Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
शिवसंस्कार-दीक्षानिरूपणम् (Śivasaṃskāra and the Typology of Dīkṣā)
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । भगवान्मंत्रमाहात्म्यं भवता कथितं प्रभो । तत्प्रयोगविधानं च साक्षाच्छ्रुतिसमं यथा
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | bhagavānmaṃtramāhātmyaṃ bhavatā kathitaṃ prabho | tatprayogavidhānaṃ ca sākṣācchrutisamaṃ yathā
ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പ്രഭോ! ഭഗവന്മന്ത്രത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം നിങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞു; ഇനി അതിന്റെ പ്രയോഗവിധാനവും, ശ്രുതിസമമായി—വേദസമാന പ്രമാണമായി—കൃപയോടെ ഉപദേശിക്കണമേ।
Sri Krishna
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Frames mantra as ‘śruti-sama’ (Veda-equivalent) and asks for prayoga-vidhi; this mirrors tīrtha pedagogy where correct procedure (vidhi) is itself a purifier and a means to eligibility (adhikāra).
Role: teaching
FAQs
It shifts the teaching from praising the mantra’s power (māhātmya) to insisting on disciplined practice (prayoga-vidhi), implying that liberation-oriented mantra worship must be done with right method, faith, and scriptural alignment.
By requesting the mantra’s practical procedure, the verse points toward concrete Shaiva worship—typically mantra-japa joined with Linga-upāsanā—where Saguna Shiva is approached through prescribed rites while aiming at the highest realization.
It specifically calls for learning mantra-prayoga: the correct way to perform japa and associated observances (such as purity, nyāsa, dhyāna, and offerings), rather than mere recitation without method.