Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 16
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
आसनं प्राणसंरोधः प्रत्याहारोथ धारणा । ध्यानं समाधिर्योगस्य षडंगानि समासतः
āsanaṃ prāṇasaṃrodhaḥ pratyāhārotha dhāraṇā | dhyānaṃ samādhiryogasya ṣaḍaṃgāni samāsataḥ
Āsana (posture), retenue du prāṇa (souffle vital), pratyāhāra (retrait), dhāraṇā (concentration), dhyāna (méditation) et samādhi : tels sont, en bref, les six membres du Yoga.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Presents the ṣaḍaṅga-yoga schema (common in some Śaiva and allied traditions): a practical ladder for the bound soul to quiet māyā’s turbulence and become fit for Śiva’s anugraha.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It defines Yoga as a sixfold discipline culminating in samādhi, where the bound soul (paśu) becomes inwardly steady and fit to realize Pati (Shiva) beyond distraction—supporting liberation through inner purification and focused awareness.
These six limbs can be applied as internal worship: establishing a steady seat before the Liṅga, regulating prāṇa, withdrawing the senses from outer objects, fixing the mind on Shiva’s form (saguṇa) and then deepening into absorption that points toward Shiva’s transcendent reality.
A practical takeaway is seated japa and meditation: take a stable āsana, regulate the breath (prāṇasaṃrodha), withdraw the senses, hold attention on Shiva—often with the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and proceed into sustained dhyāna aiming toward samādhi.