Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
व्यास उवाच । नमश्शिवाय सोमाय सगणाय ससूनवे । प्रधानपुरुषेशाय सर्गस्थित्यंतहेतवे
vyāsa uvāca | namaśśivāya somāya sagaṇāya sasūnave | pradhānapuruṣeśāya sargasthityaṃtahetave
Vyāsa dit : Hommage à Śiva—qui est aussi Soma, le Seigneur de bon augure, semblable au nectar; toujours entouré de ses gaṇa et accompagné de son Fils. Hommage au Maître de Pradhāna (la matière primordiale) et de Puruṣa (la conscience), cause de la création, du maintien et de la dissolution.
Vyasa
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Opening maṅgala/namaskāra; not tied to a specific Jyotirliṅga narrative.
Significance: Establishes Śiva as the supreme causal Lord (nimitta) over pradhāna and puruṣa; recitation is auspicious at the start of study/pravacana.
Mantra: नमश्शिवाय सोमाय सगणाय ससूनवे । प्रधानपुरुषेशाय सर्गस्थित्यंतहेतवे
Type: stotra
FAQs
It functions as a maṅgala (auspicious opening) that centers the text in devotion to Pati (Śiva) as the supreme Lord who governs Pradhāna and Puruṣa and directs the cosmic cycle—guiding the seeker toward liberation through His grace.
By praising Śiva with attributes—Soma, Lord of the gaṇas, and the Father with His Son—it points to Saguna worship (devotional approach), which in Shaiva practice is commonly undertaken through the Śiva-liṅga while recognizing Him as the transcendent cause beyond form.
The verse naturally supports japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Namaḥ Śivāya” as an opening practice before recitation or pūjā, performed with inward remembrance of Śiva as the inner ruler of creation, sustenance, and dissolution.