Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 12

त्रिमूर्तिसाम्यं तथा महेश्वरस्य परमार्थकारणत्वम् | Equality of the Trimūrti and Maheśvara as the Supreme Cause

Devanagari script

तस्मान्महेश्वरश्चैव प्रकृतिः पुरुषस्तथा । सदाशिवभवो विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा सर्वशिवात्मकम्

Transliteration

tasmānmaheśvaraścaiva prakṛtiḥ puruṣastathā | sadāśivabhavo viṣṇurbrahmā sarvaśivātmakam

Translation

Ainsi, Maheśvara est véritablement à la fois Prakṛti (la matrice primordiale) et Puruṣa (le principe conscient). De Sadāśiva naissent Viṣṇu et Brahmā; en vérité, tout est de la nature même de Śiva.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: from that/therefore
• tasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Puṃliṅga/Napuṃsaka, Pañcamī vibhakti (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; apādāna sense (from that)

• maheśvaraḥ: Mahēśvara (the Great Lord)
• maheśvaraḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) 'mahān īśvaraḥ'; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (Conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (Emphasis)

• prakṛtiḥ: Prakṛti (Nature)
• prakṛtiḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• puruṣaḥ: Puruṣa (Person/Spirit)
• puruṣaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• tathā: likewise/so too
• tathā: Sambandha (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), prakāra-avyaya (manner adverb)

• sadāśiva-bhavaḥ: born from Sadāśiva
• sadāśiva-bhavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sadāśiva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष), ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (genitive) 'sadāśivasya bhavaḥ' = originating from Sadāśiva; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• sarva-śiva-ātmakam: of the nature of all Śiva
• sarva-śiva-ātmakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) (determinative) 'sarvaśivaḥ ātmā yasya / sarvaśivātmakam' = of the nature of all Śiva; Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Prathamā/Dvitīyā (1st/2nd) Ekavacana (predicate adjective, context-dependent)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: cosmogonic emanation: Brahmā-Viṣṇu arising from Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Sadashiva
• Prakriti
• Purusha

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It declares Śiva’s absolute supremacy: the Lord is both the material cause (as Prakṛti) and the conscious cause (as Puruṣa), and even the functions of creation and preservation (Brahmā and Viṣṇu) arise from Sadāśiva—so liberation is attained by recognizing all reality as Śiva’s own essence (Śivātmatā).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Since all deities and cosmic principles are said to be Śiva-formed, Linga worship becomes a direct approach to the source of Brahmā and Viṣṇu. The Linga signifies the transcendent (Nirguṇa) Sadāśiva while allowing devotion to the manifest (Saguṇa) Maheśvara—uniting philosophy and bhakti.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as the inner Self and the ground of all beings while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and perform simple Linga-pūjā with awareness that every form and function is Śiva’s manifestation.