Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 13
पञ्चाक्षरमाहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of the Pañcākṣarī (Five-Syllable) Mantra
ये ऽर्चयंति महादेवं विज्ञेयास्ते महेश्वराः । ज्ञानेनात्मसहायेन नार्चितो भगवाञ्छिवः
ye 'rcayaṃti mahādevaṃ vijñeyāste maheśvarāḥ | jñānenātmasahāyena nārcito bhagavāñchivaḥ
जो महादेव की अर्चना करते हैं वे ‘महेश्वर’ जानने योग्य हैं। परन्तु केवल आत्म-आश्रित, स्वकेन्द्रित ज्ञान से—भक्ति और आचरण से रहित—भगवान् शिव की सच्ची पूजा नहीं होती।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Defines true identity as ‘Maheśvara’ through actual worship (arcana) rather than self-referential learning; warns that ego-supported knowledge is a form of concealment (tirodhāna) that blocks genuine devotion.
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It defines a ‘true Maheśvara’ as one who actually worships Śiva, and cautions that knowledge rooted in ego or self-sufficiency—without surrender and devotion—does not amount to real worship.
Linga/Saguṇa worship is presented as a concrete mode of honoring Śiva with reverence; the verse implies that ritual and devotion oriented to Śiva are superior to dry, self-referential intellectualism that ignores the Lord as Pati (the Supreme).
Adopt devotional worship (arcana) supported by humility—e.g., japa of the Pañcākṣarī ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’ with pūjā to the Śiva-liṅga—rather than relying on mere scholarship or ego-based contemplation.
Read Shiva Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.