Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 6

शिवसंस्कार-दीक्षानिरूपणम् (Śivasaṃskāra and the Typology of Dīkṣā)

Devanagari script

शांभवी चैव शाक्ती च मांत्री चैव शिवागमे । दीक्षोपदिश्यते त्रेधा शिवेन परमात्मना

Transliteration

śāṃbhavī caiva śāktī ca māṃtrī caiva śivāgame | dīkṣopadiśyate tredhā śivena paramātmanā

Translation

Dans les Śiva-āgamas, Śiva, le Soi suprême, enseigne l’initiation (dīkṣā) selon trois voies : la Śāmbhavī, la Śāktī et la Māṃtrī (fondée sur le mantra).

Word by Word

• śāṃbhavī: Śāmbhavī (initiation)
• śāṃbhavī: Kartā (कर्ता; in passive, listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāṃbhavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; name of a type of dīkṣā

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya-dyotaka (समुच्चयद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• śāktī: Śāktī (initiation)
• śāktī: Kartā (कर्ता; in passive, listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāktī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; name of a type of dīkṣā

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya-dyotaka (समुच्चयद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• māṃtrī: Māntrī (initiation)
• māṃtrī: Kartā (कर्ता; in passive, listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃtrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; name of a type of dīkṣā

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya-dyotaka (समुच्चयद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• śivāgame: in the Śiva-āgama (scriptural tradition)
• śivāgame: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/अधिकरण), Ekavacana; Ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa ‘śivasya āgamaḥ’

• dīkṣā: initiation
• dīkṣā: Kartā (कर्ता; in passive, logical object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīkṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; subject of passive with predicate ‘tredhā’

• upadiśyate: is taught, is prescribed
• upadiśyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√diś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (Present), Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana; Ātmanepada, Karmaṇi prayoga (passive)

• tredhā: threefold
• tredhā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tredhā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘in three ways’

• śivena: by Śiva
• śivena: Kartṛ-karaṇa (कर्तृकरण; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/करण), Ekavacana; agent-instrument in passive

• paramātmanā: by the Supreme Self
• paramātmanā: Kartṛ-karaṇa (कर्तृकरण; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/करण), Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya ‘paramaḥ ātmā’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes that liberation-oriented Śaiva practice is not merely self-effort but is grounded in Śiva’s grace transmitted through dīkṣā, which the Āgamas present in three principal modes.

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

Āgamic dīkṣā authorizes and empowers disciplined worship of Saguna Śiva—especially Linga-upāsanā—by connecting the devotee to Śiva through prescribed rites, inner contemplation, and mantra.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to receiving proper Śaiva initiation from an authorized lineage, particularly mantra-dīkṣā, after which one undertakes regular japa (e.g., pañcākṣarī), pūjā, and meditation aligned with Śiva-āgama discipline.