Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 41
भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins
ब्रह्मविष्णुसुरेशानामपि तूलायते पदम् । मत्तोन्यदनपेक्षाणामुद्धृतानां महात्मनाम्
brahmaviṣṇusureśānāmapi tūlāyate padam | mattonyadanapekṣāṇāmuddhṛtānāṃ mahātmanām
Même la condition atteinte par Brahmā, Viṣṇu et les seigneurs des dieux est pesée comme néant sur la balance, comparée à l’état de ces grandes âmes que J’ai délivrées et qui ne dépendent de rien d’autre que de Moi.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a Jyotirliṅga legend; it asserts the supremacy of Śiva’s liberating state over even the highest cosmic offices (Brahmā/Viṣṇu/Devas).
Significance: Frames pilgrimage as secondary to exclusive refuge (ananya-śaraṇatā) in Śiva; the ‘state of the liberated’ is the true tīrtha.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It declares that deva-ranks and cosmic offices (even of Brahma and Vishnu) are inferior to the liberated state granted by Shiva to souls who take Him alone as refuge; liberation is measured by freedom from pasha (bondage) and exclusive reliance on Pati (Shiva).
In Shaiva practice, Saguna Shiva—especially as the Shiva-Linga—is approached as the immediate, gracious Lord who bestows release; the verse emphasizes ananya-śaraṇāgati (exclusive surrender) to Shiva rather than seeking merely worldly or heavenly status.
Cultivate one-pointed devotion (ananya-bhakti) through japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” along with steady Shiva-upasana (Linga worship) as a practical expression of depending on Shiva alone.