Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 41
श्रद्धामाहात्म्यं तथा देवीप्रश्नः
The Greatness of Śraddhā and Devī’s Question to Śiva
प्रसादान्मम योगज्ञः कर्मबंधं प्रहास्यति । पुण्यःपुण्यात्मकं कर्ममुक्तेस्तत्प्रतिबंधकम् । तस्मान्नियोगतो योगी पुण्यापुण्यं विवर्जयेत्
prasādānmama yogajñaḥ karmabaṃdhaṃ prahāsyati | puṇyaḥpuṇyātmakaṃ karmamuktestatpratibaṃdhakam | tasmānniyogato yogī puṇyāpuṇyaṃ vivarjayet
Por Mi gracia, el conocedor del Yoga desecha la atadura del karma. Incluso la acción meritoria—aunque sea de naturaleza virtuosa—se vuelve un obstáculo para la liberación. Por ello, el yogui, firme en la disciplina verdadera, debe renunciar tanto al mérito como al demérito.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Highlights nirbandha-mukti: even puṇya can bind; liberation is by Śiva’s prasāda, urging transcendence of karmic dualities—core Siddhānta emphasis on anugraha overcoming pāśa.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that liberation is not attained merely by accumulating virtue; both “good” and “bad” karmas can function as pāśa (bondage). Moksha arises through Shiva’s grace and the yogin’s shift from karma-driven identity to Shiva-oriented knowledge and detachment.
Linga/Saguna Shiva worship is a disciplined path that purifies the mind and redirects agency toward Shiva. When devotion matures into surrender, actions are no longer performed for personal merit but as offerings—supporting the transcendence of both puṇya and pāpa, culminating in Shiva’s prasāda.
Practice steady yoga with Shiva-centered devotion: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and offering actions to Shiva without seeking merit. Supportive Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha can be used as aids to remembrance and detachment.