सर्गादि यच्चतुष्कृत्यं संसारपरिजृंभणम् । पंचमं मुक्तिहेतुर्वै नित्यं मयि च सुस्थिरम्
sargādi yaccatuṣkṛtyaṃ saṃsāraparijṛṃbhaṇam | paṃcamaṃ muktiheturvai nityaṃ mayi ca susthiram
That fourfold activity beginning with creation—by which the expanse of saṃsāra unfolds—is taught; and the fifth, indeed, is the cause of liberation: to be forever firmly established in Me (Śiva).
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific māhātmya here; the verse teaches the pañcakṛtya doctrine and identifies the ‘fifth’ as liberating stabilization in Śiva.
Significance: Frames liberation as anugraha: steadfast abidance in Śiva (śivaniṣṭhā), the inner ‘tīrtha’ accessible through devotion and knowledge.
Role: liberating
It distinguishes the four cosmic operations that sustain saṃsāra from the “fifth” principle—steadfast abidance in Śiva (Pati)—as the direct cause of mokṣa, aligning with Shaiva Siddhānta’s emphasis on grace and God-centered stability.
The verse points to sustained inner establishment in Śiva; in practice, Linga-worship (saguna upāsanā) functions as a concrete support to cultivate unwavering remembrance and surrender, culminating in firm God-abidance that leads to liberation.
A practical takeaway is nitya-upāsanā: daily Linga pūjā with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady meditation on Śiva as the inner Self, aiming at unwavering fixity (su-sthiratā) in Him.