Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 39
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
न चेत्पुराणं संविद्यान्नैव स स्याद्विचक्षणः । इतिहासपुराणाभ्यां वेदं समुपबृंहयेत्
na cetpurāṇaṃ saṃvidyānnaiva sa syādvicakṣaṇaḥ | itihāsapurāṇābhyāṃ vedaṃ samupabṛṃhayet
Si l’on ne comprend pas véritablement le Purāṇa, on ne saurait être tenu pour clairvoyant. Car le Veda doit être développé et éclairci comme il convient par les Itihāsa et les Purāṇa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: This verse is a meta-hermeneutic statement: Purāṇa/Itihāsa function as explanatory ‘upabṛṃhaṇa’ for Veda; no specific liṅga-sthala narrative is invoked here.
Significance: Frames śravaṇa–manana of Purāṇic lore as a prerequisite for ‘vicakṣaṇatā’ (discernment), i.e., right understanding that supports right practice and devotion.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that true discernment (vicakṣaṇatā) arises when Vedic truths are grasped through Purāṇic and Itihāsa narratives, which make subtle dharma and the path to liberation intelligible—ultimately guiding the seeker toward Pati (Śiva) through right understanding.
In Śaiva tradition, Purāṇas concretize Vedic principles through accessible forms—such as the worship of the Liṅga and Saguna Śiva—so devotion and ritual are grounded in Vedic intent rather than mere custom.
The verse points to svādhyāya (scriptural study) as a discipline: regularly study Purāṇic teachings alongside Vedic ideas, and apply them in Śiva-upāsanā—especially japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with reflective understanding.