Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 46
ध्यानप्रकारनिर्णयः / Determination of the Modes of Meditation
on Śrīkaṇṭha-Śiva
अथवा क्षुद्रमित्येव मत्वा वैषयिकं सुखम् । त्यक्त्वा विरागयोगेन स्वेच्छया कर्म मुच्यताम्
athavā kṣudramityeva matvā vaiṣayikaṃ sukham | tyaktvā virāgayogena svecchayā karma mucyatām
Ou bien, reconnaissant que le plaisir né des sens est vraiment dérisoire, qu’on l’abandonne ; par la discipline du virāga-yoga (yoga du détachement) et par sa propre résolution délibérée, qu’on soit délivré de l’entrave du karma.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: General instruction: sense-pleasures are ‘kṣudra’ (trifling) and function as binding factors; release comes through virāga-yoga and deliberate resolve.
Significance: Encourages vairāgya as a prerequisite for effective sādhana; reframes worldly sukha as a form of pāśa (bondage) to be transcended.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that worldly, sense-based pleasures are inherently small and binding; by cultivating virāga (dispassion) one loosens pasha (bondage) and becomes fit for Shiva’s liberating grace, culminating in freedom from karmic compulsion.
Dispassion supports steady Linga-upāsanā: when the mind stops chasing sense-objects, it can remain collected in devotion to Saguna Shiva (as the Linga), allowing worship to mature from desire-driven ritual into purification and inner surrender.
The practical takeaway is vairāgya-yoga: reduce indulgence, practice japa of Shiva’s name (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and meditate with a detached mind; such discipline weakens karmic tendencies and supports liberation.