Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 39
पशु-पाश-पतिविचारः / Inquiry into Paśu, Pāśa, and Pati
यदा समस्तं न दिवा न रात्रिर्न सदप्यसत् । केवलश्शिव एवैको यतः प्रज्ञा पुरातनी
yadā samastaṃ na divā na rātrirna sadapyasat | kevalaśśiva evaiko yataḥ prajñā purātanī
Lorsque tout n’était pas encore—ni jour ni nuit, ni le manifeste (sat) ni même l’inmanifeste (asat)—alors Śiva seul existait comme l’Unique; de Lui jaillit la sagesse primordiale.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Type: stotra
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: pre-creation (prāk-sṛṣṭi) state beyond day/night and sat/asat
FAQs
It points to Shiva as Pati—the absolute reality prior to time and cosmic dualities—affirming that true liberating knowledge (primordial prajñā) originates in Shiva alone, not in the changing world.
Though Shiva is described here as beyond all dualities (nirguna), the Linga is revered as the most fitting saguna symbol of that very transcendence—form that leads the devotee to the formless, the One reality.
Contemplate Shiva in dhyāna as the One beyond day/night and sat/asat, and support the meditation with japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to steady the mind in the remembrance of Pati.