Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35
समयाह्वय-संस्कारः — Rite of ‘Samayāhvaya’ and the Preparatory Layout
Maṇḍapa, Vedi, Kuṇḍas, Maṇḍala, Śiva-kumbha
ततस्संप्रोक्ष्य मूलेन शिरस्यस्त्रेण पूर्ववत् । संताड्य देशिकस्तस्य मोचयेन्नेत्रबंधनम्
tatassaṃprokṣya mūlena śirasyastreṇa pūrvavat | saṃtāḍya deśikastasya mocayennetrabaṃdhanam
Alors le précepteur, comme auparavant, doit asperger (le disciple) avec le Mūla-mantra et le Śirasyāstra-mantra ; puis, après l’avoir frappé rituellement afin d’écarter souillure et obstacles, il doit délier le bandeau de ses yeux.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Significance: Frames dīkṣā as removal of bondage: the ‘eye-bandage’ symbolizes āṇava/māyīya obscuration; its release signifies eligibility to ‘see’ Śiva-tattva through guru’s grace.
Mantra: mūla-mantra; śirasyāstra-mantra (texts not quoted in the verse)
Role: liberating
FAQs
It depicts the Shaiva dīkṣā sequence where the guru uses mantra-purification and protective rites to remove inner obscurations; the untying of the eye-bandage symbolizes the lifting of āṇava-mala-like ignorance so the disciple may perceive Shiva’s grace-oriented path.
The rite is a preparation for Saguna Shiva-upāsanā—approaching Shiva through mantra, protection, and disciplined procedure—so that the disciple becomes fit to worship the Liṅga with purity, steadiness, and correct understanding.
It suggests mantra-saṃprokṣaṇa (sprinkling/purification with the Mūla-mantra and Śirasyāstra protection mantra) under a competent guru, followed by a symbolic ‘opening of vision’—a cue for meditating on Shiva as the remover of bondage (pāśa) and revealer of true knowledge.