Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 29
परस्य दुर्निर्णयः—षट्कुलीयमुनिविवादः तथा ब्रह्मदर्शनार्थं मेरुप्रयाणम् | The Dispute of the Six-Lineage Sages on the Supreme and Their Journey to Brahmā at Meru
केनैव चित्रकृत्येन प्रथमं सृज्यते जगत् । तत्त्वं वद महाप्राज्ञ स्वसंदेहापनुत्तये
kenaiva citrakṛtyena prathamaṃ sṛjyate jagat | tattvaṃ vada mahāprājña svasaṃdehāpanuttaye
«Par quel acte merveilleux cet univers est-il d’abord manifesté ? Ô grand sage à l’intelligence profonde, dis-moi le principe véritable (tattva), afin que mon doute soit dissipé.»
A seeker (disciple-like questioner) addressing a great sage within the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā discourse
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: The verse models the paśu’s right approach: humble questioning about sṛṣṭi and tattva, which in Siddhānta culminates in recognizing Pati as the efficient cause and māyā as instrumental cause.
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: cosmogonic beginning implied (initial creation)
FAQs
It frames the core Shaiva inquiry: what ultimate Reality (tattva) stands behind creation. The verse models the seeker’s humility and the need for right knowledge that dissolves doubt—an essential step toward liberation in Shaiva Siddhanta.
By asking for the source and principle behind the universe, the verse points to Shiva as the supreme cause (Pati). Linga-worship is a concrete (saguna) focus that leads the mind toward that formless, highest tattva (nirguna) which the sage is asked to reveal.
The immediate practice implied is śravaṇa (listening to true teaching) and manana (reflective inquiry) to remove doubt; in Shaiva practice this is commonly supported by japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and contemplative meditation on Shiva as the source of creation.