Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 21
न्यासत्रैविध्य-भूतशुद्धि-प्रक्रिया
Threefold Nyāsa and the Procedure of Elemental Purification
अथ यस्यास्त्यवसरो नास्ति वा मतिविभ्रमः । स विस्तीर्णेन कल्पेन न्यासकर्म समाचरेत् । तत्राद्यो मातृकान्यासो ब्रह्मन्यासस्ततः परः । तृतीयः प्रणवन्यासो हंसन्यासस्तदुत्तरः
atha yasyāstyavasaro nāsti vā mativibhramaḥ | sa vistīrṇena kalpena nyāsakarma samācaret | tatrādyo mātṛkānyāso brahmanyāsastataḥ paraḥ | tṛtīyaḥ praṇavanyāso haṃsanyāsastaduttaraḥ
Or, si quelqu’un a le temps et l’occasion — ou bien s’il y a trouble dans l’esprit — qu’il accomplisse le rite de nyāsa selon la procédure développée. Dans cette méthode, le premier est le Mātṛkā-nyāsa; vient ensuite le Brahma-nyāsa. Le troisième est le Praṇava-nyāsa, puis après cela le Haṃsa-nyāsa.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s ritual teachings within the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Tatpuruṣa
Mantra: oṃ (praṇava); haṃsa/so’ham (haṃsa-mantra)
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that when one has sufficient time—or when the mind is unsettled—one should adopt the expanded nyāsa, systematically installing mantra-śakti in the body so the worship becomes inwardly aligned to Pati (Śiva) and the bonds (pāśa) loosen through disciplined awareness.
Nyāsa prepares the devotee’s body-mind as a purified seat for Saguna Śiva worship (including Liṅga-pūjā), so external offerings are matched by internal consecration—mantra and consciousness becoming fit to approach Śiva’s grace.
It prescribes a detailed nyāsa sequence—Mātṛkā-nyāsa, Brahma-nyāsa, Praṇava-nyāsa, and Haṃsa-nyāsa—combining mantra-installation with prāṇa-awareness (haṃsa/so’ham) to stabilize concentration before worship.