Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
Śiva’s Freedom from Bondage and His Cosmic Support (शिवस्य अबन्धत्वं तथा सर्वाधिष्ठानत्वम्)
उपमन्युरुवाच । नशिवस्याणवो बंधः कार्यो मायेय एव वा । प्राकृतो वाथ बोद्धा वा ह्यहंकारात्मकस्तथा
upamanyuruvāca | naśivasyāṇavo baṃdhaḥ kāryo māyeya eva vā | prākṛto vātha boddhā vā hyahaṃkārātmakastathā
Upamanyu dit : «Pour Śiva, il n’existe aucune servitude : ni le lien āṇava, ni le lien issu du karma, ni le lien de māyā ; il n’y a pas davantage de lien ‘prākṛta’ (de la nature matérielle) ni ‘boddhā’ (du connaissant limité), car de tels liens prennent racine dans l’ahaṅkāra (l’egoïté), et cela ne Le concerne pas.»
Upamanyu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Doctrinal clarification: Śiva is never subject to āṇava, karma, or māyā bonds; bondage is a condition of paśu rooted in ahaṅkāra, not of Pati.
Significance: Establishes correct metaphysics for worship: the Lord approached in pilgrimage is eternally free (nitya-mukta); liberation depends on His grace, not on altering His state.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as Pati—the eternally free Lord—untouched by the three bonds (āṇava, karma, and māyā). Bondage belongs to the ego-bound soul (paśu), not to Śiva, reinforcing devotion to Him as the liberator.
Linga-worship directs the mind to Śiva as the transcendent Pati who is beyond ego and impurity. Even when approached in saguna form through the Linga, the devotee contemplates His nirguṇa freedom from māyā and karma, seeking release from pasha.
A practical takeaway is ego-transcending japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with dhyāna on Śiva as ever-unbound, supported by Shaiva disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as reminders to dissolve ahaṅkāra.