmābhistatkṛte kṛtam
In form, in attire, in deeds, and likewise in mount and seat, and even in weapons and the rest—by us, for his sake, a likeness to Me has been fashioned.
Lord Shiva (speaking in the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā context, as narrated by Suta Goswami)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The verse describes bestowal of ‘matsāmya’ (likeness to Śiva) in iconography and function—suggesting delegated sovereignty and divine resemblance granted by Śiva’s will.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that Shiva can bestow a divinely empowered, Shiva-like state—externally in symbols (form, emblems) and internally in function—showing grace (anugraha) toward a devotee or divine agent for a specific cosmic purpose.
It supports Saguna worship by affirming that Shiva’s recognizable attributes—vehicle, seat, and weapons—are meaningful manifestations of His power; the devotee approaches the formless (Nirguna) through these accessible forms, including the Linga as the supreme emblem.
Meditate on Shiva with His traditional marks and emblems (dhyāna of Saguna Shiva) while repeating the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to align one’s conduct (kṛtya) with Shiva’s qualities.