Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 42
लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा-माहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of Liṅga Installation
मायया मोहितौ शंभोः कृत्याकृत्यं न जग्मतुः । पृष्ठतः पार्श्वतस्तस्य चाग्रतश्च स्थितावुभौ
māyayā mohitau śaṃbhoḥ kṛtyākṛtyaṃ na jagmatuḥ | pṛṣṭhataḥ pārśvatastasya cāgrataśca sthitāvubhau
Leurrés par la māyā de Śambhu, tous deux ne purent discerner ce qu’il fallait faire et ce qu’il ne fallait pas faire. Ils demeurèrent près de Lui : l’un derrière, l’autre à son côté, et aussi devant, comme incapables de s’éloigner.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: Śambhu’s māyā bewilders Brahmā and Viṣṇu so they cannot discern kṛtya/akṛtya; this illustrates the Lord’s veiling power that binds even devas until He bestows clarifying grace.
Significance: Frames bondage as māyā (pāśa) and liberation as dependent on Śiva’s anugraha; motivates devotees toward śaraṇāgati and disciplined worship rather than prideful disputation.
Cosmic Event: Tirodhāna (veiling) manifest as māyā-moha affecting even cosmic administrators (Brahmā/Viṣṇu).
FAQs
It shows that without Śiva’s grace the bound soul can be overpowered by māyā, losing kṛtyākṛtya-viveka (discernment of right and wrong). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Śiva (Pati) alone can loosen the pāśa (bond) that causes such delusion.
Saguna worship—such as devotion to the Śiva-liṅga—trains the mind to take refuge in Śambhu rather than in māyā. The verse highlights that proximity to Śiva is not merely physical; true nearness comes through bhakti, purity, and His anugraha (grace) gained by worship.
Cultivate viveka through daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady dhyāna on Śiva as the inner Lord, supported by Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders to transcend māyā.