Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 44

ध्यानप्रकारनिर्णयः / Determination of the Modes of Meditation

on Śrīkaṇṭha-Śiva

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वं परित्यज्य कृत्यमन्यद्विचक्षणः । सर्वदुःखप्रहाणाय शिवयोगं समभ्यसेत्

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaṃ parityajya kṛtyamanyadvicakṣaṇaḥ | sarvaduḥkhaprahāṇāya śivayogaṃ samabhyaset

Translation

C’est pourquoi le chercheur avisé doit délaisser toute autre affaire et s’exercer avec ferveur au Śiva-yoga, pour l’abolition complète de toute souffrance—afin que l’âme soit délivrée des liens et repose en le Seigneur (Pati).

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Anvaya-nipāta (हेतु/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablatival adverbial form (तस्मात्), used as indeclinable discourse connector meaning ‘therefore/from that’

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; used as ‘everything’

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त) from √tyaj with prefix pari-

• kṛtyam: the duty/what should be done
• kṛtyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; ‘what is to be done/duty’

• anyat: other
• anyat: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with kṛtyam

• vicakṣaṇaḥ: the discerning person
• vicakṣaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘the discerning one’

• sarva-duḥkha-prahāṇāya: for the removal of all suffering
• sarva-duḥkha-prahāṇāya: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + prahāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; तत्पुरुष chain: ‘sarveṣāṃ duḥkhānāṃ prahāṇam’ → for the abandonment of all sorrows

• śiva-yogam: Śiva-yoga
• śiva-yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय sense): ‘Śivasya yogaḥ’ / ‘śivaḥ yogaḥ’

• samabhyaset: should practice
• samabhyaset: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + abhi + as (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada; ‘should practice/undertake’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific verse; it gives a general upadeśa: renounce subsidiary pursuits and take up Śiva-yoga as the direct means to end duḥkha and bondage.

Significance: Frames Śiva-yoga as the soteriological path (upāya) for pāśa-kṣaya (removal of bonds) and duḥkha-nivṛtti.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that lasting freedom from duḥkha comes not from multiplying worldly duties but from single-pointed Śiva-yoga—turning the bound soul (paśu) away from bonds (pāśa) and toward the Lord (Pati) through disciplined practice.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Śiva-yoga here can be grounded in Saguna worship—such as linga-upāsanā, mantra-japa, and dhyāna—using form and symbol to steady the mind, which then matures into inner union and recognition of Śiva as the indwelling reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse recommends sustained Śiva-yoga: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), meditation on Śiva (often with linga as support), and disciplined renunciation of distractions; on Mahāśivarātri this is commonly intensified with night-long japa and dhyāna.