Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 75
सर्गविभागवर्णनम्
Classification of Creation: the Nine Sargas and the Streams of Beings
धर्माधर्मसुपुष्पाढ्यः सुखदुःखफलोदयः । आजीव्यः सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्मवृक्षः सनातनः । द्यां मूर्धानं तस्य विप्रा वदंति खं वै नाभिं चंद्रसूर्यौ च नेत्रे । दिशः श्रोत्रे चरणौ च क्षितिं च सो ऽचिन्त्यात्मा सर्वभूतप्रणेता
dharmādharmasupuṣpāḍhyaḥ sukhaduḥkhaphalodayaḥ | ājīvyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ brahmavṛkṣaḥ sanātanaḥ | dyāṃ mūrdhānaṃ tasya viprā vadaṃti khaṃ vai nābhiṃ caṃdrasūryau ca netre | diśaḥ śrotre caraṇau ca kṣitiṃ ca so 'cintyātmā sarvabhūtapraṇetā
Riche des fleurs du dharma et de l’adharma, et faisant mûrir les fruits de la joie et de la peine, cet Arbre éternel de Brahmā devient la subsistance même de tous les êtres. Les sages déclarent que sa tête est le ciel; son nombril, l’espace; la Lune et le Soleil sont ses yeux; les directions, ses oreilles; et la terre, ses pieds. Lui—d’essence inconcevable—est l’impulseur, le guide et l’ordonnateur de tous les êtres.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It presents the universe as a single cosmic ‘tree’ sustained by the Lord, where karma (dharma and adharma) blossoms and ripens into lived experience (pleasure and pain). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, this points to Pati (the Lord) as the inconceivable governor who enables the moral order while guiding beings toward liberation.
By describing a cosmic body with sun and moon as eyes and the directions as ears, it supports Saguna contemplation—seeing the whole cosmos as Shiva’s manifest form. Linga worship gathers this vastness into a single sacred focus, training the mind to recognize the Lord as the inner ruler (antaryāmin) of all beings.
A practical takeaway is cosmic-form (viśvarūpa) meditation: mentally offer the sun and moon, the directions, and the earth into Shiva as an inner worship. For Shaiva practice, this can be paired with steady japa of the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” aligning one’s actions so dharma ‘blossoms’ and karmic bondage weakens.