Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 61
सर्गविभागवर्णनम्
Classification of Creation: the Nine Sargas and the Streams of Beings
वैरूप्यमतिरात्रं च पश्चिमादसृजन्मुखात् । एकविंशमथर्वाणमाप्तोर्यामाणमेव च । अनुष्टुभं स वैराजमुत्तरादसृजन्मुखात् । उच्चावचानि भूतानि गात्रेभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे
vairūpyamatirātraṃ ca paścimādasṛjanmukhāt | ekaviṃśamatharvāṇamāptoryāmāṇameva ca | anuṣṭubhaṃ sa vairājamuttarādasṛjanmukhāt | uccāvacāni bhūtāni gātrebhyastasya jajñire
De sa bouche tournée vers l’ouest, il fit jaillir les rites Vairūpya et Atirātra, ainsi que les sacrifices Ekaviṃśa et Āptoryāma, avec la tradition atharvanique. De sa bouche tournée vers le nord, il produisit le mètre Anuṣṭubh dit Vairāja. Et de ses membres naquirent des êtres de toutes sortes, supérieurs et inférieurs selon leur condition.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Offering: naivedya
Cosmic Event: kalpa-sṛṣṭi (emanation of Vedic rites/metres and beings)
FAQs
It portrays cosmic manifestation as an ordered emanation: Vedic rites, sacred metres, and diverse beings arise from a single source. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such order ultimately depends on Pati (Shiva) as the supreme governor, while ritual and creation remain within the realm of manifested reality.
By showing that even Vedic sacrifices and chandas originate from the cosmic principle, the verse supports the Shaiva view that external ritual gains its highest fruit when offered to Saguna Shiva—often worshipped as the Linga—who is the accessible form through which devotees align action (karma) with divine grace.
The takeaway is disciplined sacred recitation: adopting Anuṣṭubh-based stotras or mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with purity and regularity, treating ritual as an offering that matures into inward meditation and devotion.