Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 52
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
ध्येयावस्थितचित्तस्य सदृशः प्रत्ययश्च यः । प्रत्ययान्तरनिर्मुक्तः प्रवाहो ध्यानमुच्यते
dhyeyāvasthitacittasya sadṛśaḥ pratyayaśca yaḥ | pratyayāntaranirmuktaḥ pravāho dhyānamucyate
Lorsque l’esprit demeure fermement posé sur l’objet de contemplation, la connaissance qui surgit, semblable à cet objet, s’écoule sans interruption et sans intrusion d’autres pensées : ce flux est appelé dhyāna (méditation).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a Jyotirliṅga; it gives a technical definition: dhyāna is a continuous, homogeneous stream of cognition aligned with the dhyeya.
Significance: Establishes the inner criterion for valid meditation: pratyaya-pravāha without pratyayāntara (intrusive thoughts).
Role: teaching
FAQs
It defines true meditation as an unbroken stream of Shiva-oriented awareness, where the mind remains aligned with the chosen dhyeya and does not wander into other thought-forms—supporting inner purification and readiness for Shiva-realization (Pati-jñāna) in a Shaiva Siddhanta frame.
The Linga (or a Saguna form of Shiva) can serve as the dhyeya; meditation is established when the mind’s cognition repeatedly takes the form of that sacred support without distraction, maturing from external worship (bahir-ārādhana) toward inward worship (antar-ārādhana).
Practice steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) while holding one dhyeya—such as the Shiva-linga—so the mind maintains a continuous, undistracted flow; this aligns well with Shaiva disciplines often paired with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha as supports to recollection.