Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 6

षडध्ववेदनम् (Ṣaḍadhva-vedanam) — The Sixfold Path: Sound, Meaning, and Tattva-Distribution

Devanagari script

ज्ञानशक्तिसमायोगादिच्छोपोद्बलिका तथा । सर्वशक्तिसमष्ट्यात्मा शक्तितत्त्वसमाख्यया

Transliteration

jñānaśaktisamāyogādicchopodbalikā tathā | sarvaśaktisamaṣṭyātmā śaktitattvasamākhyayā

Translation

Lorsque la puissance de connaissance (jñāna-śakti) s’unit, la puissance de volonté (icchā-śakti) s’en trouve d’autant fortifiée. Et parce qu’elle est l’essence collective de toutes les puissances, on la nomme le principe appelé « Śakti-tattva ».

Word by Word

• jñāna-śakti-samāyogāt: from the union of knowledge and power
• jñāna-śakti-samāyogāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Pañcamī (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; samāyogāt = 'from the conjunction/union'; pūrvapadayoḥ ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (jñānasya śakteḥ samāyogaḥ)

• icchā-upodbalikā: the strengthening (auxiliary) of will
• icchā-upodbalikā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक) + upodbalikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (icchāyāḥ upodbalikā)

• tathā: and also / likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; nipāta/adverb (उपपद/क्रियाविशेषण)

• sarva-śakti-samaṣṭi-ātmā: having as its essence the aggregate of all powers
• sarva-śakti-samaṣṭi-ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + samaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; bahupada-tatpuruṣa: 'whose nature is the aggregate (samaṣṭi) of all powers' (sarvāṇāṃ śaktīnām samaṣṭiḥ, tasyāḥ ātmā)

• śakti-tattva-samākhyayā: by the appellation ‘Śakti-tattva’
• śakti-tattva-samākhyayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + samākhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana; karaṇa/hetu-bhāva: 'by/with the designation called “śakti-tattva”'; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (śakteḥ tattvam) + samākhyā

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

It defines Śakti-tattva as the integrated principle of divine powers, showing that knowledge (jñāna) and will (icchā) are not separate forces but coordinated expressions of Shiva’s divine potency that lead the soul toward liberation.

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

In Linga and Saguna Shiva worship, the devotee contemplates Shiva as Pati (the Lord) inseparable from Śakti; the verse supports seeing the Linga not as inert, but as conscious divinity with operative powers—knowledge and will—manifesting grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as consciousness and Śakti as His power while repeating the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), aligning one’s intention (icchā) with right understanding (jñāna) so practice becomes steady and spiritually empowered.