Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 3
शक्त्यादिसृष्टिनिरूपणम् / The Account of Creation Beginning with Śakti
वायुरुवाच । शक्तिः प्रथमसम्भूता शांत्यतीतपदोत्तरा । ततो माया ततो ऽव्यक्तं शिवाच्छक्तिमतः प्रभोः
vāyuruvāca | śaktiḥ prathamasambhūtā śāṃtyatītapadottarā | tato māyā tato 'vyaktaṃ śivācchaktimataḥ prabhoḥ
Vāyu dit : D’abord surgit Śakti, au-delà même de l’état suprême de quiétude (śānti). D’Elle naquit Māyā ; puis advint l’Inmanifesté (avyakta), issu de Śiva, le Seigneur pourvu de Śakti.
Vayu
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: tattva-udbhava (emanation sequence: Śakti → Māyā → Avyakta)
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) whose inseparable Śakti is the first principle of manifestation; from Her arise Māyā and the Unmanifest, explaining how bondage (pāśa) and the field of experience emerge while Śiva remains the sovereign source.
Linga worship honors Śiva as the transcendent source of all tattvas; recognizing that Māyā and avyakta proceed from Śiva-with-Śakti supports saguna devotion as a valid means to approach the nirguna-transcendent Lord who stands beyond all manifestation.
Meditate on Śiva-Śakti unity while chanting the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), contemplating Māyā as dependent on Śiva; this supports inner detachment and steadiness (śānti) rather than being bound by the unmanifest and manifested states.