Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 45

शिवशक्त्यैक्य-तत्त्वविचारः / Inquiry into the Unity of Śiva and Śakti

Para–Apara Ontology

Devanagari script

बालेंदुशेखरो वायुः शिवा शिवमनोहरा । यक्षो यज्ञशिरोहर्ता ऋद्धिर्हिमगिरीन्द्रजा

Transliteration

bāleṃduśekharo vāyuḥ śivā śivamanoharā | yakṣo yajñaśirohartā ṛddhirhimagirīndrajā

Translation

Vāyu est celui dont le front est couronné du jeune croissant de lune ; Śivā est l’aimée enchanteresse de Śiva. Yakṣa est celui qui ôta la tête du sacrifice ; et Ṛddhi est la fille d’Himagiri, seigneur des montagnes.

Word by Word

• bāla-indu-śekharaḥ: (he who has) the young moon as a crest
• bāla-indu-śekharaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject; epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + indu (प्रातिपदिक) + śekhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (multi-member): ‘bālasya indos śekharaḥ’ = having the young moon as crest

• vāyuḥ: Vāyu (Wind-god)
• vāyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• śivā: Śivā (Pārvatī)
• śivā: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• śiva-manoharā: charming to Śiva
• śiva-manoharā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/adjectival to śivā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + manohara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘śivasya manoharā’

• yakṣaḥ: Yakṣa (a celestial being)
• yakṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• yajña-śiras-hartā: the taker of the sacrifice’s head
• yajña-śiras-hartā: Karta (कर्ता/subject; epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक) + hartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘yajñasya śiraso hartā’

• ṛddhiḥ: Ṛddhi (prosperity; a goddess)
• ṛddhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• hima-giri-indra-jā: daughter of Himagiri
• hima-giri-indra-jā: Karta (कर्ता/subject; epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hima (प्रातिपदिक) + giri (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक) + jā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘himagiryindrasya jā’ (daughter of Himagiri, lord of mountains)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse functions as a nāma-saṅgraha (catalog of divine identifications) rather than a specific liṅga-sthala narrative; the epithet “yajñaśirohartā” recalls the Dakṣa-yajña episode where Śiva disrupts the sacrifice to restore dharma and reveal the limits of ritualism without devotion.

Significance: Remembrance of Śiva as the transcendent Lord who can both veil and reveal the fruit of karma-yajña; encourages pilgrimage as inner reorientation from mere ritual to Śiva-bhakti.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Vayu
• Shiva
• Shiva (as Shakti/Parvati)
• Yaksha
• Rddhi
• Himagiri (Himalaya)

FAQs

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

The verse strings together sacred epithets that point to Saguna manifestations: Śiva as the crescent-crested Lord and Śivā as His inseparable Śakti. In Shaiva Siddhanta, remembering such names steadies devotion and directs the mind to Pati (Śiva), the supreme ruler who grants grace and liberation.

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

The crescent-crested form is a classic Saguna marker used in dhyāna and Liṅga worship—devotees contemplate the Lord’s auspicious signs while offering water, bilva leaves, and mantra. The title yajñaśirohartā recalls Śiva’s supremacy over ritual, teaching that outer sacrifice is fulfilled only when offered to Śiva in the Liṅga with devotion.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use name-recitation (nāma-japa) with the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while meditating on Śiva as bālenduśekhara (crescent-crested) united with Śivā. In daily pūjā, apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and offer bilva leaves, dedicating all acts as an inner yajña to Śiva.