Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 17

दक्षस्य यज्ञप्रवृत्तिः तथा ईश्वरवर्जितदेवसमागमः

Dakṣa’s Sacrificial Undertaking and the Devas’ Assembly without Īśvara

Devanagari script

अक्षरं परमं ब्रह्म ह्यसच्च सदसच्च यत् । अनादिमध्यनिधनमप्रतर्क्यं सनातनम्

Transliteration

akṣaraṃ paramaṃ brahma hyasacca sadasacca yat | anādimadhyanidhanamapratarkyaṃ sanātanam

Translation

അത് അക്ഷരമായ പരബ്രഹ്മം—അസത്തും സത്തും രണ്ടിനും അതീതമായിട്ടും രണ്ടിന്റെയും ആധാരമാണ്. അത് ആദി-മധ്യ-നിധനരഹിതം, തർക്കാതീതം, സനാതനം.

Word by Word

• अक्षरम्: the imperishable
• अक्षरम्: Viśeṣya/Predicate (विशेष्य/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; predicative/appositional to ब्रह्म

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) of ब्रह्म/अक्षरम्

• ब्रह्म: Brahman (Absolute)
• ब्रह्म: Karta/Predicate (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; subject/predicate in equational sense

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis/indeed

• असत्: non-being; unreal
• असत्: Viśeṣya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; used as nominal predicate with ब्रह्म (asat)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सत्: being; real
• सत्: Viśeṣya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; coordinated with असत्

• असत्: and non-being (too)
• असत्: Viśeṣya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; repeated for contrast (sat and asat)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Anvaya-link (सम्बन्ध/यत्-तत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun) referring to ब्रह्म

• अनादि-मध्य-निधनम्: without beginning, middle, or end
• अनादि-मध्य-निधनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् of ब्रह्म; समासः—तत्पुरुष (determinative): 'whose beginning/middle/end are (negated)'; sense: beginningless, middleless, endless

• अप्रतर्क्यम्: beyond reasoning
• अप्रतर्क्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-प्रतर्क्य (प्रातिपदिक; √तर्क् (धातु) + य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त (य-प्रत्यय) with negation; 'not to be reasoned out'

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् of ब्रह्म

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: mahāpralaya-implication: that which remains beginningless and endless beyond sat/asat

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It points to Shiva as the imperishable Supreme Reality—beginningless, endless, and beyond conceptual thought—guiding the seeker from changing phenomena (pāśa) toward the Eternal Lord (Pati) as the basis of liberation.

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

The Linga is revered as a sacred support for meditation on the formless, imperishable Shiva described here. Saguna worship (form, mantra, ritual) steadies the mind so it can contemplate the Nirguna truth that is ‘beyond reasoning’.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as Akṣara (the Imperishable) through japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and inner contemplation that releases the mind from debating sat/asat, resting instead in steady awareness of the Eternal.