Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 27

भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins

Devanagari script

अथ ये मानवा लोके स्वेच्छया धृतविग्रहाः । भावातिशयसंपन्नाः पूर्वसंस्कारसंयुताः

Transliteration

atha ye mānavā loke svecchayā dhṛtavigrahāḥ | bhāvātiśayasaṃpannāḥ pūrvasaṃskārasaṃyutāḥ

Translation

Ensuite, ces êtres humains en ce monde qui, de leur propre volonté, revêtent une forme incarnée (vigraha), riches d’une intensité de bhāva intérieur et accompagnés des empreintes des saṃskāra antérieurs, doivent être compris ainsi.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (conjunctive adverb: ‘then/now’)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्वेच्छया: by their own will
• स्वेच्छया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य इच्छा)

• धृतविग्रहाः: having assumed bodies/forms
• धृतविग्रहाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृत (कृदन्त; √धृ + क्त) + विग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थक: ‘धृतः विग्रहः येषाम्/धृत-विग्रहाः’ (having assumed a form/body)

• भावातिशयसंपन्नाः: endowed with excellence of devotion/feeling
• भावातिशयसंपन्नाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाव + अतिशय + संपन्न (कृदन्त; √पद्/√पन्? here adjectival ‘sampanna’ as past participle of √पद्/√पन् in sense ‘endowed’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (भावस्य अतिशयेन संपन्नाः)

• पूर्वसंस्कारसंयुताः: joined with prior impressions (saṃskāras)
• पूर्वसंस्कारसंयुताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व + संस्कार + संयुत (कृदन्त; √युज् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (पूर्वैः संस्कारैः संयुताः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

FAQs

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

It highlights that embodied life is shaped by free will interacting with prior samskāras, and that intensified inner bhāva becomes the decisive force for spiritual direction—toward bondage or toward Shiva-realization.

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

Linga-worship channels strong bhāva into a stable, purifying practice; by devotion to Saguna Shiva, old samskāras are refined and redirected so the jīva moves from pasha (bondage) toward Pati (Shiva).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Cultivate bhāva through steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and daily Shiva-pūjā with bhasma/tripuṇḍra and rudrākṣa, so prior samskāras are purified and the mind becomes fit for yoga and grace.