Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 17

शक्त्यादिसृष्टिनिरूपणम् / The Account of Creation Beginning with Śakti

Devanagari script

परार्धद्वयकालांते प्रलये समुपस्थिते । अव्यक्तमात्मनः कार्यमादायात्मनि तिष्ठति

Transliteration

parārdhadvayakālāṃte pralaye samupasthite | avyaktamātmanaḥ kāryamādāyātmani tiṣṭhati

Translation

À la fin de deux parārdhas, lorsque survient le pralaya (dissolution cosmique), l’Inmanifesté (Avyakta) retire en lui-même ses propres effets et demeure en son propre Soi.

Word by Word

• पर-अर्ध-द्वय-काल-अन्ते: at the end of the time-span of two parārdhas
• पर-अर्ध-द्वय-काल-अन्ते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (परार्धयोः द्वयस्य कालस्य अन्ते)

• प्रलये: at dissolution
• प्रलये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समुपस्थिते: when (it) has arrived/ensued
• समुपस्थिते: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उप-स्था (धातु) → समुपस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (प्रलये)

• अव्यक्तम्: the unmanifest (principle)
• अव्यक्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आत्मनः: of himself/of the Self
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कार्यं: effect/product
• कार्यं: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्यक्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (appositional)

• आदाय: having taken/withdrawn
• आदाय: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• आत्मनि: in himself
• आत्मनि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तिष्ठति: remains/stands
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: pralaya at the completion of two parārdhas (Brahmā’s full lifespan)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It points to the impermanence of all manifested effects and the return of the cosmos to an undifferentiated state at pralaya, urging the seeker to take refuge in the Self—ultimately Shiva as Pati—beyond change.

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

The Linga signifies Shiva as the ground of manifestation and dissolution: forms arise and subside, but the Linga points to the abiding Reality. Saguna worship steadies the mind so it can realize the unmanifest source indicated by the Linga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on withdrawal (pratyāhāra) by repeating the Panchakshara—"Om Namaḥ Śivāya"—and contemplating the return of thoughts and senses into their source, aligning the mind with the stillness of the Unmanifest.