Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 4
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
तच्च तत्कारणं चैव तत्कालकरणानि च । तद्भेदतारतम्यं च वक्तुमर्हसि तत्त्वतः
tacca tatkāraṇaṃ caiva tatkālakaraṇāni ca | tadbhedatāratamyaṃ ca vaktumarhasi tattvataḥ
Explique aussi, conformément à la vérité : cela et sa cause, les instruments et facteurs à l’œuvre en ce moment-là, ainsi que les degrés et distinctions relatives entre ses diverses divisions.
A sage-disciple (the inquirer) addressing the main narrator/teacher in the Vāyavīya discourse (traditionally Sūta conveying the teaching lineage)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Significance: Analytical inquiry into cause, instruments, and gradations mirrors the pilgrim’s inner yātrā through tattvas—discerning bondage (pāśa) and its hierarchy to reach Śiva.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse emphasizes tattvataḥ—knowing reality as it truly is—by asking for an exact account of a principle, its cause, and the graded distinctions within it. In Shaiva Siddhanta, such right knowledge supports liberation by clarifying Pati (Shiva), pashu (the soul), and pasha (bondage) and their relative status.
It frames worship as not merely ritual but informed devotion: understanding causes, instruments, and gradations helps the devotee move from external supports (saguna worship of Shiva as Linga) toward steadier insight into Shiva as the supreme Pati who governs time and the tattvas.
The practical takeaway is śravaṇa-manana—listening and reflecting on Shiva-tattva teachings—alongside steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), using the clarity of “cause and gradation” to deepen meditation rather than remaining at a purely external level.